News - McDaniels IP Solicitors | Intellectual Property Lawyers Newcastle

Taco Tuesday set to be cancelled?

Fast food goliath Taco Bell has filed an appeal with the US Patent and Trademark Office to cancel the federal trade mark ‘Taco Tuesday’. The mark is owned by Wyoming-based rival taco franchise Taco John’s, who has utilised the well-known phrase since 1989. Taco’s Johns has earned a reputation through the years for its staunch […]

Megadeth settle album artwork lawsuit

Thrash metal stalwarts Megadeth have settled a legal dispute with artist Brent Elliott White in relation to the artwork used on the cover of their latest album ‘The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead!’. White, a New York-based illustrator, sued the band after they allegedly failed to pay him for his services in creating the […]

Cleaning up counterfeit goods

Over 3,000 electric toothbrush heads have been seized by the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) after police raided two addresses in east London last week. If genuine, the toothbrush heads would have been worth around £45,000. One man was arrested on suspicion of distributing articles that infringe trade marks and the acquisition of criminal […]

AI in music: It’s (not) a sin?

Pet Shop Boys frontman, Neil Tennant, today proposed that artificial intelligence (AI) should be embraced by musicians as a useful part of their song writing toolkit in the future. Amid growing fears within the music industry that AI could threaten to usurp human songwriters, Tennant suggested that the technology could be used to curb writer’s […]

Victory for Sheeran, Again!

A Manhattan jury have returned a verdict in favour of British singer Ed Sheeran in a federal court in New York finding him not guilty of copyright infringement. Back in April we reported on the dispute between Ed Sheeran and the heirs of Marvin Gaye over Sheeran’s hit single “Thinking Out Loud”. Gaye’s heirs claimed […]

Not the maiden Trade Mark Application

Heavy metal giants, Iron Maiden, are seeking to block a trade mark application for the mark “Maiden Wear” at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Los Angeles business owner, Lu Min Chen, filed an application for the mark back in February 2022 and the mark was published for opposition purposes on 03 January 2023. […]

Watch This Space

A mistrial has been declared in a trial between Apple Inc. and Masimo Corp. over Apple’s purported misuse of stolen trade secrets. Masimo issued proceedings against Apple on grounds Apple misused confidential information relating to technology which enables watches to read the user’s heart rates and blood oxygen levels. Those technology features are available in […]

Dark Horse victorious over the California Gurl

American singer-songwriter Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, known professionally as Katy Perry has lost a trade mark battle in Australia. Designer Katie Perry began selling clothes under the brand name “Katie Perry” back in 2007 and registered the same as a trade mark in 2008. Katie Perry sued the singer’s company Kitty Purry in 2019 over alleged […]

Celebrating World Intellectual Property Day

Today is the annual celebration of World Intellectual Property Day. This global campaign seeks to emphasise the significance of intellectual property protection and aims to generate awareness of various intellectual property rights. This year, the campaign focuses on women innovators, creators and entrepreneurs and the amazing and ground-breaking work that they do. Women across the […]

Ed Facing the Music

Back in September 2022, we reported on the allegations of copyright infringement faced Ed Sheeran. Sheeran stands accused by the heirs of Marvin Gaye of copying the late singer’s song “Let’s Get It On” with his 2014 single “Thinking Out Loud”. The claim was originally filed in 2017 and has finally appeared at Manhattan Federal […]

China moves away from requiring legalisation of foreign documents

China has taken steps to withdraw from the Apostille Convention, which numerous countries are signed up to and which sets out requirements for the legalisation of foreign documents relating to legal issues in China. In particular the requirements for legalisation of documents in China and other countries for trade mark applications and trade mark proceedings […]

The Trial and Monetisation of Wagatha Christie

Last October we reported on the infamous Wagatha Christie Saga between WAG’s Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy. In the latest news, Vardy has made an application at the UK Intellectual Property Office to trade mark the phrase “WAGATHA CHRISTIE”. Back in July, Vardy sued Rooney for defamation following Rooney’s social media post claiming Vardy was […]

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