Rules may be rules, but their rigid application by the state, without consideration of individual circumstances, is unlawful. In a case which illustrated the point, a woman whose designer crocodile-skin handbag was seized by the UK Border Force (UKBF) has…
To regular renters of cars, the stylised 'e' in the logo of Europcar will be readily recognisable. With its brand reinforced by an extensive recent television advertising campaign, the Enterprise Rent-a-Car 'e' logo will also be familiar to many. The…
Disagreements between family members are often bitter, and this can lead to time, effort and expense being incurred which is disproportionate to the importance of the dispute when it concerns a family business, as a recent case illustrates. Two brothers…
In a warning to traders that those who deal in counterfeit goods are at risk of losing their liberty, a market stall holder who was caught offering for sale fake Apple mobile phone chargers and USB leads has failed in…
World famous singer and songwriter Adele, who fiercely objected to her two-year-old son being snapped by ‘paparazzi’ photographers, has sent a warning to the British press after the toddler won damages from a well-known photographic agency. Although thankful to the…
High end Jermyn Street shirt maker Thomas Pink Limited has triumphed in a High Court trade mark dispute with 'sexy, mass market' retailers Victoria's Secret over the use of the word 'PINK' on the latter’s goods and shop fronts. Thomas…
In a case that revealed the extraordinary power of marketing, Aleksandr the meerkat and his 750,000 Facebook 'friends' played a critical role in achieving victory for price comparison website comparethemarket.com in a trade mark dispute with rivals GoCompare.com. The loveable…
Mixing business and personal relationships can produce additional complications if a break-up occurs, as evidenced by the stalemate reached by a warring former couple who are at loggerheads over the future of their deadlocked business and its intellectual property (IP)…
The economic value of a well-known brand having a registered trade mark is illustrated by two recent court cases involving British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB), US IT giant Microsoft and free Internet phone service Skype. Microsoft launched a cloud-based data storage…
The UK Intellectual Property Office has refused an application by Chanel to register the word ‘Jersey’ as a trade mark on the ground that, as a geographical term, it would not be appropriate to deny its availability to other businesses…