Trademark

Scotch whisky is legally protected from copies in China for the next 10 years

Scotch whisky trademark secured in China

By Gwen Ridler

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has secured a 10-year trademark for Scotch whisky in China, during a three-day trade visit to the country with Prime Minister Theresa May.

Fears have been raised over enforcement of ‘non-traditional’ trade marks

Fears raised over trade marks rules

By Noli Dinkovski

New European rules thought to offer manufacturers a greater opportunity to register ‘non-traditional’ trade marks may not be as straightforward as first anticipated, a law firm has warned.

Food exporters’ intellectual property could be at risk if appropriate protection isn’t taken

Intellectual property risk for food exporters

By Gwen Ridler

Food and drink manufacturers have been urged to protect their intellectual property (IP) rights before exporting overseas, as risks will grow once the UK leaves the EU.

Intellectual property rights are likely to be used by manufacturers to meet reformulation demands

IP rights can become a ‘weapon’ in sugar war

By Noli Dinkovski

Food manufacturers are increasingly likely to use intellectual property (IP) rights as both an asset and a weapon in the battle to meet reformulation demands over sugar, a lawyer has claimed.

JCS Fish has claimed Morrisons' Big Fish Company brand is too similar to its product

Morrisons in fish trademark war

By Laurence Gibbons

Morrisons has denied any wrongdoing after coming under fire for registering a trademark for a “very similar brand” as JCS Fish’s BigFish.

Direct rights to challenge copycat packaging appears as far away as ever

Copycat ruling causes grief for brand owners

By Noli Dinkovski

Food producers can still protect their intellectual property rights, despite the Department for Business Innovation & Skills (BIS) ruling that it would not grant firms the power to seek civil injunctions to prevent ‘copycat’ packaging.

Shape is the key to safeguarding food manufacturers' property rights, said law firm Eversheds

Novel shaped food products key to property rights

By Gary Scattergood

Food and drink manufacturers need to pay greater attention to devising genuinely distinctive shapes for new products in order to strengthen their intellectual property (IP) rights through trademark protection.

Seeing purple: Cadbury's victory was a limited one, according to consultant Christopher Pett

Cadbury wins Nestlé colour purple row but what next?

By Christopher Pett

Cadbury has recently been successful in extending the trademark protection for its purple colour, despite spirited resistance by Nestlé, writes Christopher Pett, consultant at Dehns Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys. But what are the implications of the...

Rights in packaging

Rights in packaging

It is discarded by children, but to manufacturers packaging is an essential tool to get ahead in a competitive market, says Michael Luckman