Ip

In a dramatic U-turn, the US government has signalled its support for waiving intellectual property protections for Covid-19 vaccines and medical tools to help developing countries tackle the global pandemic. The waiver was first proposed by India and South Africa last October in a detailed submissi

Dear Editor, Eilidh Smith's article on Taylor Swift's intellectual property woes misses out a key point: Taylor Swift tried to buy back the intellectual property rights and would likely have had no problem purchasing these rights, except that the owner, Scooter Braun, refused to allow her to buy the

Eilidh Smith looks at the lessons we can learn from the IP woes of Taylor Swift. Earlier this month, Taylor Swift fans everywhere were treated to the release of Fearless (Taylor's Version), a re-imagining and re-recording of her 2008 LP – the first in a project which plans to re-record and rel

More sectors than ever before are starting to utilise blockchain, European patent figures reveal.  Patent attorney David Grant, a partner at IP firm Marks & Clerk, says the technology – typically associated with cryptocurrency – is increasingly being explored for broader applica

Conor McGregor has failed in a legal fight with a clothing firm over sportswear that bears his name. The 31-year-old MMA fighter applied to register his name as a trademark in order to sell clothing in Europe.

Actor Sam Heughan has become embroiled in a legal battle with a German distillery of the name of his whisky brand. Mr Heughan, the star of Outlander, launched his own whisky last year called The Sassenach, the name his character uses in the show for his love interest.

Lawrie IP is celebrating its tenth anniversary with an increase in turnover to around £2.7 million in the 12 months to June 2020, from £2.2m in the previous 12 months. The Glasgow-headquartered firm has grown from one person in 2010, founder Dr Donald Lawrie, to 28 employees. 

Graeme Di Rollo demystifies copyright enforcement. Keeping track of who is using your copyright-protected content online can be a daunting task.

Iain McDougall discusses the increase in copyright infringement claims during the pandemic. Like most law firms we are seeing trends in certain types of litigation as a result of COVID-19. As expected, we have been asked to assist clients with disputes regarding rental premises, interruption to

One of the world’s leading intellectual property guides has named Burness Paull as the leading IP litigation practice in Scotland. The IAM Patent 1000 is regarded as the definitive ‘go-to’ resource for those seeking to identify world-class, private practice patent expertise across

Tech companies operating in the renewable energy sector could cause decades of damage to their market position if they fail to secure their IP rights now, an expert has warned. Patent attorney Daniel Sizer, a senior associate at Marks & Clerk, said the coronavirus pandemic has put huge financial

The latest patent, trademark and design data from the UK Intellectual Property Office shows an impressive performance from Scotland in 2019. Scotland filed 1,168 registered design applications in 2019 compared with 757 applications the previous year – representing a 54.2 per cent rise. This bu

The General Court of the European Union has sided with Louis Vuitton in a long-running dispute over its canvas chequerboard print, The Fashion Law reports. The mark had been registered in 2008 with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) but in 2015 it was challenged by an individual

Bill Gates famously said “intellectual property has the shelf life of a banana”. If this suggests he is not a huge fan of intellectual property rights that is certainly not reflected by Microsoft, the company in which he made his fortune. Microsoft has an enormous patent portfolio in exc

Bosses at the home of golf have failed in a legal battle over the rights to the name 'St Andrews', The Times reports.