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Fierce competition between retailers, particularly during the Christmas period, has a tendency to spill over into intellectual property disputes. Exactly that happened in a High Court case concerning design rights in festive bottles of gin . A supermarket...
The owners of established brands often complain that trade rivals are mimicking the get-up of their products and trading on their hard-won reputations. As a High Court ruling in the context of the premium vodka market showed , however, proving such...
Even the most sophisticated companies can fall victim to ransomware and online blackmail. However, as a High Court ruling showed, judges have a formidable arsenal of powers to tackle such abuse and are on duty day and night. The case concerned a company...
When Paddington Bear took tea with Her Late Majesty the Queen during her platinum jubilee celebrations, a developing High Court dispute concerning the proper interpretation of a clause in a royalty distribution agreement (RDA) is unlikely to have featured...
Many a rock band's name is dreamt up by youthful musicians without the slightest regard for the value it may one day have. However, chart success tends to breed goodwill in a name and, as a High Court ruling showed , that is a sadly frequent cause of...
When registering a trade mark, it is vital to conduct a comprehensive check that you are not treading on the toes of others who may have got there before you. The point was made by a High Court case concerning two technology repair companies that applied...
Businesses that shoulder the vast marketing effort and expense of turning their trade marks into household names can take effective legal steps to prevent competitors obtaining a free ride on their cherished reputations. Well-known energy drinks manufacturer...
In a commercial context, information is power and it can be a crushing disadvantage if confidential data finds its way into the wrong hands. However, as a High Court case showed , there are powerful steps that specialist lawyers can take to ensure that the...
Negative online reviews can be disastrous for professional people whose livelihoods depend on their good reputations. As a High Court case showed , however, where such reviews stray into libel the law will not hold back in coming to their aid. The case...
Every fashion industry professional knows that innovative designs tend to spawn imitation. However, as a High Court ruling showed , there is a great difference between acceptable inspiration and illegitimate copying. The case concerned a company that sold...
