News - McDaniels IP Solicitors | Intellectual Property Lawyers Newcastle

Dua want to go to court, again?

Dua Lupa is facing more allegations of copyright infringement over her hit song “Levitating”. Dua Lipa’s song “Levitating” was previously the subject of a copyright infringement claim filed by Florida based reggae bank, Artikal Sound System. That claim was dismissed in June this year. Another claim was also made against the song by song writing […]

IP in Russia

There has been an amass of media news surrounding protection (or lack thereof) of intellectual property rights in Russia, with the most salient point being that intellectual property in Russia is, effectively, dead. Following the withdrawal of foreign rights holders from the Russian market, there have been various instances of businesses falsely branding themselves as […]

Landmark win in Iranian trade mark battle

Landmark win for Iranian citizen seeking to file a trade mark in Iran to cover goods and services concerning alcoholic beverages. Under the Iranian Law on Registration of Patents, Industrial Designs and Trade Marks of 2007, a trade mark is not eligible for registration if legal standards, public order or moral values are contradicted. In […]

Have you Shein the latest news?

Swedish fashion giant Hennes & Maurtiz (H&M) has confirmed that it has sued Singapore-based retailer Shein for alleged copyright infringement in a Hong Kong court. Founded in 2008 in China, Shein has quickly grown into one of the largest online ‘fast-fashion’ retailers, offering a low priced alternative to well-known brands. H&M confirmed that it has […]

Barbie’s German Sister

Ruth Handler, a co-founder of toy giant Mattel and the creator of the iconic fashion doll ‘Barbie’ has confirmed that the much-loved doll owes her existence to a 1950s German comic strip character ‘Bild Lilli’. Handler first spotted the Bild Lilli dolls whilst on a family holiday in Lucerne, Switzerland back in the 1950’s. Following […]

Scott the Difference

Bike manufacturer Scott Sports has lost its trade mark battle against the late AC/DC frontman Bon Scott’s estate. The family of the Scottish-born singer, who tragically died in 1980, had sought to register his name as a trade mark for use on merchandise including clothing, sunglasses and bags. Cycling and sportswear brand Scott, however, opposed […]

Concern over fraudulent USPTO imitation site

A website linked to Pakistani trade mark filing platforms has been revealed to be impersonating the US Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) website. The offending site uses text and phone numbers taken directly from the USPTO’s ‘Trademark Assistant Centre’ platform. This is not the first instance of its kind for the USPTO with a number […]

"British Hairways" grounded by German Patent Court

The German Patent Court has rejected a private individual’s application to register a trade mark for “British Hairways” following opposition from airline giant British Airways. The new mark, somewhat unsurprisingly, was applied for in relation to hair salon services, a service not currently offered by British Airways and consequently not covered by their EU trade […]

“BRBY” Barbie or Burberry

Mattel, owners of the Barbie brand, have requested that the US Patent and Trademark Office reject Burberry’s proposed “BRBY” trade mark claiming that the mark is likely to cause confusion amongst customers. In a filing on Monday, Mattel argued that the British fashion house’s “BRBY” mark would mislead customers and cause them to believe that […]

Taco Wars – Taco John’s Strikes Back

We reported last month that Taco Bell had petitioned the US Patent and Trademark Office to cancel the federal trade mark “Taco Tuesday” owned by rival fast-food chain Taco John’s. Taco John’s parent company, Spicy Seasonings, have now responded to the filing to deny that there is “anything ‘not cool’ about” obtaining and maintaining a […]

The circle that cost £8 million

Back in April we reported on the High Court battle between supermarket giants Tesco and Lidl. The dispute centred around Tesco’s use of a yellow circle on a blue background to advertise its Clubcard prices. The Judge ruled in favour of Lidl claiming Tesco had “taken unfair advantage of its [Lidl’s] distinctive reputation”. The plot […]

Google hit with another hefty sum

We recently reported that Google had been ordered to pay $32.5 million in damages to Sonos for infringing its patent. Now, a Delaware federal jury has ordered the tech giants to pay $15.1 million to audio software company Personal Audio for infringing their patent. Personal Audio alleged the Google’s flagship music streaming platform, Google Play […]

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