Albright IP Limited

Protecting your innovation

+44 (0)1242 691 801

Speak to a UK and European Patent and Trade Mark Attorney

Carry On…Using Your Trade Mark!

by

Branding Trade Mark

 

The “use it or lose it” principle with regards to trade mark registrations applies in numerous jurisdictions around the world. However, as highlighted in a recent decision of the UKIPO involving three Trade Marks relating to the British “Carry On” film series, it may not be as straightforward as one might think. For instance, how easy is it to prove valid use of a Trade Mark where that Mark is used under a licence, and in conjunction with another Mark?

 

This most recent “Carry On” caper begins in April 2018, whereby Brian Baker applied for revocation of three UK Trade Marks for “Carry On”, on the basis of non-use. ITV Studios Limited, proprietor of the “Carry On” Marks, was tasked with proving use of their Marks. The “Carry On” Marks were the subject of numerous internal and external licence agreements. After evaluating the evidence of use submitted by the proprietor, the Hearing Officer found in favour of Mr Baker. Two of the three Marks in question were invalidated in-part, with the remaining Mark being invalidated entirely.

 

On the face of it, you could be forgiven for thinking that proving actual use of a Trade Mark associated with such a widely known and popular film series would be easy to demonstrate. However, throughout the decision, reference is made to the inadequacy and insufficiency of the evidence put forward by the proprietor, with questions being raised as to the function of the “Carry On” Marks. For example, were they merely titular in nature? Or did they indeed indicate the origin of the goods and services in question? Further to this, the Hearing Officer was not satisfied with the proprietor’s evidence in displaying that their Mark indicated a single trade source. That is, on the end products, the Marks were used alongside a second mark, namely another Mark belonging to the proprietor, the ‘ITV Studios Logo’. This is despite the advertisements mentioning the licence arrangements (albeit in small print). The proprietor’s use of their Marks alongside other marks would not, in itself, have precluded the “Carry On” Marks from demonstrating valid use; however, by using their Mark alongside another Mark, the burden of proof in displaying valid use was increased. In this case, DVD sales of £6 million spanning 11 years, was not enough to show valid use of the “Carry On” Mark, whilst it was being used alongside the ITV Studios logo.

 

The difficulties encountered in this case appear to be more related to the proprietor’s poor accumulation and organisation of their evidence, rather than to the issue of multiple Marks appearing on the final product. It goes without saying that each case is decided on its own facts, but this decision does offer food for thought on the levels of use required, when a Mark is used alongside a second, or possibly multiple, Marks. This should serve as a wake-up call for rights holders, in-particular to those that own, and use, multiple Marks that are licensed to third parties or licensed within their own organisation. What can be taken away in this regard is that particular attention should be paid to the look of the packaging, for example: where on the packaging the Mark is located, and the size of the Mark in relation to any other Marks featured.

 

The decision of the Hearing Officer is now open to appeal, whether the proprietor will be able to sway the UKIPO during a second round of arguments remains to be seen. Regardless, the importance of documenting thorough, and concise, evidence of valid use throughout the lifecycle of the Trade Mark should not be underestimated.

 

Should you be interested in seeking advice on the use of your Trade Mark, please contact us, and our highly experienced team of Trade Mark Attorneys here at Albright IP, will be pleased to advise you further.

 

Eviction Day for China’s Trade Mark Squatting

by

China’s Trade Mark Squatters

 

Adjust your Yuletide calendars to 1st November because Christmas is coming early this year.

 

On the 23rd April 2019, China’s legislators passed significant amendments to their Trade Mark legislation to combat the scourge of bad-faith Applications, more commonly known as ‘Trade Mark squatting’.

 

Many brand owners will be familiar with the term, ‘Trade Mark Squatting’ and understand it to be the act of pre-emptively registering a Trade Mark in an available territory, before the ‘rightful’ owner secures registration. In the most extreme circumstances, Trade Mark squatting can undermine a brand to the extent that territorial expansion is impossible, and the only option is to migrate to an alternative brand, with all the costs and loss of reputation that would be associated with that.

 

Most infamously associated with this problem is, China. Unfortunately, it is common for brand owners entering the Chinese market to find their Trade Marks have already been filed or registered by an unrelated third party. Sometimes the illegitimate filing will be lodged within hours of the genuine owner publicising their impending launch, or at the stage when commercial discussions are being held with local distributors. As the official fees are low, squatters are not deterred from filing hundreds of Trade Mark applications, in the hope of receiving a ransom from at least some of the aggrieved brand owners.

 

Moreover, nor are they deterred by the deep pockets or celebrity of their victims. For example, the following are brand names that have been filed/registered by parties unrelated to the genuine owners: Bentley, Bosch, Hugo Boss, Macy’s, Michael Jordan and Viagra. To name but a few!

 

Whilst there are options available for brand owners to wrestle their Marks free from squatters, they are often onerous and costly. So much so, that it is sometimes easier to give in to the squatter’s demands, or rebrand entirely.

 

HOWEVER, all is not lost. As a welcome first step in combatting this unfair practice, and to restore confidence in their system, China intends to implement new legislation that will bring about the rejection of any new Trade Mark applications filed without a bona fide intention to use. Essentially, new applications can be refused during examination, if the Applicant does not demonstrate sufficient proof that they intend to exploit their Mark in commerce. The expected result is a decrease in the amount of Trade Marks being ‘stolen’ in China.

 

How this will work in practice remains to be seen. At present, it is unclear what body of evidence will be required to prove an intention to use, and whether this will be adequately evaluated. However, combined with other proposed amendments to the Chinese practice, victims of Trade Mark squatters will have further opportunities to oppose or invalidate these bad-faith Registrations. For example, if a malicious Trade Mark application is not stopped during the examination phase, there is still hope it can be terminated during Opposition or post-Registration. Moreover, coupled with new penalties against bad-faith registrations, and very hefty fines for those found to have relied upon a bad-faith registration in litigation; the system underlying Trade Mark registration in China could soon be a much friendlier environment for foreign Applicants.

 

What this Means for Your Brand

 

Whether these new legislative changes are effective or not, companies interested in expanding their brand portfolio to China should always endeavour to obtain a Trade Mark registration as soon as possible. It will remain a ‘first come, first served’ country, i.e., securing the earliest possible filing date will continue to matter.

 

Whilst we remain cautiously optimistic that the new practice will provide recourse against Trade Mark squatters, it has been reported that Chinese Trade Mark examiners have on average only 10 minutes of inspection time per Application, and in 2018 over 7 million Applications were filed in China. With such a small window to reject bad-faith Applications, registering your brand in China as soon as possible is, and will likely always be, the best practice for protecting your brand. Get there first, and deny others the opportunity of beating you to it!

 

Cadbury’s Purple Trade Marks

by

Cadbury Trade Marks

Cadbury has faced yet another blow in their long-term battle in winning Trade Mark rights to their signature purple colour, used on its chocolate bars since the 1900s.

 

Last week (12 April 2019), the UK Intellectual Property Office delivered a mixed judgement following the Oppositions brought by Nestlé against three of Cadbury’s Trade Marks. The three Trade Marks in question were all for the colour purple, in shade Pantone 2685C, and the Marks all designated goods such as chocolate and drinking chocolate in Class 30.

 

The Marks in issue were the following:

  • UKTM No. 3019361 – Rejected
  • UKTM No. 3025822 – Rejected
  • UKTM No. 3019362 – Accepted

 

Pantone 2685C, as filed in the three Applications.

 

 1.) UKTM No. 3019361

 

This Application was accompanied with the following description:

 

“the colour purple (Pantone 2685C), as shown on the form of the application, applied to the packaging of the goods”

 

In its judgement, the IPO agreed with Nestlé’s arguments that the above description created substantial ambiguity, stating that it was potentially wide enough to cover the colour purple applied to packaging, ‘where other colours could also be present’, and that such colours had not been described or at all displayed in the Application. For this reason, the Mark was rejected.

 

2.) UKTM No. 3025822

 

This Application had the following description:

 

the colour purple (Pantone 2685C), shown on the form of application

 

The IPO considered this representation of this Mark to be arguably even more imprecise, as Cadbury did not explain how the colour sign was to be used at all. Whether the Mark was to be used on packaging, advertisement materials, or the products themselves, was undefined and indeterminate. The ambiguity was also said to have the ‘potential for the mark to cover at least two different signs’, i.e. purple chocolate, as well as purple packaging for the chocolate products. This Mark was therefore also rejected.

 

3.) UKTM No. 3019362

 

This Application was filed with the following description:

 

The colour purple (Pantone 2685C), as shown on the form of the application, applied to the whole visible surface of the packaging of the goods

 

This description was thought to be comparatively more precise, and sufficient in defining the scope of Application. Nestlé had argued that the purple colour would appear darker, depending on the medium of display, and also, that the description was ambiguous because the Mark would look different, depending on the shape of the packaging of the goods. This was rejected by the IPO. Instead, the IPO confirmed that the use of an internationally recognised colour code, which is both precise and durable, is wholly sufficient in satisfying the Trade Mark criteria of being ‘clear and precise’, by identifying a specific colour. The description filed was also held to be equally ‘clear and precise’.

 

Summary

 

The UKIPO decision adds to the recent defeat of Cadbury in the Court of Appeals in December last year, where the court dismissed Cadbury’s efforts to alter its purple Trade Mark.

 

In that case, Cadbury was seeking to amend the Registration of one of its earliest Trade Marks for their signature colour by shortening/narrowing its description. The amendment was pursued as a response to the outcome of another Opposition action, again, brought against them by their competitor, Nestlé. In that particular Opposition, the court rejected one of the purple Trade Marks owned by Cadbury, on grounds that the description filed was insufficiently precise.

 

Combined, the decision of December and the more recent decision last week has further opened opportunities for rivals to start using the signature colour for their own chocolates, or for knock-off brands to pass off their products as Cadbury’s. Either way, the colour protection wars have now clearly become a reality in the context of Trade Marks, not least applicable in the chocolate manufacturing industry. The fashion industry, for example, has recently seen a battle between Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Louboutin over Louboutin’s Trade Mark red sole, and we have also seen a battle across sectors, for the colour orange, between mobile network operator Orange, and airline company easyJet.

 

Although Cadbury still has existing valid Trade Marks in its signature colour, the message to take away from the recent decisions is clear – insofar as colour Marks are concerned, Applicant’s should always seek to file narrow descriptions, with a precise and defined scope, and irrespective of whether an Application relates to a single colour, or a colour combination.  Broadly speaking, where colour Marks are concerned, it seems wise to steer clear of any language which might leave room for flexibility, interpretation and/or ambiguity, and instead, opt for detailed language, which serves to systematically describe the exact distribution of colour/s, in relation to the medium where it is intended to be used.

Victory for ‘Peppa Pig’ – Peppa’s win on Trade Mark Invalidity Claim

by

 

The owners of a hugely popular British animated series, ‘Peppa Pig’, have successfully won their bid to invalidate a Mark, arguably evocative of their well-known ‘Peppa Pig’ character.

 

Peppa Pig first graced our TV screens back in May 2004, and has since become one of the most well-known, and most popular British children’s TV programmes of all time. The rise of ‘Peppa Pig’ has, quite naturally, created a multitude of extremely lucrative commercial opportunities for the owners, Entertainment One and Astley Baker, who are now appearing to be more actively enforcing and policing their Peppa Pig-related IP rights than ever before.

 

One of the most recent cases involving ‘Peppa Pig’ has been the invalidation claim brought against an EU Mark filed for by Xianhao Pan. The invalidity claim perhaps comes as no surprise when one views the Marks in issue side-by-side, as displayed below:

 

Xianhao Pan’s ‘TOBBIA’ Mark The ‘Peppa Pig’ Mark

 

Background

 

In 2013, Xianhao Pan was granted an EUTM for the ‘TOBBIA’ Mark in Class 25, for clothing, footwear and headgear. The Mark is in the colours, pink, red, yellow and blue, and is said to depict a ‘tapir head on a human body’, with the words ‘TOBBIA’ in bold and black text underneath.

 

This was argued to be confusingly similar to the Peppa Pig creators’ earlier black and white mark, registered for the same goods. The earlier Trade Mark depicted the famous cartoon character, Peppa, with the words ‘PEPPA PIG’ underneath, in black and bold text.

 

When the case was first heard by the EUIPO Cancellation Division, rather controversially, they ruled that the two Marks were not confusingly similar, upholding the validity of the ‘TOBBIA’ Mark. On appeal in 2017, a U-Turn decision was made, and the ‘TOBBIA’ Mark was invalidated on the finding that the Marks were visually, phonetically and conceptually similar.

 

The General Court’s Decision

 

Following a round of appeals before the Board of Appeals of the EUIPO, the General Court concluded earlier today, 21 March 2019, the invalidity of the ‘TOBBIA’ Mark. Despite noting the differences in terms of the colours of the Marks in issue, it ruled that these differences, considered overall, did not outweigh the similarities.

 

In the appeal to the General Court, the owner of the ‘TOBBIA’ Mark argued that the Board of Appeals had failed to state the reasons for going against the first decision by the Cancellation division, but the General Court was quick to confirm that it was sufficient for the Board of Appeals to only state the reasons on which its own decision is based, and that an obligation did not extend towards identifying the incorrect aspects of the Cancellation Division’s decision.

 

Undoubtedly in agreement with the preceding Board of Appeals’ decisions, it was confirmed that ‘the average consumer normally perceives a mark as a whole’, without engaging in lengthy analysis as to the various details, and therefore, it was right to find that the Marks were visually similar overall.

 

Most interestingly, the General Court also remarked approval of the Board of Appeals’ previous assessment, which found a certain correlation between the word ‘tobbia’ and ‘peppa’, in the sense that both words contain the reiteration of a strong consonant, namely, the ‘B’ in ‘tobbia’ and the ‘P’ in ‘peppa’.  Although not verbally similar therefore, it seems that there was a consensus that the structural correlation and extremely similar graphical elements in the Marks rendered an impression of similarity in the minds of the consumer, who might consequentially come to view the Marks, and also the respective goods, as being related in some way.

 

Despite assertions from the owner of the Mark that the ‘TOBBIA’ Mark depicted a tapir, rather than a pig, the court considered it unlikely that the public would at all associate the Mark with a tapir, consequently finding there to be conceptual identity in the Marks, in the sense that they both represented a pig.

 

Consequently, when considering the overall similarities from a visual, phonetic and conceptual perspective, the invalidity decision was upheld.

 

Conclusion

 

Whilst today’s decision may seem an overly generous stretch in favour of the creators of Peppa Pig, at least, when it comes to the court’s apparent approval of the ‘correlation’ between the ‘strong consonant’ elements of the Marks, the decision of the court does not appear all that surprising. A side-to-side comparison certainly highlights the ‘TOBBIA’ Mark’s eerie resemblance, highly reminiscent of the famous pig character. Given ‘Peppa Pig’s reputation, there is certainly a likelihood that consumers might come to perceive the Marks, and the respective goods, as being somehow associated and/or connected to the Peppa Pig franchise. Like it or not, what would have undoubtedly been interesting in the court’s decision would have been a more thorough discussion, or at least, a reference to the previous grounds raised by the owner of the ‘Peppa Pig’ Mark, specifically, the conflicts with the earlier copyright.

 

Mitigating the Effects of Prior Unpublished Patent Applications

by

 

Prior art searching is one of the most difficult things to get right in the IP sector, since any search is open-ended. How do you know whether there is a knockout document which discloses something identical to your invention that has just not been found, or whether it just does not exist?

 

This issue is compounded for patents by the publication cycle. Almost all patent applications are secret for the first eighteen months of their lives, and therefore have the potential to act against later-filed applications.

 

The prospective patentee is therefore presented with an unpleasant uncertainty – even the most thorough search cannot guarantee validity if unknown non-public prior art is available. Given that preparing and filing a patent application can involve a significant outlay of initial resources for start-ups, this can be very off-putting.

 

The British Process

 

It is worth, at this stage, outlining just what happens to a British patent application once filed.

 

From the date on which the application is filed, the claimed invention is ‘patent pending’. However, only a few morsels of information are visible on the UK Intellectual Property Office Register.

 

Provided the interim steps are taken, in particular, submitting formalised drawings suitable for publication, then the application will publish in full eighteen months from the date of filing or priority, which allows third parties to inspect the content of the application.

 

Critically, though, the first person (or their successor) to apply for a patent to an invention is the only person to whom the patent can be granted. This is known as the ‘first-to-file’ system, rather than ‘first-to-invent’.

 

Double Patenting

 

This secrecy creates an inherent problem. A patent is a monopoly right, but since the applications are secret when filed, it is feasible that lots of people could independently arrive upon the same idea, and want to patent it before any of the pending applications become public.

 

To offset this issue, prior-filed or prior-priority but unpublished patent applications are deemed relevant to the patentability of later-filed applications, for the purposes of novelty (i.e. uniqueness) only, provided that the application was filed in the same jurisdiction. Such a document cannot be cited against the inventiveness of a later application.

 

This provision in the law is specifically designed to prevent ‘double patenting’, that is, two patents being granted to the same invention.

 

This provides some comfort to prospective patentees. An unpublished document can only be used to attack the validity of any later-filed patent application in very specific circumstances. It would be unjust for the unpublished document to be deemed relevant to inventiveness (i.e. obviousness), when the skilled person could not rely on that information at the time of applying for their own patent.

 

Hunting for information

 

Whilst full patent applications are not available until the date of publication, there is some information available regarding patent applications which have been filed.

 

Every Wednesday, the UK Patents Journal is published, which has a list of patent applications which have been filed recently. The visible information includes the date of filing, the name of the applicant, the title of the invention, and the application number.

 

Whilst this is a very minimal amount of information, it does allow some level of monitoring to be undertaken to see whether competitors are filing patent applications themselves, and to what type of technology. It also allows you to keep track of the status of the application over time where applicable.

 

Strategies for minimising surprises

 

If you are considering filing a patent application, you may want to take the following steps to avoid unpleasant surprises downstream:

  1. Ensure that full patent searches are conducted prior to filing a patent application so that relevant prior art documents can be uncovered in advance. See our earlier articles on how best to go about conducting free patent searches.
  2. Keep an eye out for competitors’ product launches, and monitor the patent journal for applications which have been filed shortly in advance of the product launch. This may give you an idea of the sort of things that they are looking to protect, and you then may be able to foresee potential difficulties.
  3. File early! As soon as you are ready, and have the necessary technical information to warrant filing a patent application, you should do so. Delaying increases the risk of third parties filing their own applications before you.
  4. Ensure that you have thought through optional embodiments of your invention, or other clever features which may be important. The more technical information that is provided about these features from the outset, the greater the likelihood that you will have options for overcoming surprises during the examination procedure of the application.

 

As patent attorneys, we try and provide you with a flexible application which can withstand the rigours of examination, so that if close prior art documents are found, you have options for still getting some form of patent granted, so that initial risk does not become a lingering concern as you grow your business.

 

Trade Marks in a Post-Brexit World: The Implications of ‘No Deal’

by

 

As the countdown towards Brexit draws nearer, we appear to be edging closer than ever to a “no deal” situation, particularly given the recent turn of political events. From an IP perspective, this will no doubt represent a period of substantial uncertainty, and it is rather difficult to predict how well businesses will be able to navigate around these unchartered territories.

Those in the IP fields can, however, be somewhat reassured that the government, amongst all the crisis, have taken steps to put IP issues on their agenda when preparing for the eventuality of a post-Brexit world. In their notice, published 24th September 2018, the government offered some guidance on the approach to be taken in a “no deal” scenario, specifically with Trade Marks (and Designs) in mind. The technical notice is aimed at preparing the road in such a way as to minimise disruption, ensuring a ‘smooth and orderly exit’.

Since then, a draft instrument has been written up to address, at least in part, the implementation of Trade Marks following the UK’s departure from the EU – see The Trade Marks Exit Regulations 2018 (the “TM Exit Regulations”).

 

The TM Exit Regulations

If a deal is done with the EU, the TM Exit Regulations will come into force on “exit day”, which, for all Trade Mark intents and purposes, will be at the end of the transition period (currently 31 December 2020).

If there is no deal on exit day (currently 29 March 23.00 GMT), the effect of the Regulations is still likely to be applicable – so the only real conceivable practical difference between a deal and no deal departure, will be in timing.

The draft TM Exit Regulations includes a new Schedule 2A, which will be inserted into the UK Trade Marks Act 1994.

In short, the TM Exit Regulations provides for a cloning-based Trade Mark regime. Existing EUTMs will be cloned into UKTMs, provided that they have been registered prior to exit day (29 March 2019). These UKTMs will be given a new title, “comparable Trade Mark (EU)” (hereinafter “clones”).  Clones will share the filing (including priority and seniority) and registration dates of their parent EUTM, and there is to be no fee or opt-in procedure for this process to happen.

Clones should, according to the Regulation, appear automatically on the UK Trade Marks Register ‘as soon as reasonably practicable after exit day’. The government’s notice has confirmed that a notification will be made to EUTM owners that a UK clone has been created. Given the multiplicity of EUTMs currently existing on the UKIPO database, and the likely administrative challenge of implementing this wholly novel clone-based database, it is foreseeable that there may be a significant lapse of time before clones start showing up on the IPO Register, and before owners are actually notified of their new clones.

 

Opting-Out

EUTM owners may choose to opt-out of cloning at any time on or after exit day by serving notice on the UKIPO. However, opting out is not possible in the following circumstances:

  • If the clone has been used in the UK;
  • If the clone has been licensed or involved in certain transactions;
  • If proceedings relying upon the clone have commenced.

With this in mind, it is questionable whether European Trade Mark owners with business in the UK can choose to opt-out at all, given that, in most cases, EUTMs will be used extensively in the UK during the course of business on the day before exit day, and will likely continue post-Brexit, upon which a clone will have automatically been made. Therefore, unless a business completely ceases to operate its business activities following exit day, it is difficult to envisage how a situation might arise, whereby an owner would not be “using” a clone in the UK, allowing them to utilise the “opt-out” provision.

 

Renewals

Renewals will still follow existing UKTM renewal procedures following Brexit, but with important added protection anticipating the potential problem of owners forgetting about their clones. The Regulation provides that any owner with a clone renewable in the first 6 months post-Brexit will receive written notification from the UKIPO, notifying them of the upcoming expiration. From the date of receipt of this notice, Trade Mark owners will have 6 months to renew their clones.

Crucially, renewal fees will have to be paid to both the EUIPO and UKIPO for all Marks with a renewal deadline post 29 March 2019.

 

Proof of Use

There are some important technicalities to bear in mind when it comes to proving use of a Trade Mark post-Brexit. When proving the use of a clone within a proof of use period occurring wholly before exit day, the use of a parent EUTM in the EU, which will include use in the UK, will count towards establishing proof of use. However, where the proof of use period of a clone is split partially before and after exit day, the use of a parent EUTM can only count for the part of the period before exit day. Any evidence of use during the part of the period after exit day must be use occurring specifically within the UK.

 

Reputation

Similar provisions are mirrored with respect to proof of reputation. Where there is requirement to prove reputation at a point before exit day, the reputation of a parent EUTM in the EU prior to exit day will count, including any relevant reputation in the UK existing before exit day.

 

Co-existence Agreements, Licenses etc.

Post-Brexit, any co-existence agreements, licences and any other relevant transactions which involve EUTMs are deemed to cover their corresponding clones unless there is explicit evidence that such documents were not intended to have effect in the UK.

 

Pending Proceedings and Injunctions in the UK

Any actions pending before the UK courts concerning EUTMs will continue after exit day, but with the EUTM being swapped out for their corresponding clone. Similarly, any existing injunctions prohibiting acts in the UK on the basis of an EUTM will continue, with a clone being swapped in. From a practical perspective, this process of swapping in clones may potentially significantly diminish the scope of proceedings and injunctions between the parties, so it seems that pan-European level injunctions will no longer be available from the UK courts following Brexit, at least insofar as far a ‘no deal’ departure is concerned.

 

Pending EUTMs

One of the most important things to note in the new Regulations is that any EUTM Application pending as of exit day will not be cloned.

Instead, the Applicant will have 9 months from exit day to file a new UKTM Application, during which they will be entitled to claim the same filing date (or priority date) of the previously pending EUTM Application.

Given that most EUTMs generally taking at least 4 months from the date of filing to progress to Registration, 3 months of that being the mandatory Opposition period, the usual lag before the EUIPO marks an Application as “Registered” may well mean that EUTMs filed in 2019, and potentially some filed in December 2018, will not be automatically cloned, and will need to be re-filed within 9 months.

Importantly, Trade Mark Applicant’s with pending Applications should therefore note that they will not be notified of the need to refile, and will be required to pay all official fees to make a new filing.

 

Outstanding Issues Unaddressed by The TM Exit Regulations

Generally speaking, the TM Exit Regulations go some way in addressing the problems which may arise following the UK’s departure from the European Union. Nonetheless, despite a level of detail, some outstanding issues remain largely unaddressed. A few of these issues are summarised below:

  1. The UK government has confirmed the continued protection of International Trade Marks in the UK following a ‘no deal’ departure scenario. International Trade Marks designating the EU will be protected as new UK Registrations, rather than International Registrations designating the UK. It remains unclear whether this is to happen automatically, as with cloning, or, in the alternative, whether Trade Mark owners will have to take proactive steps in order to safeguard continued protection.
  2. Based on current rules on correspondence addresses, anyone applying for a UK trade Mark must supply an address for service in the European Economic Area (EEA). The Regulations does not adopt any form of “transitional” approach to representation, which would have ensured a level of certainty if the UK were to leave the EEA too. Considering that this may well become the reality following a ‘no deal’ departure, the lack of transitional measures addressing the loss of rights of representation on part of UK Trade Mark Practitioners might have some significant ramifications.

 

Conclusion

Overall, the TM Exit Regulations, address a large area of the upcoming issues which may arise in a post-Brexit, ‘no deal’ world. As we get nearer to Brexit day, things could, no doubt change significantly overnight. Judging by what the UK government has prepared thus far, the current ‘business as usual’ theme is entirely focused on a visible attempt to make everything as easy as possible for Trade Mark owners. Whilst most of what is being suggested appears sensible, some larger issues do remain unresolved at the expense Trade Mark practitioners.

With many of the important details still to be confirmed, and with Brexit still being “up in the air” in terms of securing a deal or “no deal”, we may find ourselves in a situation where solutions and/or any significant changes are only announced at the very last moment. With this in mind, Trade Mark owners and practitioners should be minded to closely follow and monitor the unfolding political and legal developments, as these will, no doubt, have a huge impact on the implementation of Trade Mark law and practice in the post-Brexit world.

Four New Appointments Set Albright IP Up For a Strong 2019

by

Albright IP has welcomed four new members of staff to its offices. Following an exceptional year of growth in 2018, the new team members will help to strengthen our offering of professional and cost-effective intellectual property (IP) protection for our clients in the UK and across the globe. Our new employees take the total number of staff up to 26 at our Montpellier headquarters.

 

These new additions to the team are a reflection of our ongoing expansion and will bolster us to meet our clients’ ever-evolving needs. We pride ourselves on providing our clients with a unique combination of IP strategy, patent and trademark services combined with the prototype design/development services offered through our in-house design consultancy, DUKU.

 

Commenting on the new arrivals, Albright IP Managing Director Robert Games said:

 

“These new team members have given us a real boost and we’re delighted to be starting 2019 on such a strong footing. They are already supporting our clients and making their individual contributions to our overall delivery of quality legal advice and practice in all matters relating to Intellectual Property. We look forward to another year of driving and protecting innovation for our clients in the UK and internationally.”

 

Meet the new team members

 

With each of the new additions bringing their own interests and insights to the team, you can find out a little about them here…

 

Christina Chan has joined as Trainee Trade Mark Attorney


Christina joins Albright IP straight from Queen Mary University of London, where she completed an MA in Intellectual Property Law. She is particularly interested in the interplay between Intellectual Property Rights, the right to freedom of expression, and their place in the age of interactive and collaborative online activity, and she brings a fresh enthusiasm to the team.

 

Adrian French has joined as Trainee Patent Attorney


Having completed a BEng in Systems Engineering and an MSc in Advanced Biomedical Engineering from the University of Warwick, Adrian worked as a UK IPO Patent Examiner for 5 years.  He is currently working on his dissertation to complete a LL.M in Intellectual Property Law.  He’ll be training as a patent attorney and will be involved in drafting, filing and general prosecution of patents.

 

Jennifer Pitman has joined as IP Administrator


Jenny holds the Patent Administrator’s qualification awarded by the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA). She has many years of legal experience, both in the UK and her birthplace of Bermuda, having previously worked in IP with a focus on patents and registered designs, since 2009.

 

Helen Morris has joined as IP Administrator

 

Due to attend the CIPA Administrators’ Course later in the year, Helen will be working with patent and design matters, assisting with initial client enquires, through filing and the various stages of the application process to grant and maintenance.

Can You Patent Cannabis Products?

by

Following high profile legalisation in territories around the world (for example Canada, some states in the US and limited medicinal allowability in the UK), industry and financial institutions are recognising the commercial potential of cannabis.

 

And where there is commercial potential, there will be a demand to protect innovations made to capitalise on the market.

 

However, given that recreational cannabis is presently illegal in many places (for example, most places in Europe and federally in the US), can you patent something which is illegal? Additionally, since cannabis is natural and has been known since ancient times, can you patent something which is so well known?

 

A quick search on a global patent database indicates over 7000 granted patents which include the word cannabis, including over 1000 in Europe and UK.

 

Whilst this is a very rough metric (such a simple search will include patents which are designed to prevent or detect cannabis use), it does suggest that government Patent Offices around the world are granting patents to something which is in some way illegal in their country. So, what’s going on here?

 

Illegality or Immorality

 

UK and European legislation prevents patenting of immoral inventions or inventions that go against “ordre public”.

 

Cannabis is illegal in most places in Europe and there might be some who would consider drug use per se to be immoral. So, why are patents granted to cannabis related products.

 

Both UK and European legislation have a provision that illegality should not mean that you cannot obtain a patent.

 

The rationale is that the patented product could be made in a country where using it was illegal, but exported it to somewhere that is legal.

 

The guidance given to patent examiners is that patent applications are only morally objected to if public opinion would find a patent “abhorrent”. For example, cluster bombs, and anti-personnel mines.

 

As such, in the UK and Europe, patent applications are rarely objected to on immoral grounds, and cannabis being illegal or banned from medical use would not stop someone obtaining a patent to it.

 

Nature

 

You cannot patent a discovery.

 

The cannabis plant, with its inherent chemical constituents, occurs naturally. A person would not be able to patent the naturally occurring plant or the chemicals found naturally in the product.

 

However, that person would be free to patent methods of extracting or using chemicals from the plant, methods of making synthetic versions of those chemicals or making other chemicals derived from those natural chemicals.

 

Arguments would need to be made that these chemicals or uses have industrial applicability, for example having a plausible medicinal effect. Many governments do not recognise the medicinal effect of cannabis constituents or only recognise the medicinal effect of cannabinoids (such as the US government). However, this has not followed through to various patent offices, which have granted companies protection over a variety of cannabis derived pharmaceuticals.

 

Additionally, the law covering the ability to patent plants obtained by means of an essentially biological process is under review in Europe. This likely means that, in the future, it may be possible to obtain a European patent to particular plants created by cross-breeding.

 

Therefore, we might soon expect to see new varieties of cannabis plants patented in Europe in the future.

 

Prior Art and Enforceability

 

Due to the historical and present illegality of cannabis in many places, there has been limited legitimate commercial exploitation of cannabis. As such, there are limited prior published patent documents which discuss cannabis. Given that patent examiners mostly use prior published patent documents to object to the newness of patent applications, cannabis related patent applications can be granted relatively easily.

 

However, this can be a double-edged sword. Whilst there may not be published patent documents, there is still plenty of public disclosure, such as in magazines, websites and folklore, which could be used to knock out a granted patent.

 

As such, cannabis related patent owners may be reluctant to sue infringers, for fear of having their patent knocked out. This means that cannabis patents may lack enforceability.

 

Subterfuge

 

Whilst in Europe or the US there may not be an issue with patenting cannabis, you might be concerned that less lenient jurisdictions would presently object to patents which mention cannabis.

 

If you have developed new cannabis paraphernalia and wish to obtain patent protection in less lenient jurisdictions in the hope that cannabis laws become relaxed in the future, it may be worth omitting mention of cannabis in the patent application.

 

If the product could work equally well with tobacco, for example, then tobacco could be mentioned in the patent application instead of cannabis. Unless of course there is a specific technical advantage to the product which is only apparent when used with cannabis.

 

Conclusion

 

Cannabis related products are certainly patentable in many major markets worldwide, although they can throw up some unique patenting issues. Some initial strategic thought and discussion is therefore recommended before rushing to file your patent.

Albright IP Ranks Amongst the Top UK Filers of Registered Designs

by

The December edition of The Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys Review (CITMA) has revealed that Albright IP has ranked in the top 50 of the country’s IP attorneys.  Albright IP were noted in the magazine as one of the firms who has helped to drive the record number of filings of Registered Designs in the UK over recent years.

Out of some 1,500 patent attorneys registered in the UK, Albright IP achieved a ranking of 28th for filing UK Registered Designs and a ranking of 40th for filing registered community designs (RCDs) last year.

The CITMA article which can be read in full below, highlights how Albright IP has contributed to the continued rise in design filings. According to the UK IPO, UK trademark and design applications have hit record highs and have been increasing year on year since 1995.

Robert Games, MD of Albright IP commented on the filing figures. “It’s fantastic to see that we are delivering above and beyond so many larger firms. I think the increase we are seeing in businesses filing Registered Designs has a lot to do with preventing copying, because Registered Designs provide great protection against direct or close copies. The test for infringement refers to creating, ‘a similar overall impression’, and so Registered Designs provide great protection against any knock off products. Not only are they long lasting but with the recently reduced UK IPO filing fee, Registered Designs are a relatively inexpensive right to obtain and are very good value for money.”

Case law has also been a driver, highlighting the importance of using an attorney to provide accurate advice on what to register.  High profile cases such as the Magmatic vs PMS International, are a stark reminder for companies of the consequences for getting it wrong.

“Attorneys have a duty to explain to the client what form of protection they think is available or appropriate” adds Robert. “Generally speaking if there’s a new part or a new visual aspect, then a Registered Design should always be advised. This type of advice is where we excel. Through our sister product design company, Duku, we’re involved in the development of products from the very start. This has given us a really good understanding of the effort that goes into producing a high quality visual product and explains why we always push our clients to file Registered Designs.”

Headquartered in Cheltenham, Albright IP employs 27 people and has seen significant growth over the past few years. The firm now works with over 2,000 companies across the world, including Europe, the US and China.

You can see the article in full here on page 18:

https://www.citma.org.uk/uploads/assets/uploaded/5ee84e0e-a65e-44ca-948517f37639f79c.pdf

Overcoming UK Patent Rejections

by

PATENT REJECTIONS

Many designers spend months and even years working on a development, only to encounter numerous barriers and hurdles raised by the Patent Office when trying to patent it.

 

In many scenarios, the issue with the patent application is that the claimed concept does not fall within the legal definition of an invention. This is given by Section 1(2) of the Patents Act, which can be summarised as follows:

 

Section 1(2):

  1. Scientific theories/discoveries and mathematical methods are unpatentable
  2. Aesthetic creations (e.g. literature, music and drama) are unpatentable
  3. Rules for games, business methods, schemes and rules, and computer programs are unpatentable
  4. The presentation of information is unpatentable

 

In particular, it is not possible to obtain a patent which is directed purely to an algorithm (clause (a) above); copyright generally covers aesthetic creations (clause (b) above); and clauses (c) and (d) are reasonably self-explanatory.

 

As an aside, a nice ‘presentation of information’ may be protected by a registered design instead.

 

Schemes, Rules and Methods – Applying UK Law

 

It is clause (c) above which often gives applicants the most problem, and is more often than not the reason for refusal of individual applicants’ patent applications. It can be difficult to readily assess what constitutes a method for performing a mental act, playing a game or doing business in particular.

 

The test under UK law is derived from the judgement of the Court of Appeal in Aerotel Ltd v Telco Holdings Ltd and Macrossan’s Application. This judgement provides a four-step test for determining what is excluded subject-matter.

 

The four-step test is as follows:

 

(1) properly construe the claim

 

In other words, what does the claim actually mean, when translated out of legalese?

 

(2) identify the actual (or alleged) contribution

 

In other words, what does the invention do?

 

(3) ask whether it falls solely within the excluded subject matter

 

Is the claim as a whole excluded under the above provisions? In other words, are you outright claiming a computer programme, for instance?

 

(4) check whether the actual (or alleged) contribution is actually technical in nature

 

If the technical features were stripped out of the claim to expose the underlying inventive concept, would the claim then fall into an excluded matter category?

 

In most circumstances, this Aerotel/Macrossan test is used to frame a Patent Examiner’s objections to a particular claim in a patent application.

 

However, we can use the test as a guideline for determining whether an invention is likely to be excluded from patentability before a patent application is filed.

 

For an assessment of whether an idea is excluded from patentability, it is best to walk backwards through the Aerotel/Macrossan test.

 

  • Is there a technical contribution to your idea?

 

This can be a tricky thing to analyse. What makes something ‘technical’? If you are only able to describe the way your idea will work in abstract terms, then there is a risk that any patent claim to the idea will fail the Aerotel/Macrossan test.

 

  • Does the idea fall completely into one of the excluded categories specified in Section 1(2) above?

 

This is most difficult to assess for clause (c) of Section 1(2), where there may be blending between features which are excluded subject-matter, and features which are not.

 

It is always worth attempting to ‘pitch’ your idea to yourself, in a way that encompasses the scope of protection you would want for the idea. If the clever part of your idea is easily categorizable in one of the definitions of Section 1(2), then there are likely to be issues with patentability in due course.

 

  • Properly construe the claim and identify the contribution

 

This requires a claim to have been created which defines the scope of protection which you would like from your patent, and therefore is something that can be addressed by your patent attorney.

 

If you are able to consider the first two points relating to exclusion from patentability under the UK Patents Act, then we can assist with the preparation of suitable claims which should overcome potential excluded subject-matter objections in advance, and/or advise you before applying for a patent whether your idea is likely to face significant obstacles to grant.

 

Applying Aerotel/Macrossan to your invention

 

If you have a pending patent application with a Section 1(2)(c) rejection raised against the claims, what can you do?

 

(1) Recast the claims to highlight the technical matter. Often UK Patent Examiners can attempt to pick apart a claim into component parts which are well-known in order to exclude them from consideration. It’s worth remembering that this is not necessarily the correct approach to take.

 

If the technical components have been combined in a clever way to solve a problem which would otherwise fall within an excluded category, there may be ways to get around the objections.

 

(2) Consider whether the claim category can be changed. If you have claimed a method of doing something, should you instead be claiming the apparatus that performs the method? This may add the technical characteristics which will help you to demonstrate patentability.

 

(3) Is the Examiner correct? Sometimes, objections can be raised which are not completely accurate, for example, if an Examiner has not fully understood the core inventive ‘nugget’ of your idea. Clarifying claims can help in this regard.

 

If you have received an objection to your pending application, then it’s worthwhile consulting with a patent attorney to see how we might be able to help you achieve your goals.

 

For ideas which are still gestating, it would be worth speaking to a patent attorney prior to filing a patent application. Lack of disclosure, and therefore lack of clarity, is a big factor in receiving objections on the grounds of excluded subject matter. We are experienced in writing patent applications with lots of options for fall-back positions, should the invention be more abstract than most. After all, a patent is potentially a twenty-year investment, and therefore it’s worthwhile getting it correct from day one!

 

Quicklinks & Glossary