September 8, 2008

Recently Nominet revealed that they were over 7 million registered .uk domain names. One million of those domain names were registered in the last year. In a recent survey of British internet users it was revealed that 72% of...

September 10, 2008

Joint copyright can be a dangerous trap for businesses. Disputes over joint copyright issues are often expensive, fact intensive and it is difficult to prove ownership. Several recent cases highlight problems that can...

September 19, 2008

Ubuntu is a well known free, open source based Linux based operating system. Their business model is to provide software free of charge but to make money by giving support instead. Recently there have been a large...

September 22, 2008

There is a popular myth that the best way to protect your copyright is to send a copy of the work to yourself in an envelope and that you will be protected so long as you do not open the envelope. Sadly, courts are not often...

October 3, 2008

In a surprise decision in the US, the makers of Splenda have lost their patent for sucralose which is the generic name for Splenda. This means that competitors can now sell the same sugar substitute. At the moment Splenda brings in...

October 7, 2008

An important decision for any brand owner, given the territorial nature of trade marks, is in which countries to seek protection.

Many applicants may only trade in their home country, but for others based in the European Union, it...

October 10, 2008

English law is currently evolving in how it protects celebrities from having their image exploited as image disputes are becoming more common. Judges are becoming more flexible in dealing with such disputes and finding ways to...

October 13, 2008

Recently the state of Kentucky has moved to seize the domain names of 141 online gambling sites. The move has sent shockwaves throughout the gambling and internet community because it could set a dangerous precedent. Attorneys for...

October 14, 2008

During the last year several cases have highlighted the current state of flux in Registered Community Designs (RCDs). This area of law remains a frequently overlooked and underrated intellectual property right). RCDs can...

October 20, 2008

A database right was first introduced in Europe in 1996 though the Database Directive. Under the Directive the maker of a database has the right to prevent the “extraction and/or re-utilisation of the whole or of a...

October 31, 2008

The US has been one of the few jurisdictions which allow methods or ways of doing things to be registered for patent protection. This type of patent might be narrowed significantly by a recent ruling by a US Appellate Court. ...

November 1, 2008

Elvis Presley [1997] R.P.C. 543 and Linkin Park [2006] E.T.M.R. 74 are examples of cases which have highlighted the problems that can arise when famous people or groups try to protect their name through trademark law, in order to...