MMA fighter Conor McGregor’s application to register the name ‘Conor McGregor’ as a trademark for the sale of clothing across the EU has been rejected by the European Union Intellectual Property Office at Alicante in Spain. EUIPO upheld an objection by a Dutch clothing firm, McGregor IP BV against the application. It sells clothing under…
Judge Lionel Persey has ruled in favour of Rangers Football Club in the latest round of a long-running legal battle between the club and Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley. Ashley and Rangers have been embroiled in High Court litigation, centred on a kit deal, for more than a year. A company in the Sports Direct Group,…
Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has won a legal battle with two Italian sportswear firms, Lotto and Errea who tried to block his clothing range called SCG. The clothing range is a partnership between Gerrard and former club Liverpool who applied to register SGG Apparel as a trademark in the UK to protect the brand. Lotto…
Fashion House Dolce & Gabbana has been ordered to pay Diego Maradona £59,000 in damages following a long-running court dispute after a model wore a Napoli shirt with his name and number on it during a fashion show. Lawyers for Maradona said the retired footballer had not been contacted ahead of the show, which took…
Liverpool FC’s attempt to trademark the word “Liverpool” has been rejected by the government’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) due to the “geographical significance” of the city. The trademark attempt sparked outrage within the club’s own fanbase, as well as the Liverpool mayor. Liverpool FC said: they would “continue to aggressively pursue those large-scale operations which seek to illegally…
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones have ended one of the most acrimonious copyright disputes in British pop by granting Richard Ashcroft all future royalties from his 1997 song Bitter Sweet Symphony, performed by the Verve. Bitter Sweet Symphony reached No 2 in the UK and had a distinctive string motif. Those four seconds…
Airbnb has threatened legal action against a Scots firm named Hairbnb, which offers holiday homes for dogs. It connects licensed dog sitters, boarders and walkers with people who need their pets looked after. Allan Ritchie set up the dog boarding business in 2018 and applied for a trademark from the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO). Airbnb were given…
Australian Leather, an Australian shoe company has been ordered to pay $450,000 to Deckers, the maker of the UGG boot. A jury for the US District Court found 12 pairs of sheepskin-lined boots sold by Australian Leather infringed US-based Decker’s ‘UGG’ trademarks. Deckers first filed an action against Australian Leather in 2016, asking the US court to limit the…
The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has invalidated the UK-based supermarket chain Iceland Foods Ltd EU-wide trademark for the word “Iceland” in 2014. It may not register a trademark on the word “Iceland” within the European Union following the Icelandic authorities who sued to have invalidated on the basis of being far too broad…
William Grant & Sons the makers of Glenfiddich has lost a legal battle against an Indian firm, producing a Scotch whisky named Glenfield after it accused it of copying its brand. William Grant & Sons tried to block Glenfield’s attempts to trademark the whisky, saying it uses the same green and gold colours and stag…