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by the Māori Council to boycott New Zealand’s national airline altogether, Air New Zealand has announced that it has withdrawn its controversial application to trademark the logo of its in-flight...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...

The owner of a Florida beauty salon has attracted the unwelcome attention of Uber after releasing her own appointment-booking app, “BeauBer”. The name of Carolina Vengoechea’s app is a portmanteau of the two services she offers at her salon, namely “beautician” and...

Singapore has become the first country in the world to enable applicants to file for a trademark registration via an app on their smartphone. “IPOS Go” was built and released by IPOS – the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore. According to IPOS, the new app...

Welsh Brewer Boss Brewing applied last year to register two of its beers, “Boss Black” and “Boss Boss”, a process that usually costs in the region of £300. However, clothing giant Hugo Boss objected, insisting that the small Welsh firm “cease and desist” selling the...

Hard rock band Guns N’ Roses have agreed to settle a trademark infringement lawsuit brought against brewery Oskar Blues, which had been selling a beer called “Guns ‘N’ Rosé”. The federal lawsuit was filed in May 2019. The brewery had earlier sought to trademark the...

The Court of Appeals in the US has reaffirmed the right of The Gatorade Company to use the slogan “Gatorade The Sports Fuel Company” in the latest installment of a long-running dispute. SportFuel, a Chicago-based lifestyle and nutrition consultancy which owns a number...

American fast food giant McDonald’s has suffered a fresh blow to its “Mc” trademark, losing its exclusive claim to the use of the prefix on a number of its products and services. Irish company Supermac’s, which operates over one hundred food outlets in the Republic of...

Claridge’s Hotel of Mayfair has won its trademark case against Claridge Candles after successfully arguing that the independent candle manufacturer had been trading off the hotel's name and reputation. The hotel had argued that the candle and oil diffuser company had...

Red Bull’s latest appeal against the European Central Court’s decision to invalidate its “blue and silver” trademarks has ended in failure. The soft drinks giant registered two trademarks, the first in 2005 and the second in 2011, covering the use of the colors blue...