In this article, Serjeants' expert team of trade mark attorneys provides an overview of what makes a good trade mark, explaining the value they add to a brand or company, and highlighting why businesses should ensure that they have the relevant protection in place. What is...
In this article, the expert trade mark team at Serjeants explains the recent US trade mark law changes and the impact they could have on brand owners. The concept of ‘use’ The US trade mark law is governed by the Lanham Act, which allows protection for both...
Within days of her winning the US open, someone had filed to protect the trade mark “Emma Raducanu” at the UKIPO for goods in classes 3, 16 and 25 covering toiletries, paper products and clothing. This has now been withdrawn, presumably because it had nothing...
Recent developments in the trade mark case between Bullards and Red Bull have served to highlight the significance of having genuine intention when filing a trade mark application, as the team at Serjeants explains. Bullards’ trade mark application: an overview Norwich-based gin maker Bullards has recently filed...
A recent case between Eggless Cakeshop and Eggfree Cake Box serves to highlight how a lack of conceptual similarity between trade marks means they can still co-exist, even if they could be considered to have some likeness to one another. Eggless Cakeshop vs Eggfree Cake Box:...
The recent case between the Bezos Family Foundation and SNCF over the trade mark “VROOM” highlights the importance of researching earlier registrations that might block your trade mark application. It also demonstrates that when it comes to trade mark disputes, the big guy doesn’t always...
In mid-April, Marks & Spencer (M&S) started legal proceedings against Aldi, arguing that Aldi’s Cuthbert the Caterpillar cake infringed its rights in its popular Colin the Caterpillar cake. The subsequent social media storm meant the case was catapulted into the limelight, with #CaterpillarWars and #FreeCuthbert...
After Volkswagen’s opposition against Mr Terence O’Halloran’s trade mark application for “Multibus” was initially upheld by the Hearing Officer, Mr O’Halloran decided to appeal against the decision in a bid to have his trade mark successfully registered. Here, the expert trade mark team at Serjeants...
It never comes as a surprise to hear that Aldi have made another copycat version of a well know brand. After all, selling big brand dupes at lower prices is at the core of the Aldi business model. But when the supermarket giant released a...
The well-known, anonymous street artist, Banksy, has recently had a trade mark for one of his images cancelled after it was found that his actions were inconsistent with honest practices. The IP experts at Serjeants explain the facts and why it is so important to...
