All of the Partners & People of AA Thornton have joined Venner Shipley
As we move further into 2024, the UK IPO continues to demonstrate rigorous examination of trade mark applications. The first six months of the year have seen a string of refusals, particularly concerning attempts to register emblems that hold protected status. In this instalment, we continue to explore these cases, offering a closer look at… Read more »
Our partners, Dr Craig Turner and Ian Gill, are once again recognised by Who’s Who Legal for their outstanding contributions and client service. Craig is named as a Thought Leader and Ian is recommended as an Intellectual Property practitioner in the guide’s 2024 edition. Who’s Who Legal: IP recognises patent, trade mark and copyright… Read more »
International patent applications filed using the Patent Cooperation Treaty (‘PCT’) framework allow applicants to select the contracting states of interest for national and/or regional phase applications. The deadline to file an application in any specific country or region is usually 30 or 31 months from the application’s priority date. The deadline for specific countries and… Read more »
We’re delighted to announce that our partner, Mike Jennings, has been recognised as one of the World’s Leading IP Strategists for 2024 – an accolade he has now received from IAM Strategy 300 for three consecutive years. ‘The IAM Strategy 300: The World’s Leading IP Strategists’ is an annual listing of individuals who lead the… Read more »
In our latest article on Trademarks in the Metaverse, we look at a recent decision from the EU IPO in Opposition No. B003199946 Vinicio v Initio. This decision is interesting as it is one of the first decisions in which the EU IPO has had to consider the similarity of physical goods against virtual goods… Read more »
With the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 now underway there will be many participants who are using this opportunity not only to vie for that Gold Medal but also to create a platform for their personal brand to extend their career in sport beyond that of participation in the sport itself. Since the last… Read more »
Third party observations are a potentially very useful tool that enables substantive commentary to be filed in relation to pending patent applications. In this article, we will explore the benefits and potential drawbacks associated with third party observations and take a closer look at how the International and European observation procedures may be used to… Read more »
The initial Experimental Use Exemption Acts done for experimental purposes relating to the subject matter of the patented invention have long been provided for as an exemption to patent infringement across the majority of European countries, i.e. those who have adopted the provisions of the Community Patent Convention in their laws. In the UK this… Read more »
The following article was first published on Space East’s website. Trade marks and logos adopted by companies to promote their products and services are familiar to us all. Some of them may have strong associations or evoke memories of particular times, such as the packaging of food or drink we remember enjoying as children. Other… Read more »
After last year’s positive feedback, we’re thrilled to bring back our ‘IP Detective’ workshops as part of the Summer of IP 2024 by IP Inclusive. Aimed at students, graduates and professionals looking for a change, the purpose of this workshop is to raise awareness of IP-related careers, and encourage a wider range of people to… Read more »