The Court of Justice of the European Union (‘CJEU’) handed down its eagerly awaited judgement of Case C-371/18 Sky plc et. -v- SkyKick UK Ltd et., on 29th January 2020. In this judgement, the CJEU addressed a number of key issues, namely: the use of specifications covering broad terms such as 'computer software' and whether an [...]
We are delighted to announce the next in our lunchtime webinar series. Join our experienced trade mark attorneys Cherrie Stewart and Carla MacLachlan in discussing the basics of trade mark protection. To understand how you should protect your trade mark and how to ensure your business makes best use of your valuable intellectual property, join [...]
The coronavirus pandemic has had a great impact on the economy and businesses around the world bringing budget discussions to the forefront. In such tough times, one must not neglect Intellectual Property (IP) assets and their protection to focus on other tangible assets. Businesses will undoubtedly be cutting costs and stopping unnecessary spending, however it [...]
Since February, several people have rushed to register trade marks for ‘COVID’ and ‘CORONA’ internationally. In fact, it is not unusual for global events to trigger trade mark applications. Applicants may seek to take advantage of a dire situation to secure exclusive rights over current buzz-words, in this case, profiting from the pandemic. Several such [...]
Intellectual Property (IP) rights and the environment have been put in the limelight, being the chosen topic for this year’s World IP Day. The theme this year is ‘innovate for green future’. We already discussed how trade marks can support sustainability, and now will take a closer look at the issue of IP and climate [...]
In celebration of World IP Day 2020, 26th April, M&D are focusing our news posts this week on green and sustainable topics in support of the theme "Innovate for a Green Future" To embrace a green future is a modern-day challenge in which we all play a role in attaining. Green businesses, technologies, products and [...]
At M&D and Ansons, we advise clients on a variety of issues regarding the use of registered trade marks. One of the issues that we discuss frequently is the use of registered trade marks in text, in order to ensure that they are being correctly used. The following are some general guidelines we often share [...]
MacLachlan & Donaldson would like to alert all clients and associates to the latest alert from the EUIPO. There is currently a new misleading invoice in circulation, which takes the form of a fake EUIPO decision. We would urge all users of the EUIPO to be vigilant about any communication regarding decisions and payments which [...]
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to dominate, several consumers have resorted to bulk-buying everyday products to avoid taking frequent trips to the supermarket. Others have chosen to do their shopping as swiftly as possible, taking the least amount of time, rushing to get back to their homes. As the demand for food and household products [...]
Trade Mark owners, once they receive their Certificates of Registration, are always advised to police these rights to ensure that these rights are not diluted by a third party using or attempting to register a confusingly similar trade mark. It can be daunting if one receives a cease and desist letter from a larger firm threatening proceedings [...]
