Manchester United to be renamed on Football Manager
Manchester United will be renamed on Football Manager games from FM22 onwards, following a trademark dispute with games giant Sega. The football club had argued that Sega and Sports Interactive infringed their trademark over the logo by not using the official Manchester United badge in the game, instead “replacing the club crest with a simplified […]
Oatly loose trademark battle against Glebe Farm Foods
Cambridgeshire Based Glebe Farm Foods have won their David and Goliath legal battle against the multimillion-pound Swedish makers of plant milk, Oatly. We wrote in June of how Oatly took legal action against Glebe Farm Foods, saying their product PureOaty took “unfair advantage” of their own drink. High Court Judge Nicholas Caddick QC ruled in […]
Lindt secures trademark status for bunny foil
Everyone’s favourite gold foil-wrapped chocolate Easter bunny won its latest legal battle on Thursday as Germany’s federal court ruled its gold tone had trademark protection. Reuters Berlin reported last week that the Swiss premium chocolate maker has been fought many court battles over the years to protect one of its best-selling products that, according to […]
Welsh business forced to change name
The Welsh Language Commissioner, Aled Roberts, has criticised a decision not to allow a Welsh language trademark. He has asked the UK Intellectual Property Office to “reconsider” after it rejected a trademark application from North Wales company, Eryri Clothing, on the grounds that you cannot trademark geographical locations. The Welsh firm tried to trademark the place name of […]
Archewell hits bump over trademark terms
Trademark terms are important, they can mean the difference between obtaining a trademark registration or having your application declined. They are especially important when you are planning to secure sole use of a word. An example of this is currently being played out with the Sussex’s bid to trademark the word ‘Archewell’, the name of […]
Shein accused of IP infringement
Fast fashion retailer, Shein, has exploded to dominate fashion ecommerce in the past couple of years. If you search for a clothing product on Google, 9 times out of 10 you are going to be presented by a search advert for Shein. Last month, the Chinese company knocked Amazon off the number one spot as […]
Banksy stripped of trademarks
Anonymous street artist, Banksy, has been stripped of two more trademarks (four in total) for his works because he never intended to commercialise them when he applied for the legal protection. Banksy had famously said ‘copyright is for losers’. But that came back to bite him when was told he was acting in ‘bad faith’ […]
Client Case Study – Grandma’s Kitchen
We love to hear the stories behind our clients business ideas, especially when that business was started during the unprecedented year of 2020. This week we caught up with Marion, the culinary talent behind new business, Grandma’s Kitchen. A Bolton based catering business that specialises in the most delicious cakes, treats and home cooking style […]
Next vs Next
Next PLC force independent retailer to change her business name of 24 years. It is a common misconception that trading under a brand name for a good number of years will automatically grant you brand protection. Last week, VOCM reported a story about a local business owner that was being forced to re-brand her business […]
Would you be confused between these two oat milk brands?
Swedish oat milk brand, Oatly, have filed a claim against drink supplier Glebe Farm Foods, claiming that their PureOaty brand infringes on its Oatley and Oat-ly! Trademarks. The court documents state that Oatly “seek an injunction to restrain the defendant from infringing any of the claimants’ registered trademarks and the passing off of the defendant’s […]