Aaron Wood

Aaron Wood is a UK Chartered Trademark Attorney, Trade Mark Litigator and Trade Mark Advocate with more than 20 years of experience in IP. He has previously worked at city law firms and attorney firms as well as in-house and joined the Novagraaf team in 2024.

Aaron has significant experience in Trade mark clearance and protection, IP enforcement and IP disputes. He is one a small handful of practitioners who appear regularly before the UK Intellectual Property Office as an advocate as well as before the UK Courts, and is in the top 3 lawyers by number of hearings before the UKIPO over the last 10 years.  Alongside working for brand owners, he is often approached by other firms of attorneys from the UK to handle disputes or advocacy on behalf of them or their clients.  In terms of professional rankings, he has been listed as an IP STAR for Trade marks for a number of years, as “Silver” in the WTR1000, as “Outstanding” in WIPR and as a Tier 1 practitioner in Chambers and Partners.

Career history

Aaron holds an LLB in Law with French Law from the University of Birmingham and a Diplome en Etudes Juridiques Francaises from the University of Limoges.  As well as being a Chartered Trade Mark attorney he also holds a Trade Mark Litigators and Trade Mark Advocates certificate, is a qualified mediator and is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and the Society of Mediators.

Work highlights

Key cases in the Courts include the following:

• Lenovo (Singapore) PTE Ltd v Comptroller General of Patents [2020] EWHC 1706 (Pat) – Aaron successfully appealed the UKIPO’s decision to refuse protection to a software patent for reasons of “excluded matter”.  The decision altered UKIPO practice as to the patentability of computer patents and was recognised by Managing Intellectual  Magazine as Patent Impact Case of the Year for the UK.
• KBF Enterprises Ltd v Gladiator Nutrition 3.0Ltd & Ors [2018] EWHC 3041 (IPEC) (09 November 2018) – A case regarding infringement of the WARRIOR protein supplement brand and the application of the “own name” defence
• Vertical Leisure Ltd v Poleplus Ltd & Anor [2015] EWHC 841 (IPEC) (27 March 2015) – A key case relating to the personal liability of directors for the acts of their companies in the field of intellectual property
• Thomas v Luv One Luv All Promotions Ltd & Anor [2021] EWCA Civ 732 – a case relating to the ownership of IP by partnerships and issue estoppel from decisions of the UKIPO
• Atelier Eighty Two Ltd v Kilnworx Climbing Centre CIC & Ors [2015] EWHC 2291 – a case relating to implied ownership of copyright in logos by the instructing clients

Memberships

Aaron is a member of CITMA.

Languages

• English
• French

Areas of expertise

• Trademark registration and portfolio management
• Trademark prosecution
• Trademark filing strategies
• Trademark dispute resolution
• IP Litigation

Industry specialisms

• Automotives & aviation
• Drinks/beverages
• Fashion & textiles
• Food & food technology
• Sports, travel & entertainment
• Telecommunications