Intellectual Property Law

Mary Bleahene and Lukas Bubendorfer of FRKelly examine a recent EU decision on a trade mark for the Irish word "Siúcra". Can the Irish word for ‘sugar’ be an EU Trade Mark? The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) says ‘yes’, in a decision handed down on

International law firm Bird & Bird has appointed IP litigation specialist Michael Finn as a partner in the firm’s intellectual property practice in Ireland. Mr Finn will join the firm on 3 January 2023 from Pinsent Masons, where he was a partner in the IP and commercial litigation team.

Dublin-based intellectual property law firm FRKelly has paid tribute to its late partner Niamh Hall, who passed away last month. Ms Hall was an accomplished trade mark attorney and solicitor. She previously served as president of the Irish Association of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys (APTMA) and c

Gerard Kelly, partner at Mason Hayes & Curran, flags up a significant EU court ruling on trade mark claims and counterclaims. The EU’s highest court, the CJEU, has recently ruled that a national court acting as an EU trade mark court hearing an action for infringement has jurisdiction to r

Gerard Kelly, partner at Mason Hayes & Curran, examines a recent EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) decision on Dior's saddle-shaped handbag. The Second Board of Appeal of the EUIPO has held recently that the iconic Christian Dior saddle-shaped handbag is not sufficiently distinctive to be

World-famous sprinter Usain Bolt has applied to register his "distinctive" victory celebration pose as a trade mark in the United States. His application to the US Patent and Trademark Office is for a logo showing the silhouette of a man "with one arm bent and pointing to the head, and the other arm

An English intellectual property judge has rejected a contention that the manufacturers of a wooden rowing machine had no chance of arguing it to be a “work of artistic craftsmanship” within the meaning of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. WaterRower UK Ltd had originally rais

Kirsten Magee, partner at Belfast-based Mills Selig, examines the unofficial Bridgerton musical from an intellectual property perspective. I do enjoy when one of my passions (in this case musical theatre) throws up an interesting legal point. I therefore read with interest the particulars of a claim

Elena Vassileva and Jemima Militti of Ronan Daly Jermyn discuss copyright and patent protection in relation to AI outputs and explore whether current IP rules are well suited to the world of AI. We live in a world where technology enjoys exponential growth and limitless developments. Such technologi

A team of experts has patented watermarking technology for use with 3D printing. Academics led by Dr James Griffin from the University of Exeter Law School are now working to link this watermarking technology to the blockchain to allow the licensing of 3D printed objects.

The European Commission has proposed the first-ever framework to protect the intellectual property for craft and industrial products that rely on the originality and authenticity of traditional practices from their regions.  This framework will cover products such as Donegal tweed, Murano

Brexit has prompted a record number of trademark applications in the UK, according to new data. There were 195,000 trademarks registered in the UK in the past year, an increase of 54 per cent on the previous year's figure of 127,000.

Intellectual property lawyer Brian McElligott has joined AI solutions company Altada Technology Solutions as chief intellectual property counsel. Previously a partner at business law firm Mason Hayes & Curran, Mr McElligott will lead Altada's regulatory compliance and due diligence of Altada's I

William Fry partners Colette Brady and Laura Scott examine when the Unified Patent Court (UPC) could become a reality. The creation of a single European patent with unitary effect across participating EU member states (Unified Patent/UP) and a new court system to enforce and defend such patents (Uni

Global intellectual property company Murgitroyd has grown its Irish base with the acquisition of European patent and trade mark attorney firm Hanna Moore + Curley (HMC). Dublin-headquartered HMC, which specialises in obtaining intellectual property protection for a wide range of sectors including li