Asos vs Assos: Asos just paid out £20m to settle a trademark dispute September 2, 2016 In the battle of Asos vs Assos, there were only ever going to be two winners. Online retail giant Asos announced today it had settled a trademark dispute with Assos of Switzerland, a high-performance cycle wear manufacturer and German menswear retailer Anson's Herrenhaus. Asos said it will pay a total of £20.2m in cash to Assos and [...]
Should’ve filed it sooner: Specsavers wins trademark approval for advert tag line from UK’s Intellectual Property Office August 15, 2016 Specsavers’ application to trademark the words “should’ve” and “shouldve” was approved yesterday in a surprise decision by the UK’s Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO). The glasses retailer filed its application on 18 July and will need to wait two months for the mark to be formally registered. Third parties are able to raise objections in the [...]
Why not just anything can be a MACCOFFEE – EU court rules in favour of McDonald’s trademark July 5, 2016 Fast food mainstay McDonald's today received a boost to its branding, after a Singapore rival failed in a bid to secure rights to the MACCOFFEE trademark. The General Court of the European Union decided that Future Enterprises' EU trademark application for MACCOFFEE could not be approved because of an earlier trademark application made by McDonald's, which covered the affixing of [...]
Amazon’s delivery drones could one day be dropping packages by parachute February 15, 2017 Amazon has filed another very interesting patent. At the end of last year, it was revealed Amazon had filed a patent for a flying airship warehouse designed to speed up drone deliveries. As you do. And now the US Patent and Trademark Office has granted the e-commerce giant a patent for a new way to deliver [...]
The Financial Conduct Authority just spent £70,000 on a new logo, including hiring a Saatchi & Saatchi agency May 7, 2017 The industry-funded Financial Conduct Authority has spent almost £70,000 on a refresh of its brand, including a brand new logo designed by Saatchi & Saatchi, City A.M. can reveal. The FCA recruited B2B specialists Saatchi & Saatchi Pro ahead of its planned move from Canary Wharf to the edge of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park [...]
Did Labour deputy leader Tom Watson perform a Parliamentary “dab”? February 22, 2017 Prime Minister's Questions resumed today after a brief break – and with two by-elections taking place tomorrow, it was a crucial session. But it wasn't quite business as usual. Because it looks an awful lot like Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson performed a little dance move from his seat in the House of Commons. Deputy Labour [...]
The curious case of the iphone trademark: Apple loses fight over iPhone name in China May 4, 2016 Apple has lost a legal battle against a Chinese handbag maker over its use of the iPhone trademark. Xintong Tiandi, a Chinese company that sells leather purses and phone cases, trademarked "IPHONE" in 2010. Apple filed a trademark for “iPhone” in 2002, but got approval only in 2013. The tech giant launched a legal tirade against [...]
The fall-out of Manchester United and Jose Mourinho image rights negotiations could be worth millions as Chelsea own former manager’s trademark May 26, 2016 One of the stumbling blocks that has appeared to be holding up Jose Mourinho's expected appointment by Manchester United has been a conflict over the ownership of the former Chelsea manager’s so-called image rights. This comes as no surprise when you consider the potential costs to United should they have no control over the Special One's lucrative image rights. In particular, [...]
Oculus rift: Facebook loses £394m virtual reality battle February 2, 2017 Tech giant Facebook has lost a $500m (£394m) court battle over the virtual reality technology behind it Oculus Rift headset. After a three week trial, the jury decided that Oculus – acquired by Facebook three years ago – was manufactured using computer code written by game developer Zenimax. Oculus said it would appeal against the "disappointing" decision. Damages [...]
Amazon is looking for shop space in London, according to reports February 5, 2017 Tech giant Amazon has reportedly started searching for shop space in central London as part of its move into the grocery market. Amazon first revealed its ambitions to open grocery stores last December under the banner "Amazon Go". In a video, Amazon said it was using technology to create a shop with no check outs. Customers would [...]