Intellectual Property Law

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

William Fry partner Colette Brady and trainee solicitor Darragh Larkin consider the latest EU case law on user-generated content. The Grand Chamber of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has issued its judgment on the liability of internet platforms in the joined cases of YouTube and C

Sumi Nadarajah of FRKelly introduces Ireland's first registered "motion mark". Companies and brand owners are increasingly looking for innovative and creative ways to promote and market their brands in the digital age. This has led to the creation of new forms of trade marks such as motion marks, ho

FRKelly partner Shane Smyth has been elected as president of the Association of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys (APTMA) in Ireland for a three-year term. APTMA Ireland represents the interests of all trade mark, patent and design professionals in Ireland and strives to bring recognition to the work

Intellectual property law firm Secerna LLP has hired former Accenture in-house counsel Dermot Roche to lead a new European office in Dublin. UK-based Secerna, which marks its tenth year in business this month, is expanding into Dublin to support its continued growth across Europe, the USA and the Fa