Blog Archive

• Iceland v Iceland: potential trade mark dispute brewing
  Posted by Jane Coyle on September 28, 2016 / Posted in Trade Marks
  Information has been released which suggests that Iceland, the country, is potentially going to object against Iceland, the supermarket brand, and their trade marks.
  Information has been released which suggests that Iceland, the country, is potentially going to object against Iceland, the supermarket brand, and their trade marks. This has come from country officials who have hinted that a trade mark objection is being considered but no decisions have been made as of yet. The trade marks which are the potential problem have all been registered by Iceland Foods. Not only do they own a UK trade mark for ‘Iceland’, they also have an EU trade mark [...]
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• How can I exploit my trade mark?
  Posted by Jane Coyle on September 28, 2016 / Posted in Trade Marks
  No matter the size of the business, it is important to seek legal help and register trade marks.
  The definition of a trade mark is defined in section 1(1) of the Trade Mark Act 1994. It refers to ‘any sign capable of being represented graphically which is capable of distinguishing goods or services of one undertaking from those of other undertakings.’ One only needs to look at successful global brands such as Apple, McDonalds, Estée Lauder Cosmetic Ltd and Amazon.com to see there is great commercial value in capitalising on a company’s unique traits. When this is [...]
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• Trade mark infringement defences
  Posted by Jane Coyle on September 28, 2016 / Posted in Trade Marks
  While we do not recommend infringing anyone’s trade mark, there are a number of situations in which your infringement may be covered by a defence.
  If your actions fall under a defence, you have a lawful excuse to do what you have even though it may have infringed a registered trade mark. Under the Trade Marks Act 1994, there are a number of defences that you should be aware of. Firstly, a trade mark infringer may argue that the initial trade mark was not validly registered, therefore no infringement took place. For a mark to be deemed not validly registered, it would have to have not satisfied the absolute and relative grounds for [...]
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• UK IPO update- international trade mark applications
  Posted by Jane Coyle on September 28, 2016 / Posted in Trade Marks
  The UK IPO has now updated their international trade mark application system to make the process easier.
  Following a successful trial earlier this year, the UK Intellectual Property Office has now launched a new system in which international trade mark applications can now be submitted to the UK IPO through email. The new process became available earlier this week, on the 26 th September. You now can submit the applications to Internationaltrademarks@ipo.gov.uk This should make the process easier for users to access and also reduce cost and time delays. The Trademarkroom can use this update to [...]
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• For the best chance of success- choose The Trademarkroom
  Posted by Jane Coyle on September 21, 2016 / Posted in Trade Marks
  With numerous firms across the country offering you the best trade mark experience, here are a number of reasons why The Trademarkroom should be your first choice.
  With numerous firms across the country offering you the best trade mark experience, here are a number of reasons why The Trademarkroom should be your first choice. We have listed the top ten reasons why you will not get the level of success with anyone else than you will with The Trademarkroom. Our main focus as a business is our customers; therefore our aim is to make any application or process as stress free and smooth for you As The Trademarkroom has been in operation since 1999, we are [...]
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• Do you need to renew your trade mark?
  Posted by Jane Coyle on September 21, 2016 / Posted in Trade Marks
  Once you have gained protection, you are not guaranteed to be able to use the mark forever, you need to renew it.
  Firstly, a big congratulations on the successful registration of your trade mark needs to be given. A registered trade mark is such an important asset to your business and will allow you to build a reputable brand. You do need to be clear however that your protection will not last forever without any further input from yourself. You need to ensure that you successfully renew your mark every ten years otherwise your mark will be opened back up to the public domain for someone else to register. [...]
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• A Trademarkroom success story-GripIt Fixings
  Posted by Jane Coyle on September 21, 2016 / Posted in Trade Marks
  An example of how The Trademarkroom has helped a business to successfully protect their brand through our years of expertise and knowledge.
  Throughout our years as trade mark specialists, we have had a large number of clients growing from strength to strength after protecting their brand. However, there has been one business that has hit new heights. UK Building Products Ltd, otherwise known as GripIt Fixings, began in 2012 after Jordan Daykin, Managing Director, and his granddad failed to fix a blind to a plasterboard wall with existing fixings. That day the pair created the beginnings of the now globally used product, GripIt [...]
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• Selling a trade mark
  Posted by Jane Coyle on September 17, 2016 / Posted in Trade Marks
  As one of your business’s most valuable assets, you may be glad to know that your trade mark is in fact something you can sell if you wish.
  As one of your business’s most valuable assets, you may be glad to know that your trade mark is in fact something you can sell if you wish. You do need to be clear however that if you choose to sell your trade mark you will no longer have the right to use it and must change all existing business references that still use the mark. The most popular way to sell a trade mark is through the sale of your business as a whole, so you can offer a complete package. Do be sure to include a correct [...]
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• ‘iWatch’ failure after swatch trade mark success
  Posted by Jane Coyle on September 14, 2016 / Posted in Trade Marks
  Following a battle for registration, Apple has lost out on the rights to use ‘iWatch’ as the brand name for their new interactive tech watches.
  Following a battle for registration, Apple has lost out on the rights to use ‘iWatch’ as the brand name for their new interactive tech watches. This case started with Apple applying to register the name as a UK trademark in preparation for the release of the product. This hit a stumbling block in March 2014 after Swatch, a leading watch manufacturer, filed an opposition stating that the proposed mark would be too similar to their registered trade marks ‘Swatch’ and [...]
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• ASOS loss after £20.2 million settlement reach for brand battle
  Posted by Jane Coyle on September 09, 2016 / Posted in Trade Marks
  Retailer giant ASOS has been hit with a £20.2 million pay-out after they were found to have infringed the trade marks of two European rivals.
  Retailer giant ASOS has been hit with a £20.2 million pay-out after they were found to have infringed the trade marks of two European rivals. The two retailers in question are cycle wear manufacturer, ASSOS of Switzerland and German menswear retailer Anson’s Herrenhaus. The main case was between ASOS and ASSOS and has had a long and winding history. The case first originated in the EU with ASSOS issuing a Community Trade Mark dispute with the newly named European Union [...]
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