Damages in the Patents County Court
With effect from 1 October 2011, the amount of damages that can be claimed in a trade mark infringement action before the Patents County Court has been capped at £500,000. Read the rest of this entry »
The UKIPO and Unrepresented Litigants
The United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) has issued a new Practice Note to explain the role of Hearing Officers in managing trade mark opposition and invalidation cases. Read the rest of this entry »
Online Retailers Face New Challenge
The sale of counterfeit or otherwise unauthorised goods through on-line retailers has been a problem for trade mark owners for some years. Now a recent decision by the European Court may force eBay and other on-line retailers to “act expeditiously” whenever they are made aware of an unlawful act of trade mark use. Read the rest of this entry »
Top Judge Recommends IP Court Reforms
A review of civil litigation costs by Lord Justice Jackson includes a recommendation to implement proposed reforms to the Patents County Court. The aim is to increase access to justice for SME’s in Patent and Trade Mark cases. Read the rest of this entry »
New UKIPO Tribunal Practice
Following the FIRECRAFT decision we reported last month, the UKIPO has indicated that in trade mark invalidation proceedings where earlier rights are claimed, it will not now allow the lower cost option of taking a decision from the case papers, but will require there to be a final hearing attended by the parties or their representatives.