May 9, 2024

Someone asked about the dispute between Apple Corp and Apple Computers which reminds me of an aspect of names to mention.

While names may be shared provided two businesses are in non-overlapping industries, Apple was problematic from th...

Apr 26, 2024

A start-up wonders why they’ve received a ‘cease and desist’ letter from Hugo Boss. Surely, they can't stop us using the word ‘boss’ they say?

Well yes they can. 

It may be an ordinary word but Hugo Boss used it first in the fashion b...

Apr 18, 2024

Names that are distinctive in not describing the product or service are always the best choice from a legal perspective.

So, I wondered how a sandwich outlet like Subway managed to come up with such a distinctive name.

The business wa...

Mar 19, 2024

People often wonder why register a trademark.

They assume they automatically get the rights to use their name, so surely trademark registration is just a nicety that needn’t concern them till they're established?

It’s a cost people do...

Mar 11, 2024

Reuters reports that Amazon has lost its appeal in a case involving the ‘targeting’ of UK shoppers.

In deciding that Amazon was targeting UK shoppers, the UK Supreme Court ruled that Amazon was infringing the trademark rights of Lifest...

Mar 6, 2024

Actions like trademarking a colour or piece of music are not for every type of business.

They’re difficult to achieve. You can’t just apply to register them like you do with a name or logo. Instead, you need to first become known throug...

Mar 4, 2024

Monzo’s ‘hot coral’ coloured bankcards are so strikingly different in the staid world of banking, that I’m sure they get some customers purely because of their cards!

It can be very powerful for a company to have a colour that is synony...

Feb 28, 2024

Robert Kiyosaki of Rich Dad, Poor Dad fame explains in this short 1.23 minute video that his biggest money maker is intellectual property.

A book that he writes requires zero investment. He sells the manuscript to a publisher and gets ...

Feb 26, 2024

To better understand IP rights consider that they’re separate to physical objects.

Intellectual property rights are copyright, trademarks, patents, designs and confidential information or trade secrets. They protect creations, such as ...

Feb 23, 2024

Some people were concerned to learn from my article An Expensive Lesson in Trademark Law that trademark registrations can be cancelled. It made for a sense of insecurity because what if their own registrations rest on shaky foundations?...

Feb 21, 2024

To understand why intellectual property is important in marketing consider that marketing is about helping ideas to stand out and spread.

Its objective is to attract an audience to a company’s products or services. They should perceive...

Feb 19, 2024

There are lessons from the recent BBC report about a chicken shop owner in Manchester who lost a trademark dispute against Tesla. 

Mr Ali trademarked the name ‘Tesla Chicken & Pizza’ in 2020. So in 2021 the IPO notified him that Tesla ...