United Kingdom: Intellectual Property

Video games contain various visual elements, interfaces, virtual environments, and digital objects which may have unique or creative designs that the creator would want to protect from copying.

Explore the legal implications of AI deployment by public authorities, including the Metropolitan Police's facial recognition technology case, and examine critical intellectual property challenges facing AI developers and users in this comprehensive podcast discussion.

The General Court of the European Union upheld Decathlon's registered EU design for its EASYBREATH full-face snorkelling mask against a technical function challenge, while the UK High Court found Chiaro's Elvie breast pump design had narrow infringement scope after excluding technical features. These contrasting outcomes reveal how the exclusion for designs dictated solely by technical function can dramatically affect protection scope, even for products designed to fit the human body.

The European Union has introduced groundbreaking changes to its design registration system, expanding beyond traditional static images to include animated and dynamic representations. These innovations offer fashion designers unprecedented flexibility in protecting clothing designs with intricate details, complex structures, and transformable features that were previously difficult to capture through conventional methods.

Before expanding, taking investment, franchising or licensing a business, it is essential to confirm that the brand is clear to use, properly owned and capable of protection in priority markets.

The COVID-19 pandemic thrust mRNA technology into the global spotlight, transforming decades of foundational research into commercially valuable vaccines almost overnight. This rapid commercialization, combined with enormous revenues and a complex web of overlapping patents, has triggered an unprecedented wave of intellectual property disputes that is reshaping how value is allocated across the biotechnology industry and determining who controls access to next-generation RNA-based medicines.

The UPC Court of Appeal has provided detailed guidance on long-arm jurisdiction and referred critical questions to the CJEU regarding anchor defendants. This analysis examines recent cases including Genevant...

Senior Battery Scientist Ceren Zor shares her expert perspective on the rapidly evolving battery sector, examining current growth areas from high-nickel cathodes to emerging iron-air technologies. The discussion explores the critical interplay between hardware innovation and software advancement in manufacturing and deployment, while highlighting the UK's distinctive research ecosystem and the global landscape of battery development.

The General Court of the European Union upheld Decathlon's registered EU design for its EASYBREATH full-face snorkelling mask against a technical function challenge, while the UK High Court found Chiaro's Elvie breast pump design had narrow infringement scope after excluding technical features. These contrasting outcomes reveal how the exclusion for designs dictated solely by technical function can dramatically affect protection scope, even for products designed to fit the human body.

Artificial intelligence offers tremendous potential for innovation and efficiency in intellectual property work, but using AI tools carelessly can inadvertently destroy patent rights, breach confidentiality, and compromise legal privilege.

When key employees with access to proprietary technology and trade secrets depart for competitors, employers face significant risks of confidential information misappropriation. The recent case of Vertical Aerospace Group Ltd v Ngoma demonstrates how imaging orders can preserve critical evidence from devices and cloud accounts, while also revealing the careful balance courts strike between protecting legitimate business interests and respecting employee rights during the disclosure process.

Fashion businesses often overlook their most valuable intellectual property assets - the confidential processes, manufacturing techniques, and proprietary knowledge that competitors cannot easily replicate.