Insights

We celebrate World Gin Day (11 June) by examining the intellectual property considerations surrounding the popular spirit.

Generic and ordinary terms, such as ‘very’, ‘most’ and ‘like’, are normally considered to lack the distinctive character necessary for trademark registration. In finding likelihood of confusion between two trademarks using the word ‘so’, the EU General Court’s recent ruling is remarkable.

Racing car driver Max Verstappen hopes to continue his winning streak in the courts as he seeks to protect his portrait (image) right against the use of a lookalike. Julia Schefman explains the background to the Dutch case, while Marine Dissoubray and Luke Portnow provide the French and UK perspectives.

Registering your chosen name as a trademark helps safeguard that brand value by providing a mechanism to act against third parties seeking to profit from your name and hard work. But, choosing and protecting a 'strong' brand name isn't always as easy as it may appear! In our latest factsheet, we share seven key steps to success.

Trademark assignment recordals against UK rights have been on the rise since Brexit, as EU trademark owners are now required to manage these rights separately.

When businesses merge with or acquire other businesses, the challenge for IP professionals doesn’t stop once the deal is complete. For IP rights to be properly updated and maintained, the question of how to brand and structure the newly merged business first needs to be addressed.

Two types of trademark watching exist to help brand owners to protect their rights: Trademark watching for conflicting trademark registrations and keyword monitoring for unauthorised use of brand rights online. We explain why these services are so important and how they work.

The number of countries joining the Madrid System for international trademark registrations continues to grow, with Chile and Cape Verde the latest to deposit instruments of accession. Applicants will be able to designate the countries in their international trademark registrations (IR) as of July this year.

Have you ever thought about using a well-known painting or work of art as a trademark? It is a strategy that has proved successful in the past, as illustrated by Nestlé’s adoption of the Johannes Vermeer painting Milkmaid. However, there are a number of pitfalls that must first be identified and overcome, as Volha Parfenchyk explains.