In a case of interest to brand managers and intellectual property specialists – and coin collectors – the Royal Mint has failed to convince the High Court that it should be granted a UK monopoly on
Litigation often requires disclosure of highly sensitive commercial details. However, as one intellectual property case concerning a mapping database showed, the courts do have sophisticated means of keeping such information under wraps. A company had
Penalties for infringement of trade marks and other intellectual property rights can be severe. In one case, a Spanish company that sold millions of bottles of cava into the UK market in breach of a
Popular jingles and melodies are often played on television and few will be surprised to hear that their use is not free. However, one revealing High Court case lifted the lid on negotiations between ITV
The Internet is unfortunately fertile ground for those intent on wholesale infringement of copyright. However, as one case involving a music lover who made more than 600,000 pirated tracks available online showed, such behaviour does
Patents provide protection and encouragement to inventiveness and novelty, not to obvious developments of others’ ideas. The Court of Appeal made that point in finding invalid a patent in respect of wind turbine arrays. A
The courts give top priority to the efficient and cost effective conduct of litigation and failure to comply with case management directions can have dire consequences. In one case that underlined the point, a company’s
Owners of shops, restaurants, pubs and night spots where recorded music is played to the public tend to place payment of copyright licence fees pretty low down their list of priorities. However, in one case
Everyone in the hospitality industry should know that playing copyright musical works in public requires payment of licence fees, but few may be aware of the potentially dire consequences of failing to do so. In
Third party commercial funding is a feature of modern litigation and, if it did not exist, many would be unable to afford access to justice. However, the risks involved are not for the faint-hearted, as
