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Author: Robin Webster

Dave Burborough raised £1,042 for Woodstock School

On 26th May 2019 our very own Dave Burborough took part in the Edinburgh Marathon in aid of our current adopted charity, Woodstock School. It takes a special character to decide they want to run non-stop for 26.2 miles. Up until the big race Dave had put in around 6 months’ solid training and had one or two setbacks along the way including a back injury which put him out of action for a short while. On the day itself…

Chocolate Wars: Cadbury loses two battles over purple trade mark rights

Chocolate battles won and lost, but the war is not over... If you asked someone to imagine Cadbury chocolate, most people would immediately think of the purple packaging. The iconic purple hue, registered as a trade mark for the shade Pantone 2685C since 1995, has been the confectionery giant’s signature colour for decades. The “Dairy Milk” product is just one example of this. However, despite Cadbury’s established rights in the purple colour variant there has been a long-running “chocolate war”…

Update on Brexit Negotiations

As the second anniversary of the EU Referendum result approaches, it is debatable whether any tangible progress has been made during negotiations. The mainstream media is never short of reporting triumphs and failures. It largely depends on who is doing the reporting. One person’s victory is another’s defeat. This was always going to be the case on such a finely balanced and divisive topic. It remains to be seen what opportunities Brexit will bring. In the meantime, businesses have no…

Woodstock School help raise funds

We’ve received sad news that Woodstock School who we’ve been actively raising funds for have had their school bus vandalised to the point where it can no longer run. You’ve probably seen in our previous post that the school is close to our hearts and provides exceptional care for special needs children in Bristol. The school bus is a vital part of school life as it enables the children to take part in all manner of enriching activities such as…

Genericism - are brand names safe?

Do you know what all these brands have in common?  Hoover, Jacuzzi, Frisbee, Escalator, Thermos, Yo-Yo They were once highly effective trade marks but have since been categorised as a generic term for certain goods because many people now refer to them collectively by the trade marks rather than by a specific brand. One everyday example is Hoover – we’ve become so accustomed to calling all vacuum cleaners Hoovers that the term has become generic for these goods. Same goes…

SH&P Golf Day 2017

Once again we were delighted to welcome our clients to the annual SH&P Golf Day.  This year’s event was once again hosted by The Kendleshire.  Our thanks go to the entire team for putting on another thoroughly enjoyable day both on and off the course. Although the day is intended to be light hearted there is inevitably a degree of competitiveness. This year was no different with the pairs and singles competitions keenly contested with only a cigarette paper between…

A helping hand with special education in the Bristol area

At SH&P, we’re committed to helping local charities where we can. Each year our staff suggest several local charities and then a firm wide vote is taken to select our charity of the year. In 2016/2017 we supported Hop, Skip & Jump who provide children and young adults with a place to learn, play, and relax at Grimsby Farm, Kingswood. Thanks to bake sales, fancy dress days, and our annual golf day, we’re proud to say we raised £2000. Sian McHugh…

With this ring I thee... sue!

A leading international wholesaler is counting the cost of an ill-judged product launch. Costco is well known for its huge warehouses stocking anything from sandwiches to speedboats. In its US outlets, members were able to purchase diamond rings marked Tiffany via the jewellery counter. However, budding George Peppards and Audrey Hepburns may have been left disappointed as the rings themselves were not manufactured by world renowned jeweller Tiffany & Co. Costco argued that solitaire diamond rings of this type have…

Understanding the importance of IP

Your most valuable asset  Every business is affected by IP to a greater or lesser extent. Although intangible, IP is often the most valuable asset of a company or business, sometimes making up over 80% of the balance sheet. IP creates a trading advantage and sets your business apart from competitors. Protect your hard work and abolish future hassle By protecting IP rights, you can prevent competitors from piggy backing on your hard work and innovation. Securing adequate protection to…

UK is Third in List of EU Trade Mark Filings

Applicants from the UK filed 12,527 European Union (EU) trade mark applications in 2015, making the UK the third biggest filer of trade marks with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), coming behind Germany (20,447 applications) and the USA (16,881). Applications Continue to Increase In total, 130,385 EU trade mark applications were filed in 2015 by applicants from around the world. The UK was responsible for 14% of the 89,420 applications filed with the EUIPO by applicants from the…

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