Looking back on 2021 statistics it is apparent which brands in Europe have increased in value. The total value of Europe’s top 500 most valuable brands dropped 10% from €1.96 trillion to €1.76 trillion during the COVID 19 pandemic but some brands managed to buck this trend and increase in value despite, or indeed because [...]
Cherrie Stewart, Director and Trade Mark Attorney, based in our Belfast office, has once again contributed an article of interest to the latest copy of the CITMA Review. The process of purchasing IP rights from the Crown has changed somewhat in the post -Brexit world, as EUTMs are no longer available for purchase from the [...]
At MacLachlan & Donaldson, we maintain that everyone has IP, even if they don’t know about it. Even Santa Claus might need to consider IP protection after a busy year of toy creation: “Ok, Mr Claus we have a lot to discuss regarding the protection of your Intellectual Property (IP). I note that, [...]
The legal definition of a trade mark is any sign, capable of being represented graphically, which can distinguish goods or services of one undertaking from those of other undertakings. A trade mark can be a word, a phase, a symbol, a colour or a combination of these elements, but the question is what makes a [...]
On 24th August 2021, the number of European Union (EU) trade mark registrations hit 2,000,000. The Community Trade Mark Register was opened on 01st April 1996, with the very first Community Trade Mark Registration being filed by the Association Internationale pour la Protection de la Propriete Industrielle for the word mark AIPPI. A registration which [...]
As we have watched the Olympic Games in the last couple of weeks, the flags of each country have been displayed by the athletes representing the various countries and by supporters who wished to show their allegiances. These flags are akin to a trade mark but, instead of distinguishing the goods of services of one [...]
We are delighted to announce that Carla MacLachlan, Director and Trade Mark Attorney, has been working at MacLachlan & Donaldson for 30 years now. She began as a trainee Trade Mark Attorney and has worked with the firm to become an expert Trade Mark Attorney with years of experience and a deep expertise in safeguarding [...]
We previously identified three main routes to Trade Mark protection and today we will look at each of these in more detail. National applications While many countries are members of international agreements which deal with Intellectual Property, these agreements may be interpreted differently leading to different requirements in different jurisdictions. For example, in some countries, [...]
In an increasingly globalised world, most business owners will be familiar with the prospect of planning an export strategy for their particular product or service. As part of this, it would be wise to consider Intellectual Property in and amongst the myriad matters to be addressed. M&D will spend some time in the coming months [...]
The High Court has granted an interlocutory injunction restraining the use of a trade mark that was alleged to infringe the trade mark of a State-owned Airline Company. Ms Justice Nuala Butler considered that the balance of justice favoured granting the injunction. The court had to considered several issues which arose during the proceedings, including [...]
