Welsh business forced to change name
The Welsh Language Commissioner, Aled Roberts, has criticised a decision not to allow a Welsh language trademark. He has asked the UK Intellectual Property Office to “reconsider” after it rejected a trademark application from North Wales company, Eryri Clothing, on the grounds that you cannot trademark geographical locations. The Welsh firm tried to trademark the place name of […]
Archewell hits bump over trademark terms
Trademark terms are important, they can mean the difference between obtaining a trademark registration or having your application declined. They are especially important when you are planning to secure sole use of a word. An example of this is currently being played out with the Sussex’s bid to trademark the word ‘Archewell’, the name of […]
Shein accused of IP infringement
Fast fashion retailer, Shein, has exploded to dominate fashion ecommerce in the past couple of years. If you search for a clothing product on Google, 9 times out of 10 you are going to be presented by a search advert for Shein. Last month, the Chinese company knocked Amazon off the number one spot as […]
Banksy stripped of trademarks
Anonymous street artist, Banksy, has been stripped of two more trademarks (four in total) for his works because he never intended to commercialise them when he applied for the legal protection. Banksy had famously said ‘copyright is for losers’. But that came back to bite him when was told he was acting in ‘bad faith’ […]
Client Case Study – Grandma’s Kitchen
We love to hear the stories behind our clients business ideas, especially when that business was started during the unprecedented year of 2020. This week we caught up with Marion, the culinary talent behind new business, Grandma’s Kitchen. A Bolton based catering business that specialises in the most delicious cakes, treats and home cooking style […]
Next vs Next
Next PLC force independent retailer to change her business name of 24 years. It is a common misconception that trading under a brand name for a good number of years will automatically grant you brand protection. Last week, VOCM reported a story about a local business owner that was being forced to re-brand her business […]
Would you be confused between these two oat milk brands?
Swedish oat milk brand, Oatly, have filed a claim against drink supplier Glebe Farm Foods, claiming that their PureOaty brand infringes on its Oatley and Oat-ly! Trademarks. The court documents state that Oatly “seek an injunction to restrain the defendant from infringing any of the claimants’ registered trademarks and the passing off of the defendant’s […]
A Tesla burger whilst you wait for your car to charge?
We have all become used to Elon Musk and his random, outlandish and at times utterly weird Tweets, but it seems as though one is about to become reality. In 2018, Musk Tweeted: “Gonna put an old school drive-in, roller skates & rock restaurant at one of the new Tesla Supercharger locations in LA”, and […]
Samsung excites tech world with latest trademark filings.
South Korean electronics company Samsung have excited the tech world this week after two trademark filings were spotted by LetsGoDigital, ‘Z Roll’ and ‘Z Slide’. We know that Samsung have been preparing to roll out the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and the Galaxy Z Fold 3. However, the trademark filings indicate it’s set to expand […]
Gucci & Facebook combine forces to take down counterfeit retailers.
As online sales for luxury goods soared during the forced closure of retail shops last year, so did the sales of counterfeit products. Italian fashion label Gucci and internet giant Facebook have combined forces counteract the increase of counterfeit goods being sold across social media channels, starting with an individual who allegedly used the Facebook’s […]