Knowledge Hub · Updated 31 October 2026
Trademark Knowledge Hub
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Case law
Case guides
Real UK court cases, explained in plain English. Start with a guide, or browse every case below.
Feature
easyGroup trademark cases
easyGroup holds 378 UK trademarks and has taken many 'easy' businesses to court. What its trademark cases teach about common words, use and families of marks.
Read the feature
Feature
Sky trademark cases
Sky has fought over its name from SkyKick to SkyDrive and NOW TV. What each UK court decided, and what the Sky trademark cases mean for your brand.
Read the featureCase guide
Trademark infringement cases
The UK trademark infringement cases that set the rules, from Specsavers v Asda to Lifestyle v Amazon, and what each one means for your business.
Read the guideCase guide
Passing off cases
Passing off cases from the UK courts, from Starbucks v Sky to Lidl v Tesco, and what each one means for protecting a name or logo you haven't registered.
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Case guide
Trademark opposition cases
Trademark opposition cases from the UK courts and registry, from IWATCH to CHINA WHITE, and what each one means if you oppose or defend a mark.
Read the guideCase guide
Cancelling a trademark
Trademark cancellation cases from the UK courts, from SkyKick v Sky to the ESB case, on bad faith, non-use and invalidity, and what each means for you.
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Company name disputes
The UK company name disputes that decide who can trade under a name, from Reed to Hotel Cipriani, and what each case means for your business.
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Case guide
Online trademark infringement cases
The UK online trademark infringement cases on websites, marketplaces, search ads and domain names, and what each one means for your business.
Read the guideCase guide
Counterfeit and grey goods cases
The counterfeit trademark cases UK courts have decided, from blocking fake-selling websites to grey imports, and what each means for your brand.
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Case guide
Trademark ownership disputes
Trademark ownership disputes in the UK courts: SkyKick v Sky, ASSOS v ASOS, Match v Muzmatch and more, and what each means for who owns your brand.
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Case guide
Trademark infringement damages and costs
Trademark infringement damages, profits, injunctions and costs: what UK courts have awarded, who pays, and the costs that catch businesses out.
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Case guide
Cross-border trademark infringement
Cross-border trademark infringement explained through UK cases: when a business based abroad infringes here, parallel imports, and shared names.
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Case guide
Trademark refusal cases
The UK trademark refusal cases that show why names, logos and shapes get rejected, from Oatly to the black cab, and how to get yours accepted first time.
Read the guideCase guide
International trademark disputes
International trademark disputes from Starbucks v Sky to Thomas Pink v Victoria's Secret, and what they mean for protecting your brand outside the UK.
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Shape, colour and slogan trademark cases
Shape and colour trademarks are hard to register. Kit Kat, Cadbury purple and Mini Babybel show why, and what it takes to protect an unusual mark.
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Our guides, news and advice on trademark disputes.
Cases · 20 cases
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- Aviator Llc v Spribe Oü: Court of Appeal says English law decides if a foreign judgment binds you hereThe lesson: If you win a case abroad, English procedural law decides whether it binds your opponent hereClaimant won
- easyGroup loses trademark and passing off claims against Easy Bathrooms retailerThe lesson: A shared common word alone doesn't prove a brand family without evidence the public links it to youDefendant won
- Shorts International v Google: YouTube Shorts does not infringe ShortsTV trademarksThe lesson: A descriptive word plus a modest logo gives narrow protection, not a monopoly on that wordDefendant won
- Novo Nordisk wins website blocking order against fake Ozempic and Wegovy sellersThe lesson: Combining trademark claims with other breaches like safety rules can strengthen a case for blocking ordersClaimant won
- Lifestyle Equities v Frasers Group: unregistered sub-licensees’ losses can’t be claimedThe lesson: Register trademark licences promptly or you may lose the right to claim for a licensee's lossesDefendant won
- Bargain Busting v Shenzhen SKE: Court of Appeal overturns injunction on trademark threatsThe lesson: To stop trademark threat letters by injunction, you must show you are more likely than not to win at trialClaimant won
- easyGroup v Easyfeetstore: ‘easy’ prefix insole seller did not infringeThe lesson: A common prefix needs real evidence of consumer recognition before courts protect it as a brand familyDefendant won
- Dairy UK Ltd v Oatly AB: Supreme Court strikes down POST MILK GENERATION trademarkThe lesson: Avoid using a protected milk related term in any trademark for plant based productsDefendant won
- easyGroup v Jaybank Leisure: EASIHIRE infringed EASYHIRE, but non-use defence wins the caseThe lesson: A trademark registration only protects you if you can prove you've genuinely used itDefendant won
- Thom Browne v Adidas: Court of Appeal strikes down six three-stripe trademarks over unclear descriptionsThe lesson: A trademark's written description cannot claim more than its picture actually showsClaimant won
- Babek International v Iceland Foods: gold oval logo trademark survives appealThe lesson: A written colour description attached to a logo only needs to describe the picture, not expand itClaimant won
- easyGroup v easyfundraising: no infringement, but two ‘easy’ trademarks surviveThe lesson: A shared prefix like 'easy' doesn't stop a court finding the overall names too different to confuse customersDefendant won
- easyGroup v Easy Live: ‘EASY LIVE’ infringes easylife marks, but ‘EASY LIVE AUCTION’ does notThe lesson: Adding a descriptive word to your branding can be the difference between infringing a trademark or notPartly successful
- Iconix v Dream Pairs: Supreme Court clears footwear brand of Umbro logo infringementThe lesson: A trial judge's careful finding on logo similarity is very hard to overturn on appealDefendant won
- Lifestyle Equities v SportsDirect: unregistered sub-licence losses still recoverableThe lesson: Not registering a trademark licence can cost the licensee protection, but not the owner's right to claim lossesProcedural ruling
- Merck KGaA v Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC: Court of Appeal upholds breach of ‘Merck’ name orderThe lesson: Online content aimed at UK users can count as UK trademark use, even on a foreign-focused siteClaimant won
- Thatchers v Aldi: Court of Appeal says lookalike lemon cider can infringed the trademarkThe lesson: Deliberately designing packaging to evoke a rival's brand can infringe their trademark, even without confusionClaimant won
- Dairy UK v Oatly: Court of Appeal rules POST MILK GENERATION invalid for oat productsThe lesson: Using a protected term in your brand name won't exempt you from rules restricting that word's useClaimant won
- Extreme Networks Limited v Extreme E Limited: Court of Appeal restores trademark opposition winThe lesson: Appeal courts rarely overturn a hearing officer's judgment call on how similar two services areClaimant won
- SkyKick v Sky: Supreme Court says broad trademark filings can be bad faithThe lesson: Filing a trademark across huge categories you don't intend to use in can cost you part of the registrationPartly successful
- TVIS Limited v Howserv Services Limited: PETSURE found too close to VETSUREThe lesson: Conceptual differences between two brand names won't save you if customers are actually getting confusedClaimant won
- Lifestyle Equities v Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club: appeal over polo logos failsThe lesson: In a crowded market of similar logos, your trademark may get a narrower scope of protectionDefendant won
- Engineer.AI v Appy Pie: BUILDER trademarks ruled too descriptive to protectThe lesson: A common industry word makes a weak trademark that is hard to defendDefendant won
- easyGroup v Beauty Perfectionists: easyCOSMETIC did not infringe EASYJET trademarksThe lesson: A wide trademark portfolio does not automatically protect a name outside the areas you actually trade inDefendant won
- Lifestyle Equities v two directors: directors cleared of personal liability for company’s trademark infringementThe lesson: Directors aren't personally liable for a company's trademark infringement unless they knew the key factsDefendant won
- Lidl v Tesco: Clubcard Prices logo infringed Lidl’s trademark, but wasn’t copyright theftThe lesson: A colour and shape combination can be protected enough to win, even without any text copiedPartly successful
- Quantum Advisory v Quantum Actuarial: LLP ordered to hand over all four trademarksThe lesson: If another business runs part of your operation under your brand, put trademark ownership in writingClaimant won
- Lifestyle Equities v Amazon UK Services: targeted website sales infringed UK trademarksThe lesson: A foreign website can still infringe your trademark if it clearly targets shoppers in your countryClaimant won
- Flitcraft v the inventor: Court of Appeal allows late joinder after inventor’s dishonesty found at trialThe lesson: A co-claimant's separate, honest case can usually survive even if another claimant is found to have liedPartly successful
- Iconix v Dream Pairs: Court of Appeal finds Dream Pairs logo infringes Umbro’s double-diamond trademarkThe lesson: How a logo looks in real use on a worn product, not just flat on paper, can decide a trademark disputeClaimant won
- easyGroup v Easy Live: Court of Appeal revives passing off claim over lost licence feeThe lesson: If you licence your brand, you can claim damages for the fee a copycat avoided payingPartly successful
- Montres Breguet v Samsung: Court of Appeal says Samsung itself infringed trademarks with watch face appsThe lesson: Running an active app store can make you directly liable for infringing content, not just the developerClaimant won
- ICE UK v Intelligent Cleaning Equipment: Court of Appeal changes the rules on acquiescenceThe lesson: If a rival uses a similar name, act quickly, even before you know when it was registeredClaimant won
- EasyGroup loses appeal: EASYOFFICES did not infringe, and its own EASYOFFICE marks are revokedThe lesson: Years of honest side-by-side trading under a similar name can defeat a trademark infringement claimDefendant won
- Match Group v Muzmatch: ten years of trading side by side didn’t stop a trademark infringement findingThe lesson: Years of trading side by side without complaints doesn't by itself prove customers aren't confusedClaimant won
- Iconix (Umbro) v Dream Pairs: High Court finds no infringement from DP logo trainersThe lesson: A famous logo does not automatically beat a different one, the visual comparison has to hold upDefendant won
- Easygroup v Easy Live: claimant pays 35% of costs despite partial trademark winThe lesson: Winning part of a trademark case doesn't guarantee you avoid paying the other side's costsProcedural ruling
- Anan Kasei v Neo Chemicals: why a patent win didn’t pay out for overseas salesThe lesson: Winning a UK infringement claim does not guarantee damages for sales that later happen abroadDefendant won
- Easygroup v Easy Live Auction: mixed result over ‘easy’ branded logosThe lesson: Keep proof of genuine trading activity or you risk losing trademark protection for non-usePartly successful
- Lidl v Tesco: Court of Appeal revives Tesco’s bad faith attack on Lidl’s wordless logoThe lesson: Registering a logo you never use just to widen protection can be challenged as bad faithDefendant won
- Lappet Manufacturing v the defendant: High Court keeps counterfeit yashmagh claimThe lesson: A claim for an account of profits isn't a money claim so it can stay in the High CourtProcedural ruling
- Lifestyle Equities v Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club: witness evidence survives strike-out bidThe lesson: Trade staff can give factual evidence about market practice without needing a formal expert reportProcedural ruling
- Match Group v Muzmatch: dating app’s use of “match” found to infringe trademarkThe lesson: A common word can still be a protected trademark if one business has built strong recognition in itClaimant won
- Easygroup v Beauty Perfectionists: court keeps power to grant EU-wide injunctions after BrexitThe lesson: Trademark cases pending before the Brexit cutoff can still get EU-wide court remediesClaimant won
- Lifestyle Equities v Copyrights Group: Beverly Hills Polo Club logo not infringed by Greenwich Polo Club brandingThe lesson: Sharing a generic image like a polo rider doesn't make logos confusingly similar if the words differ clearlyDefendant won
- Lifestyle Equities v two directors: directors made to account for their own profits, not the company’sThe lesson: Directors who personally drive infringing trading can be made to pay personally, but only their own profitPartly successful
- UK Gymnastics Ltd v British Amateur Gymnastics Association: trademark win upheld, injunction trimmedThe lesson: Winning your case does not mean the court order can go beyond what you actually pleadedPartly successful
- Lifestyle Equities v Amazon: no injunction, Amazon wins 95% of costsThe lesson: Fixing a problem before trial can be worth more than fighting it in courtProcedural ruling
- Lifestyle Equities v Amazon: Amazon.com wasn’t “targeted” at UK shoppers, so trademark claim failsThe lesson: A website based abroad isnt infringing just because customers here can access itDefendant won
- Lifestyle Equities v Hornby Street: trademark claim stayed over 1997 arbitration dealThe lesson: An old coexistence agreement tied to a trade mark can force a buyer into arbitration years laterDefendant won
- Sky v SkyKick: Sky wins injunction despite partial bad faith trademark findingThe lesson: A trademark found partly invalid for bad faith can still be fully enforced against an infringerPartly successful
- Sky Plc v Skykick UK Ltd: Sky’s trademarks partly invalid for bad faith, but SkyKick still infringedThe lesson: Registering a trademark for goods you never intend to supply can put part of it at riskPartly successful
- Lifestyle Equities v Santa Monica Polo Club: directors only pay back profits they actually receivedThe lesson: A director jointly liable for infringement usually only repays profit they personally took, not the company'sClaimant won
- JSC v Nomination: repackaging genuine jewellery was still trademark infringementThe lesson: Reselling genuine branded goods in different packaging or bundles can still infringe trade marksClaimant won
- Red Bull GmbH v Big Horn UK Ltd: energy drink copycat found liable for trademark infringementThe lesson: Copying a famous brand's look can infringe even without proof customers were actually confusedClaimant won
- Easygroup Ltd v Easyfly SA: UK case against airline thrown out over disclosure failureThe lesson: When seeking permission to sue abroad, disclose facts against you, not just those in your favourProcedural ruling
- Fromageries Bel v Sainsbury’s: Mini Babybel’s red wax trademark ruled invalidThe lesson: If colour matters to your trademark, name the exact shade, not just red or blueClaimant won
- Lifestyle Equities v Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club: costs ruling after failed strike-out bidThe lesson: Losing an interim court application can mean paying the other side's costs in fullProcedural ruling
- Lifestyle Equities v Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club: strike out bid failsThe lesson: A defence does not need to be certain to survive a strike out application, just arguableDefendant won
- Easy Rent A Car v Easygroup: why the Cyprus court, not the English court, got to decideThe lesson: Filing first in any EU member state court can decide which country hears your whole trademark disputeDefendant won
- Media Agency Group v Space Media Agency: passing off claim partly upheld on appealThe lesson: Registering a similar domain name isn't passing off unless you can show real goodwill in that namePartly successful
- Pathway IP SARL v Easygroup Ltd: EASYOFFICE trademarks revoked for non-useThe lesson: Offering a service free as an add on to another product won't prove genuine trademark useClaimant won
- Lifestyle Equities v Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club: multi-country trademark claim survives strike-out bidThe lesson: Suing several connected defendants in one claim is not by itself an abuse of processPartly successful
- Cadbury fails to delete “predominant colour” wording from its purple trademarkThe lesson: You can't fix a vague trademark registration later by simply deleting the problem wordingDefendant won
- Easygroup Ltd v Easy Fly Express Ltd: UK claim against airline based outside the UK thrown outThe lesson: Having an English-language website alone does not prove you are targeting UK customersDefendant won
- Argos Ltd v Argos Systems Inc: UK retailer loses fight over misdirected website trafficThe lesson: Benefiting from a competitor's confused customers isn't trademark infringement if you didn't lure themDefendant won
- Sky v SkyKick: Court of Appeal says no, not yet, to an early appealThe lesson: Courts usually let a pending referral run its course rather than allow an early appeal to jump aheadProcedural ruling
- Walton International v Verweij Fashion: GIORDANO trademarks revoked, passing off claim failsThe lesson: A trademark registration is worthless if you never actually sell under it in that territoryDefendant won
- Cartier v BT: ISPs must be paid for the cost of blocking counterfeit websitesThe lesson: If you want website blocking against infringers, expect to cover the provider's compliance costsDefendant won
- BMW v Premier Alloy Wheels: search order granted over counterfeit wheels and badgesThe lesson: Acting on known infringement evidence can help you secure urgent court search orders laterClaimant won
- Sky v SkyKick: judge refuses to revisit the ruling and sets CJEU questionsThe lesson: Disagreeing with a ruling is grounds for an appeal, not for asking the same judge to reconsider itProcedural ruling
- Lifestyle Equities v Sports Direct: court sets injunction scope, refuses publicity orderThe lesson: Winning at trial is only step one; the follow-up hearing shapes what the win actually meansProcedural ruling
- Lifestyle Equities v Sportsdirect.com: licence clause blocked one claim, imports infringed anotherThe lesson: Make sure only the licensed company actually deals with the goods to keep licence protectionPartly successful
- AMS Neve v Heritage Audio: Court of Appeal sends EU trademark jurisdiction question to CJEUThe lesson: Where you can sue over an EU trademark used online from abroad may be unsettled and referred to a higher courtProcedural ruling
- Nicoventures v The London Vape Company: shared “vape” wording wasn’t enough to confuseThe lesson: Logos built from common industry words usually get a narrower scope of trade mark protectionDefendant won
- Lifestyle Equities v Santa Monica Polo Club: most polo logos infringed, newest one escaped confusion claimThe lesson: Even a redesigned logo can infringe if it is built to keep earlier brand goodwill alivePartly successful
- Lifestyle Equities v Santa Monica Polo Club: sorting out the injunction and costs after trialThe lesson: Winning at trial is only half the job, the fight over orders and costs can be just as hardClaimant won
- Merck KGaA v Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp: old coexistence deal breached, but remedy sent backThe lesson: Coexistence agreements need revisiting as business moves online and crosses old territorial linesSent back for a fresh hearing
- Caspian Pizza Ltd v the defendant: a Worcester takeaway’s local goodwill sinks a UK-wide trademarkThe lesson: A small local rival using your name first can invalidate your whole UK trademark, not just that areaDefendant won
- London Taxi Corporation loses Court of Appeal fight over black cab shape trademarkThe lesson: People knowing a shape means a service, not that it points to your brand aloneDefendant won
- Sky v SkyKick: court refuses to send EU law question to Europe before trialThe lesson: Courts often establish the facts at trial before referring legal questions to higher courtsProcedural ruling
- BMW v Technosport: independent garage’s “TECHNOSPORT BMW” branding found infringingThe lesson: Putting a manufacturer's name right next to your own trading name can wrongly suggest you're an authorised dealerClaimant won
- Nestlé v Cadbury: Kit Kat’s four finger shape fails as a trademarkThe lesson: Shoppers recognising a product shape isn't enough; they must rely on shape alone to know its sourceDefendant won
- Flynn Pharma v Drugsrus: Court of Appeal says trademark can block rebranded parallel importsThe lesson: Owning a trademark outright, with no ties to the foreign maker, lets you block rebranded importsClaimant won
- Apple Inc v Arcadia Trading Ltd: IWATCH trademark bid fails as too descriptiveThe lesson: Fame of one brand name doesn't automatically make a new, descriptive-sounding name registrableClaimant won
- Argos Ltd v Argos Systems Inc: no infringement over argos.com adsThe lesson: A long established domain name and honest company name can defeat a later trademark claimDefendant won
- Lifestyle Equities v Sportsdirect.com Retail: court allows six more defendants into trademark caseThe lesson: If you control a company accused of trademark infringement you may be sued personally tooProcedural ruling
- Cartier v Sky: Court of Appeal allows trademark blocking orders against ISPsThe lesson: Courts can order internet providers to block counterfeit websites for trademark infringementPartly successful
- Skyscape Cloud Services Ltd v Sky Plc: cloud firm fails to clear its name over ‘Skyscape’The lesson: If you seek a court declaration clearing your name, you must prove it, not the other sideClaimant won
- Comic Enterprises v Twentieth Century Fox: UK ‘series’ trademarks upheldThe lesson: A UK series trademark, several close variants under one number, is a legally sound way to protect your brandClaimant won
- Comic Enterprises v Twentieth Century Fox: ‘Glee’ TV show infringed ‘Glee Club’ trademarkThe lesson: A registered trademark can beat a much bigger brand, even where passing off would notClaimant won
- London Taxi Company loses bid to stop rival’s electric Metrocab taxiThe lesson: Trade marking a product's shape is hard to defend if the shape also serves a functional or aesthetic purposeDefendant won
- Nestlé v Cadbury: Kit Kat’s four finger shape fails as a trademarkThe lesson: Recognising a shape as linked to a brand isn't the same as relying on it alone to identify the makerDefendant won
- London Taxi Corporation v Frazer-Nash Research: court blocks survey evidence in black cab design rowThe lesson: A survey asking about "connection" isn't proof customers were deceivedProcedural ruling
- Starbucks (HK) v Sky: Supreme Court says reputation alone isn’t enough to sue for passing offThe lesson: Being known in a market is not the same as trading there, and passing off needs real customersDefendant won
- Whyte and MacKay Ltd v Origin Wine UK Ltd: JURA ORIGIN whisky mark cleared on appealThe lesson: A shared descriptive word usually won't block a composite name if it's absorbed into a different overall meaningDefendant won
- Assos v Asos: ASOS infringed ASSOS’s trademark but wins on the own name defenceThe lesson: A technical trademark infringement finding can still fail if the other side proves an honest own name defencePartly successful
- G-Star Raw wins design right case over Voi jeans copying its Arc Pant styleThe lesson: Striking similarities plus weak evidence of independent design can prove copying even without a registered rightPartly successful
- The claimant, a musician v Arcadia Group Brands Ltd: Topshop’s t-shirt was passing offThe lesson: Putting a celebrity's image on merchandise can be passing off if your own publicity links you to themClaimant won
- Whitby Specialist Vehicles v Yorkshire Specialist Vehicles: copycat ice cream van ruled infringingThe lesson: Funding or helping with copying can make you personally liable, even if you deny involvementClaimant won
- Interflora v Marks and Spencer: court refuses to block M&S’s Google Ads keyword use pending retrialThe lesson: Courts won't block a rival from the market on an interim basis unless the merits clearly favour youDefendant won
- Interflora v Marks and Spencer: Court of Appeal orders a retrial and sorts out the costsThe lesson: Winning an appeal does not end a case, sorting costs and next steps can need its own hearingSent back for a fresh hearing
- IPC Media v Media 10: Ideal Home magazine and Ideal Home Show can both use the name onlineThe lesson: Long, honest coexistence of similar business names can block a later trademark infringement claimDefendant won
- Interflora v Marks and Spencer: Court of Appeal overturns keyword advertising rulingThe lesson: The trademark owner, not the advertiser, must prove confusion over rival keyword advertsSent back for a fresh hearing
- Cartier v Sky: High Court can order ISPs to block counterfeit websitesThe lesson: Courts can order internet providers to block counterfeit sites, but will add safeguards like time limitsClaimant won
- Thomas Pink v Victoria’s Secret: shirt maker stops PINK store brand in the UKThe lesson: Using a brand name abroad for years gives no automatic right to use it when you expand into a new marketClaimant won
- Arsenal Football Club Plc v a market trader: no duty to keep supplying a market trader wholesaleThe lesson: If a business fully exits an area, its supply commitment there typically ends tooClaimant won
- Comic Enterprises beats Fox’s ‘glee’ on trademark infringement, but loses passing off claimThe lesson: A smaller business can win a trade mark fight even if confusion runs the wrong way roundPartly successful
- Assos v Asos Plc: ASOS’s trademark survives challenge from cycling brand AssosThe lesson: A niche premium brand doesn't automatically block a similar name used in a different marketDefendant won
- Fage v Chobani: Court of Appeal says ‘Greek yoghurt’ must actually be made in GreeceThe lesson: A descriptive term can still be protected if customers rely on what it truly tells them about originClaimant won
- Assos v ASOS: cycling brand’s infringement claim fails, but its trademark gets cut downThe lesson: A broad trademark registration can be narrowed if you haven't actually used it across everything it coversPartly successful
- Interflora v Marks and Spencer: court grants EU-wide injunction over keyword advertisingThe lesson: If you can't prove your ads leave a trademark unaffected elsewhere in the EU, the injunction can cover the whole EUClaimant won
- Interflora v Marks and Spencer: M&S’s Google keyword ads found to infringeThe lesson: If you bid on a rival's name as a keyword, your ad must clearly show you're not connected to themClaimant won
- Interflora v Marks and Spencer: court allows real customer witnesses in keyword ad disputeThe lesson: Genuine customer experiences, gathered openly and fairly, can be used as evidence without a formal surveyProcedural ruling
- Meemi v Wardrobe: WARDROBE mark survives, but MY-WARDROBE.COM freed from limitsThe lesson: When weighing confusion risk, assess all relevant factors together rather than dismissing each separatelyPartly successful
- ASSOS v ASOS: court lets ASSOS gather witness and survey evidence over brand confusionThe lesson: Courts will let you gather confusion evidence before trial if it's useful and the cost is proportionateProcedural ruling
- Marks and Spencer v Interflora: Court of Appeal throws out hand-picked witness evidenceThe lesson: Courts will reject witness evidence gathered by picking only the answers that suit your caseDefendant won
- Oracle America Inc v M-Tech Data Limited: trademark owner wins over unauthorised parallel importsThe lesson: Controlling first sale of branded goods in the EEA is hard to beat with EU free movement argumentsClaimant won
- Specsavers v Asda: Court of Appeal sets injunction terms and splits the costsThe lesson: Winning your strongest point does not mean recovering all your costs if you lost on othersProcedural ruling
- Specsavers v Asda: comparative advert campaign infringed trademark rights despite no confusionThe lesson: A campaign that avoids confusing customers can still infringe if it trades on a rival's reputationPartly successful
- Specsavers v Asda: supermarket’s ‘spec saver’ strapline infringed, but logo did notThe lesson: Wordplay that deliberately calls a rival brand to mind can infringe trade marks even without real confusionPartly successful
- Interflora v Marks and Spencer: court narrows questions sent to Europe over Google keyword advertsThe lesson: A trademark case can run for years through several separate rulings before anyone finds out who actually wonProcedural ruling
- Interflora v Marks & Spencer: High Court sends Google AdWords dispute to EuropeThe lesson: Keyword advertising disputes can take years and multiple courts to resolve before issues are even decidedProcedural ruling
- The claimant, trading as Autopaint International, v Anglo-Dutch Paint: supplier liable for going beyond agreed brand useThe lesson: Oral consent to use your brand can be limited, and exceeding it can still count as infringementPartly successful
- Easynet Group Plc v Easygroup IP Licensing Ltd: EASY.COM trademark survives descriptiveness challengeThe lesson: Trademarks are judged by overall impression, not just by whether their parts are ordinary wordsDefendant won
- Phones4u Ltd v Phone4u.Co.UK: Court of Appeal revives passing off claim over domain nameThe lesson: Goodwill for passing off and distinctiveness for a trademark are judged differently and can point opposite waysPartly successful
- Reed Executive v Reed Business Information: mediation refusal and settlement talks stay off limits on costsThe lesson: Without-prejudice settlement talks usually stay private even when you're arguing about who pays costsProcedural ruling
- Mastercard loses bid to block Hitachi’s CREDIT MASTER trademarkThe lesson: Sharing a word with a famous brand isn't enough, you need evidence of actual harm or unfair advantageDefendant won
- Reed Executive v Reed Business Information: most ‘Reed’ website uses did not infringeThe lesson: Using your own company name online isn't automatically trademark infringement, context mattersPartly successful
- Arsenal Football Club Plc v the defendant: unofficial merchandise seller infringed trademarksThe lesson: Using someone else's name or logo on goods can infringe even if buyers know it's unofficialClaimant won
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Case summaries are drawn from published UK judgments, drafted with AI assistance and checked by The Trademark Helpline (how we write these). For information only, not trademark advice.
