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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...
No matter how strongly you may feel, you should pause for thought before venting your spleen on social media. As a High Court ruling showed, expressions of regret after the mouse has been clicked may not be enough to save you from the crushing legal...
When christening a new business it is madness not to take professional advice so as to ensure that you are not transgressing anyone else's intellectual property rights. A case on point concerned a modest Chinese takeaway that shared the same name as an...
For a design to qualify for protection as intellectual property, it must both be novel and have individual character. In a guideline case, the High Court found that the design of Union Jack-emblazoned hoodies and T-shirts, targeted at the London tourist...
