AI and Trademarks: A Brilliant Assistant, but a Poor Researcher
One of my team recently flagged something to a local business, a genuinely successful brand, that they were trading with no trademark at all. There was no hard sell. He simply explained the risk and said we would call back in a week. By the time we did, they had “sorted it themselves” with AI, […]
Jellycat Versus the High Street: Why ‘Just a Cuddly Toy’ Is a Serious Brand Protection Lesson
Jellycat going after major retailers is a brilliant reminder that “cute” can still be very serious business. Most people look at a Jellycat and see a soft toy. A business looks at the same thing and sees design, reputation, customer loyalty, social media value and years of carefully built brand equity. The gap between those […]
A World Cup Marketing Warning for Pubs and Hospitality: What You Can and Cannot Say
If you run a pub, bar or any kind of hospitality venue, the World Cup is one of the best trading opportunities of the year. Packed rooms, big screens, a long run of fixtures and a genuine reason for people to come in and stay a while. It is a brilliant moment for the trade. […]
Gillette Stadium Becomes ‘Boston Stadium’ for the World Cup: What FIFA’s Clean Venue Rule Teaches Brand Owners
“Right, just cover the branding on every seat.” All 65,878 of them. That, more or less, is what has been happening at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, which will spend the 2026 FIFA World Cup answering to a completely different name. For the duration of the tournament, the home of the New England Patriots is not […]
Did you know that Umbro lost a Supreme Court case last summer?
Here is a question that tends to stop people in their tracks. Did you know that Umbro, the company behind one of the most recognised logos in British sport, lost a case at the UK Supreme Court last summer? Most people quietly assume that once you are big enough to own a famous logo, and […]
Oatly’s ‘Post Milk Generation’ Trademark Struck Down by the UK Supreme Court
There is a comforting little thought that a lot of business owners allow themselves once the certificate finally arrives, and it tends to go something like this: I have got my trademark registered, so that is the job done. I completely understand the appeal of believing it, because registration feels like a finish line and […]
Scam Warning: Prestige Marks and Trademark Axis, Have You Received An Email?
Over the years, we have seen plenty of trademark scams. Some arrive by post. Some arrive by email. Some look like invoices. Others look like urgent legal warnings. This latest potential scam example caught our attention because it follows a very familiar pattern, but this time it came by email. We became aware of this […]
How a Trademark Dispute Turned Into a £322,000 Costs Bill
A large portion of the new enquiries we receive are from established businesses and brands who have received a cease-and-desist letter, telling them they need to rebrand. Often the question people ask us is, what happens when a trademark dispute turns nasty, and what it actually costs to fight one. A High Court decision handed […]
Why Taylor Swift Trademarking Her Voice Should Make Every UK Brand Owner Think Harder About AI
This isn’t the first time we have commended Taylor Swift over here on the Helpline, after all, who doesn’t love a bit of Tay Tay? This story broke on the back of a tweet from a US trademark lawyer. Josh Gerben, who has spent years quietly flagging celebrity USPTO filings before the rest of the […]
Scam Warning: Trademarks Filers and Trademark Genius
One of our clients has received a new trademark scam email from a business calling itself Trademarks Filers. The email claimed that another organisation was trying to register the client’s brand name and that the client had a limited window to act before they lost their position. This is the typical fear-based scam, it creates […]