Intellectual property news and updates

Can a new defence be introduced at the appeal stage of a trade mark cancellation?

We outline the key changes that have come about from the new EU Trade Mark Directive.

The EU 'BIG MAC' trade mark was cancelled by the EU Intellectual Property Office last week as McDonald's did not submit enough evidence of use.

This long running trade mark dispute provides a useful reminder of the vulnerability of a trade mark if the mark becomes a commonly used name for the good it is registered for.

On 9th November 2018, amendements to the regulations governing the filing of Hague agreement applications were announced.

The UK government published the Draft Agreement on the withdrawal of the UK from the EU on the 14th November. We take a look at what information has been provided about intellectual property rights.

The UK government has published guidance on how IP rights will be affected if the UK leaves the EU without a formal agreement in place. Read our overview covering all areas of IP rights.

This dispute between the fashion brand Prada and the Indonesian hotel The Rich Prada highlights the difficulty that brand owners have in arguing that the use of a mark is detrimental to their brand's reputation. We explore this case.

The European Parliament has now voted in favour of the controversial copyright reform. We explain the details of these changes to EU copyright law.

Nestlé have been denied in their legal battle with Mondelēz concerning whether the four-finger Kit Kat bar shape constitutes a trade mark that has acquired distinctive character in the EU.