Brand owners

Sun 17th Mar 2024

Clare Stephens explains the impact of the Chancellor's Spring Budget on the UK's science and technology industries.

Wed 26th Apr 2023

Virginia Driver named one of the top 250 women in IP in 2023.

Thu 2nd Feb 2023

On 25 January 2023, the UK IPO announced new procedures which provide clarity about the requirements for UK representation and a UK address for service for trade mark and design matters, post Brexit.

Mon 14th Feb 2022

The question of whether the European Patent Convention confers jurisdiction on the EPO to determine whether a party validly claims to be a successor in title as referred to in Article 87(1)(b) has been referred to the Enlarged Board of Appeal.

Wed 26th Jan 2022

Decisions by the UKIPO in trade mark cases can be appealed to the Appointed Person or to the court. The Appointed Person is a senior lawyer who is an expert in IP law and their decision is final, in contrast to the court, where decisions can be appealed further.

Wed 6th Oct 2021

James Cornish, head of the trade mark team at Page White Farrer, outlines key steps that you need to take in the trade mark registration process.

Tue 13th Apr 2021

When the UK left the EU, new intellectual property rights and exclusions were created in the system of protection for designs. These changes mean that companies and designers have some important choices to make about where to disclose designs first; whether to register designs; and if so, where to register their designs first. Oliver Spies and David Roberts highlight the three key lessons for design owners.

Wed 20th Jan 2021

The UK fashion industry is worth £26 billion, employs over half a million people, and is constantly and rapidly innovating as, every season, exciting new brands and products are launched.

Mon 7th Dec 2020

If you have established some strong marketing channels, with an extensive database, good customer knowledge and a productive sales engine, you may be on the lookout for new products which might compliment your existing portfolio.

Thu 19th Nov 2020

For EU design registrations which are registered and published by the end of 2020, an equivalent “cloned” UK registered design will be automatically created at no cost to the EU registered design rights holder. 

Fri 13th Nov 2020

After the UK leaves the EU at the end of the Brexit transition period on 1 January 2021, new EU registered community designs (RCDs) will no longer provide registered design protection in the UK.

After 1 January 2021, if you wish to obtain both EU and UK registered design protection, it will be necessary to apply for these registered designs separately.

Wed 14th Oct 2020

Figures published by the UK Intellectual Property Office show a marked upturn in the number of filings of trade mark and design right applications since April 2020.

Fri 25th Sep 2020

This is a brief note on the position concerning how EU-wide trade marks and EU-wide registered designs will be affected by Brexit from 1 January 2021. The advice below is applicable to trade marks and designs equally.

Please note the European Patent Office is not an EU institution and European patents and patent applications are not affected by Brexit.

This is a very important notice for the owners of EU-wide trade marks and designs. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Mon 24th Aug 2020

An audit of your intellectual property will pay dividends as it enables a business to identify new revenue streams, enhance business value, implement best practice, assess and reduce the risk of competition.  It is particularly important for any business with a strong brand or knowledge-based products or services.

Wed 12th Aug 2020

Your logo is an important part of your branding, and the last thing you want is to see another business using an identical or very similar logo that might cause confusion amongst customers and which could devalue your brand.

Fri 10th Jul 2020

Great business ideas usually start off with a working title, as entrepreneurs focus on product development, designs, packaging logistics and business plans. 

Thu 28th May 2020

When establishing a new brand, it is important to avoid spending time and resources on registering a trade mark brand which is likely to be refused by the Intellectual Property Office.

Mon 27th Apr 2020

Invalidation is the legal procedure which allows anyone to try and remove a trade mark from a register and can relate to the entire registration, or only some of the goods or services covered by the trade mark. This is important if:

Tue 21st Apr 2020

Sometimes you expect something to happen, but it still surprises you when it does occur.

Wed 8th Apr 2020

We hope that you are keeping well and are settling into this new way of working.

Mon 6th Apr 2020

It seems that some of the Intellectual Property Offices are experiencing issues, but some have arranged extensions of deadlines. Some offices have closed. Problems are occurring in the courts where some hearings are being cancelled.

Fri 27th Mar 2020

The UKIPO announced changes to its services on 27 March 2020 as a result of the business /postal disruption during the coronavirus pandemic.

Wed 11th Mar 2020

Finding and entering new markets is key to the growth of any business, whether this is selling to a new industry sector or into a foreign territory. But this can be time-consuming and labour intensive and difficult to do well if you do not have anyone who speaks the language, understands the sector or is familiar with differences in the cultural or regulatory environment.

Thu 30th Jan 2020

Following the UK general election and conclusion of the EU Withdrawal Agreement, there is now a new stage in the departure of the UK from the European Union.

Fri 11th Oct 2019

Whilst it is understandable to be enthusiastic about a proposed new brand, or product-line, don’t make the mistake of oversharing your ideas.

Tue 27th Aug 2019

In a new decision X ZB 9/18 (“Abstandsberechnungsverfahren”) of 7 May 2019 the German Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof or BGH) has clarified the responsibilities of each of the German patent authorities for receiving and examining divisional applications at different procedural stages.

Wed 21st Aug 2019

Oliver Spies was interviewed on IP protection by Carsten Bolk of theUntold for the Stories4Brands online magazine, first published on 13 August 2019.

Tue 16th Jul 2019

Page White and Farrer has been acknowledged as one of the leading patent law firms in Europe by the Financial Times in its 2019 survey report.

Mon 21st Jan 2019

Simply, patents protect inventions. Our qualified patent attorneys have put together this collection of frequently asked questions to assist you with securing patent
protections for your intellectual property.

Sat 19th Jan 2019

Your brand comprises many elements, including your company and domain names and as with all your intellectual property assets, it is important to take active steps to protect them.

Sat 5th Jan 2019

A registered trade mark is an asset, which can be sold, licensed, and mortgaged. A trade mark registration gives a monopoly to stop certain use by others of similar marks
on similar goods. It gives you more certainty that a trade mark is available for your use, as it has already been through an opposition stage

Fri 23rd Nov 2018

When seeking to protect your brand from cheap counterfeits, it is advisable to set up a customs watch but what happens when customs officials discover fake goods?

Mon 29th Oct 2018

In a typical year, counterfeit goods with a retail value of over €600 million are seized by customs across the European Union. Counterfeits entering the European Union include goods from China, Iran, Turkey, India and Hong Kong. Around 5 per cent of the seizures in the EU are in the UK.

Tue 25th Sep 2018

On 24 September, the UK government released its latest pre-Brexit updates for businesses in regard to the implications for intellectual property. These papers outline the situation in the event of a ‘no deal’ scenario, explain the implications for businesses in the UK, the EU and other countries, and they highlight any actions which are required by businesses and other stakeholders.

Mon 24th Sep 2018

With a history dating back to the Sumerians, Egyptians and Celts - there is still much work going on to optimize beer production with new inventions in the field of brewing, particularly in Germany.

Thu 9th Aug 2018

The government has signalled its intention to ensure that the UK will remain one of the best places in the world to obtain and protect your intellectual property.

Mon 2nd Jul 2018

The outcome, implications and effect of Brexit remain unknown and unclear. However on 19 March 2018 the European Commission published a draft agreement indicating terms that have been agreed with the UK in the event of a wider agreement concerning Brexit and those yet to be agreed.

Mon 11th Jun 2018

Subject to any transitional arrangements or other changes in law following Brexit, scheduled for 29 March 2019 when the United Kingdom will leave the European Union, there will be no copyright or unregistered design right protection in the UK for the 3‑dimensional aspects of industrial designs for nationals of most non‑EU countries. This includes nationals of, amongst others, the US, Canada, Australia, China, Japan and South Korea.

Fri 18th May 2018

This week at INTA 10,600 brand owners and intellectual property experts from 150 countries will be congregating in Seattle to discuss the latest developments in trade mark protection around the world.

Mon 7th May 2018

Last year saw yet another period of growth for the Hague System as the international registration body for the protection of industrial designs.

Wed 18th Apr 2018

Deceptive? Descriptive? Distinctive? Do you know the difference when it comes to trade marks? The Page White and Farrer trade mark team has put together a helpful glossary of terms for brand owners and brand managers.

Thu 1st Mar 2018

Patent attorney David Roberts reviews the CJEU judgement C-361/15 - Easy Sanitary Solutions v Group Nivelles and give some background and implications of the case.

Wed 20th Sep 2017

There are over 200 UK laws and regulations governing promotional communications and advertising and, while consumers increasingly use social media to make direct complaints, a key part of the control of advertising in the UK is the Advertising Standards Authority (the ASA). This is a self-regulated, non-government body paid for largely by the advertising industry, which regulates the content of adverts, sales promotions and direct marketing and has established codes.

Fri 15th Sep 2017

James Cornish, trade mark attorney at Page White and Farrer discusses the current UK laws on misleading marketing and how these laws could impact on the way trade marks are used.

Fri 1st Sep 2017

Brand protection and trade mark attorney James Cornish offers some essential advice for brand owners about marketing to consumers in the UK and following best marketing practices to avoid black listed activites.

Wed 23rd Aug 2017

Trade mark registrations in the UK and EU may be cancellable if they have not been used for a five year period and there are no proper reasons for the non-use.

Tue 15th Aug 2017

Are you aware of the unfair commercial practices which are prohibited in UK consumer marketing? James Cornish, chartered trade mark attorney at Page White and Farrer explains.

Tue 1st Aug 2017

There are many rules governing the sale of goods, so when selling your branded goods or services you should note that criminal liability can sometimes arise in the context of marketing materials that do not comply with these rules.

Mon 5th Jun 2017

Since the UK Company Names Tribunal was set up in 2008, it has decided nearly 700 cases of disputes about opportunistic names registered at UK Companies House.

Wed 1st Mar 2017

If you have created original computer software, literary, musical or artistic works, copyright gives you automatic protection, allowing you to control how your work is exploited.

Mon 16th Jan 2017

If you, or your brand agency, have spent days, or even weeks, drafting the perfect slogan for your business or product, then you may wonder if it’s possible to protect this element of your branding.

Fri 13th Jan 2017

When launching or promoting any brand it can be a challenge to get noticed in the market place, and some companies choose to take a controversial approach via the use of shock advertising - an approach which ‘deliberately, rather than inadvertently, startles and offends its audience by violating norms for social values and personal ideals’. Other companies might find themselves offending groups of people inadvertently due to differing cultural norms and differences arising from use of language and translation.

Wed 11th Jan 2017

As your business grows and you expand into new markets, then there will be strategic decisions to take about how best to manage your international portfolio of trade marks. One key consideration is whether to take advantage of a seniority claim.

Mon 9th Jan 2017

If you sell products, or services internationally, then you will need to consider where and when to register trade marks to protect the intellectual property in your branding. Planning your approach is an important part of your IP strategy.

Mon 5th Dec 2016

The results of a recent EU-wide study have been published by the European Patent Office and the EU Intellectual Property Office. The study analysed the impact of intellectual property rights (IPRs) on the European economy in terms of gross domestic product, employment, wages and trade.

Thu 10th Nov 2016

It is good housekeeping to ensure that any Intellectual Property Office records are kept up to date to reflect the correct owner details for your trade marks.

Wed 9th Nov 2016

Please be wary of unsolicited correspondence after you have filed a UK trade mark application as it may be a scam and sent by a fraudster.

Tue 8th Nov 2016

The EU trade mark system is a money-saving, advantageous system for those interested in operating in EU states who want a system that is quick and easy to use. Brand owners can protect their trade marks in all member states of the EU by way of a single application.

Fri 4th Nov 2016

The Madrid international application system for trade marks offers a money-saving, convenient and simple scheme for brand owners who want to protect their trademarks in numerous countries.

Wed 2nd Nov 2016

Each week we are notified by a client to say that they have been contacted by an official-looking Chinese domain name company with a notification that a third party is trying to register their brands as Chinese domain names and asking if this is authorised.

Wed 26th Oct 2016

As trade mark registrations are in the public domain, scammers are able to obtain your details from the publicly accessible official trade mark registers.

Wed 19th Oct 2016

To ensure that you do not pay unnecessary costs, businesses interested in trade marks should be on their guard against fraudsters and scams relating to trade marks.

Mon 17th Oct 2016

Protecting the uniqueness of your brand is important if you wish to preserve its value and reduce the risk of market erosion from competitors. It is therefore advisable to look out for any other trade mark applications, company names and domain names that are similar to yours and might cause concern.

Mon 26th Sep 2016

The Company Names Tribunal provides a service for determining disputes about whether names registered at UK Companies House should be changed, due to the earlier rights of others.

Wed 21st Sep 2016

Having spent many months building up the reputation of your business, it is extremely frustrating to see another business attempt to ride on your coat tails and profit from your goodwill, through opportunistic activities.

Wed 1st Jun 2016

Following the decision for the UK to leave the EU, James Cornish, of European IP specialists Page White and Farrer, provides some reassurances to brand owners and their advisers on the position regarding existing and future intellectual property rights in Europe.

Tue 1st Mar 2016

Changes are being made to the European Union trade mark registration system. In this article, James Cornish, trademarks specialist at Page White and Farrer, highlights some of the key changes. Most changes take effect on 23 March 2016.