Following the recent discovery of handwritten Wills being found in Aretha Franklin’s home last month, her family has been arguing with each other over the validity and requests of Wills allegedly handwritten by Franklin before she passed away in 2018. . One of the Wills named her youngest son, Kecalf Franklin as the executor of her…
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…
The UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) has rejected a trademark opposition brought by the Kellogg Company against British brewery Fuller’s. In June 2018, Kellogg’s filed an opposition to Fuller’s ‘Fruit Loop’ mark for a seasonal summer beer, which Kellogg’s claimed infringed its EU trademark for its breakfast cereal brand Froot Loops. Kellogg’s claimed that the…
The High Court recently issued a judgment concerning determination of the law applicable to online trade mark infringements in the case of Easygroup Ltd v Easy Fly Express Ltd & Chowdhury. The Claimant, easyGroup is the proprietor of the word mark EASYJET and the word easyFlights. The two Defendants’, Mr Chowdhury and his company Easy…
Lawyers for fashion designer Marc Jacobs have filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit made against him by the estate of the band Nirvana, which accuses him of copyright infringement. The designer’s collection features a cartoon “smiley face” similar to the one used by Nirvana as their logo, along with the word “Heaven” printed in the distinctive typeface used…
Aberdeen FC have lost a court battle with a Spanish sherry-maker, Sandeman over the right to call their brand of Scotch whisky the ‘Dons Dram’ – because Sandeman owns the copyright. Aberdeen FC, nicknamed The Dons, launched the blended whisky and applied to register the name Dons Dram as a trademark to protect its brand, however, Sandeman objected.…
Nange Magro, a London-based fashion designer has said her costume designs have been plagiarised for Janelle Monáe’s recent Grammy awards performance. Magro posted images on Instagram comparing designs she made in 2015 with those worn by Monáe on stage at the Grammys. She said “ I am flattered to be an inspiration for this amazing artist,…