It has recently been reported in the national press that the anonymous artist, Banksy, is engaged in a trade mark dispute with a greetings card company, Full Colour Black.

As anyone who has sought trade mark protection in Canada will know, the process can be significantly more laborious and time consuming than in many other jurisdictions.

Dolce & Gabbana and "paper aprons". No, I'm not referring to the fashion house's autumn/winter 2018 collection.

The UK IPO will, in October 2013, introduce a lower cost, fast-track opposition procedure, whereby owners of existing trade mark registrations can defend their rights against later-filed UK applications by third parties to register conflicting marks.