United Kingdom: Intellectual Property

Artificial intelligence is transforming the fight against piracy in ways that copyright law was never designed to address. When AI systems can extract decades of tactical intelligence from sports broadcasts without reproducing a single frame, how do rights holders prove infringement when no copy has been made?

In highly competitive industries, the line between extolling the virtues of one's own product and comparing it with others can be very fine. This article explores the legal framework governing comparative advertising in the UK, examining when businesses can legitimately reference competitors in their marketing and the significant risks involved when crossing legal boundaries.

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.

The Madrid Protocol has long offered UK-based trademark holders automatic protection in Jersey through UK designations, but this convenient arrangement is about to end. Starting August 1, 2026, Jersey will become an independent designatable territory under the Madrid system, fundamentally changing how international trademark registrations must be structured and maintained for Channel Islands coverage.

A trade mark licensee is a person or business granted formal permission by a trade mark proprietor (the licensor) to use their registered trade mark.

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.

Rebecca Field and Lee Curtis discuss when EU Registered and Unregistered Designs and UK Supplemental Unregistered Design Rights are considered to be new and to have individual character.

The UK IPO’s updated guidance should reduce Section 1(2) objections, but applicants may still face difficult questions about which claim features make a technical contribution...

The UK government has announced £500 million in funding through the ENABLE Guarantee programme to help innovative businesses use their intellectual property as collateral for loans. This reform addresses a longstanding challenge where IP-rich companies in sectors like life sciences and creative industries struggle to access traditional lending that favours tangible assets over patents and proprietary technology.

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.