The long-running trademark dispute over the name of market-leading room booking site Booking.com has finally made its way to the US Supreme Court, after the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) successfully petitioned the Court to hear arguments over whether it...

In a sure sign that the controversial issue of AI-created patents seems set to run and run, the US Patent and Trademark Office has amended an entry in the Federal Registry, giving notice that, having decided in August 2019 to gather “information about the impact of...

Manchester-based Bentley Clothing has won its action against Bentley Motors, whom the former accused of trademark infringement after the luxury car manufacturer developed a range of clothing bearing the “BENTLEY” name. The ruling comes after a long dispute between the...

An online insurance company founded in 2015 and based in New York has been told by T-Mobile’s parent company Deutsche Telekom that it must desist from using the color magenta in any of its advertising and marketing activities in the German market. Deutsche Telekom’s...

Hip Hop icon and born-again Christian Kanye West has failed in his attempt to trademark the words “SUNDAY SERVICE” for a range of merchandise. The controversial musician has been touring the US with a series of Christian-themed “Sunday Service” shows, sharing the...

The European General Court has upheld a European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) decision to cancel a trademark held by the Rubik’s Cube. The famous puzzle was invented in 1974 by Hungarian inventor Ernő Rubik and has sold around 400 million units...

Advocate General Evgeni Tanchev of the European Court of Justice has released his opinion on the ongoing Sky v Skykick case. Sky, the well-known telecommunications company, brought proceedings for trademark infringement and passing off against Skykick, a business...

The number of trademarks registered in the UK for liqueurs and spirits rose by 12% in 2018 according to recently released figures. London law firm RPC put the dramatic rise, from 2,210 filings in 2017 to 2,482 filings in 2018, down to the continuing boom in...

Games developer Prizm Labs has been sued by Sony Interactive Entertainment over the latter’s “PlayTable”, a tablet-like games console that its designers claim will allow players to interact with various boardgames displayed on the screen using physical items such as...

Fashion giant Gucci has suffered a serious blow in its near-decade-long battle against an Italian shoe manufacturer. Gucci shoes have long been known for incorporating a distinctive “horsebit”-style metal chain across their uppers. So distinctive is this feature, that...

In a move that could point to possible future directions for the technology giant, Amazon has announced its “Amazon Intellectual Property Accelerator” service, “a new program that helps brands more quickly obtain intellectual property (IP) rights and brand protection...

The UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) been accused of being out-of-step after it denied an application to trademark the name “Queers & Co” on the grounds that its use of the word “queer” was “contrary to accepted moral values within the UK” and “offensive”....

Beyonce’s ongoing efforts to trademark the name of her daughter Blue Ivy have met with raised eyebrows after the singer claimed, in response to an objection by a small business, that her 7-year-old is a “cultural icon”. Wendy Morales, who established the “Blue Ivy”...

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has rejected Liverpool Football Club’s controversial application to trademark the word “Liverpool” for the purposes of “football products and services”. Liverpool FC had insisted that it needed the trademark in order to prevent...

In the face of mounting anger from indigenous Māori groups and a threat by the Māori Council to boycott New Zealand’s national airline altogether, Air New Zealand has announced that it has withdrawn its controversial application to trademark the logo of its in-flight...

In August, the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) introduced a controversial new requirement, whereby trademark applications made by foreign applicants resident in the United States would only be able to apply to register once they first proved their status as...

Japanese videogame giant Nintendo has launched proceedings against website RomUniverse, an online source of unauthorized videogame ROMs, including for many popular Nintendo games. ROM files are essentially illegal copies of games, which can be played on modified game...

Ohio State University baffled many when it recently attempted to trademark the word “The”, insisting that the full name of the institution, founded in 1870, is “The Ohio State University” and, as such, it was entitled to trademark the word “The” in order to license...

Pop superstar Ariana Grande has commenced proceedings against American fashion retailer Forever 21, alleging trademark infringement as well as a violation of her privacy, and copyright infringement. Grande’s lawsuit alleges that when she declined to feature in a...

Former US President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama have been accused of “deplorable behavior” after they applied to cancel the trademark of an e-book publisher. In April, the Obamas had their application to trademark their own company name, Higher Ground...