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Ball & Young, a company based in Corby, Northamptonshire, applied to the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) to register the trade mark ‘Cloud 9 Caviar and Champagne Collection’ for flooring products. The application was refused after an objection from the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC), which is the trade body representing Champagne producers. When is ‘Champagne’ a Trade Mark? An opposition hearing was held at the IPO, during which Ball & Young argued that the word ‘Champagne’…
A letter from US-based computer chip giant Intel has forced a small business in the UK to re-brand and spend over £15,000 changing signage and other material. The challenge came after Intel became aware of Intell Windows, based in Sandwich, Kent, which supplies windows, doors and conservatories to homes in the local area. Name Changed to Intelligent Windows The letter was received by the company at the start of this year. Intel asked that Intell Windows change its name in…
World-famous physicist, Professor Stephen Hawking, has applied to the UK Intellectual Property Office for trade mark protection for his name. Professor Hawking is Director of Research at the University of Cambridge’s Centre for Theoretical Cosmology, but the application has been filed in his own name. Trade Mark for Goods, Services and Charitable Fundraising Like all trade mark applicants, Professor Hawking has specified the type of goods and services which he would like the trade mark to cover. These include scientific…
The UK government has passed legislation enforcing the introduction of plain packaging for cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco. The plain packaging requirement will come into force in May 2016 after the House of Lords followed the Commons and backed the measure. From May next year, in addition to the health warning, the packaging of cigarette and hand-rolling tobacco must be a uniform brown colour and include only a brand name in a standard size grey typeface. Opposition and the Implications for…
An index compiled by the US Chamber of Commerce Global Intellectual Property (IP) Center has place the UK at number one for IP enforcement. This result is a reflection of the UK’s strong IP legislation which, in the report, is ranked as second only to the USA’s own laws. The report, which considers a variety of factors in both legislation and enforcement, considered the UK system to be robust, although with areas for improvement, which include software piracy – the…
Supermarket chain Tesco has been refused a trade mark registration for the word Clubcard. Tesco applied to the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) in January 2011, for a trade mark registration for Clubcard as the name of its customer loyalty scheme. The application was refused in December 2013, on the grounds that the word was “devoid of any distinctive character” and was “commonly used by third parties”. Tesco lodged an appeal and which has now been rejected. Trade Mark or…