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Intellectual property legal updates

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Olympic Trade Mark laws even tougher
Believe it or not, but the Olympic Games are just six months away.
Date: 2012-02-03

SOPA and PIPA: The long arm of US copyright law
Under proposed legislation from the US, content and copyright holders could restrict viewers' access to any website - whether hosted in the US or not - that they considered included infringing material.
Date: 2012-01-19

Copyright in construction projects
During the course of a construction project, contractors and consultants produce material that will be subject to copyright - documents, photographs, drawings, plans and models.
Date: 2012-01-19

Intern alert: Tax man looking to raid fashion designers
According to reports in the UK media, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is planning a crack down on the fashion industry ahead of Spring fashion week.
Date: 2011-12-12

Pub Landlady 1 v 0 BSkyB: Why TV football broadcasting is about to change
A six-year battle between a pub landlady and BSkyB could finally be over after the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled today on her use of a Greek decoder to screen Premier League football matches in her pub.
Date: 2011-10-04

Digital opportunities: Copyright laws to be updated for music and films
The Government has accepted proposals to modernise the UK's intellectual property laws in order to boost the economy and keep up to date with new technologies.
Date: 2011-08-10

British Copyright law is a force to be reckoned with
It is a story set to produce some appalling puns from the ranks of the legal profession and beyond.
Date: 2011-08-01

Shoosmiths is first top 30 law firm to join Institute of Customer Service
Shoosmiths has become the first top 30 law firm to join the Institute of Customer Service.
Date: 2011-06-29

Super-injunctions and online libel: Dangers for website users and hosts
The identities of a number of celebrities said to have taken out 'super-injunctions' to prevent the media reporting their private lives have been revealed on Twitter and shared with thousands of users.
Date: 2011-05-24

Playstation network data loss: how can you protect your customers?
Just a week after Sony announced that personal data belonging to 77 million Playstation users had been stolen by hackers, it has announced that a further 25 million gamers have been affected.
Date: 2011-05-05

Confidential Information: Managing the risks
All businesses possess confidential information - trade secrets, customer lists, staff records - which could mean loss of business, reputational damage, or give competitors an advantage if leaked, whether deliberately or accidentally.
Date: 2011-05-03

ECJ rules that Community Trade Mark injunctions are enforceable across EU
In a decision much anticipated by holders of Community Trade Marks (CTMs), the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has confirmed that injunctions and other measures imposed by national trade mark courts can take effect across the EU.
Date: 2011-04-28

Advertising keywords may still infringe
In a recent opinion, the Advocate General of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) shed light on whether the purchase of a competitor’s trade mark as an advertising keyword will constitute trade mark infringement.
Date: 2011-03-30

Protecting corporate reputations set to get more difficult
The Government's new draft Defamation Bill is set to make it harder for corporations and wealthy individuals to protect their reputations in court by suing for defamation unless 'substantial harm' has been done.
Date: 2011-03-23

Shoosmiths wins IP award for CAPIP.EU effort
Shoosmiths has won an award for its work to help stem the tide of counterfeit goods across Europe.
Date: 2011-01-14

Ryanair: The dangers of inaccurate advertising
Ryanair and its chief executive, have issued an unreserved apology to easyJet founder and shareholder, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, for depicting him as Pinocchio in an advertisement published in the Daily Telegraph, The Guardian and on Ryanair's website.
Date: 2010-07-16

Emergency Budget 2010: Summary
The Chancellor delivered the 2010 Emergency Budget on 22 June. Here are the main tax points of interest.
Date: 2010-06-23

Shoosmiths joins Euro-wide battle against fake goods
Shoosmiths has joined a pan-European coalition aimed at fighting counterfeit goods and piracy
Date: 2010-05-19

What do Lego bricks and Scottish terriers have in common?
The answer is that they were both the subject of two recent decisions which shed further light on the ability to register three-dimensional shapes as trade marks.
Date: 2010-04-23

Trade mark – what's in a name?
It would appear that Sir Alex Ferguson will be stepping back from the touchline at the end of next season, and of his many successors being mentioned in the media, Jose Mourinho's name continues to crop up.
Date: 2010-04-22

Is your website accessible by the disabled? The law says it should be
Website owners have had a legal duty to make their websites accessible to the disabled for more than a decade.
Date: 2010-04-21

Should registered trade mark applications for product names be made before the product is launched?
This is a question we are often asked by our automotive and retail clients. BMW has recently made registered trade mark applications for a number of new, unlaunched product names.
Date: 2010-03-29

Rigorous review leads to changes in advertising code
The rules governing non-broadcast and broadcast advertising will change significantly on 1 September, 2010.
Date: 2010-03-23

Is Google off AdWords hook? Maybe
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has today given its decision on the question of whether or not Google AdWords are a trade mark infringement.
Date: 2010-03-23

New micro domains - a risk to your brand?
Nominet, the body which operates all ".uk" domain names is planning to change its rules on what can be registered as a domain name.
Date: 2010-03-16

Written consent a must before using people's images in adverts
A recent Advertising Standards Authority adjudication has confirmed that express written consent should always be obtained from individuals before using their image in advertising and promotional material.
Date: 2009-10-05

Google AdWords don't infringe Trade Mark law
Google has been offering advertisers the right to buy keywords corresponding to well known trade marks. These AdWords allow businesses to ensure their web page appears whenever a relevant keyword is used by someone using Google's search engine.
Date: 2009-09-23

Court confirms consultant's breach of confidence
The Chancery Division of the High Court has ruled in favour of the Vestergaard Group of Companies after defendants - including two ex-employees and a consultant - went to work for a competing company to develop rival products.
Date: 2009-08-13

eBay announces new minimum standards for sellers
From 1 October 2009 all eBay sellers will need to ensure that their number of transactions with detailed seller ratings (DSR) of 1 and 2 for 'item description' is below 3%.
Date: 2009-08-13

Avoid falling out with your software developer
Businesses that fail to agree intellectual property rights (IPRs) with software developers can expect a messy falling out later in the relationship.
Date: 2009-05-19

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Gary Assim

Partner
T: 03700 86 8411
I: +44 (0)1908 48 8411
E: gary.assim@shoosmiths.co.uk