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January 4, 2008
Ideas lead to inventions, new art forms, novel business concepts, new designs and much more. One of the most frequently asked questions we receive concerns how to protect ideas.
There is no single answer to explain how best to...
January 10, 2008
There is a tendency to label anyone who is in the business of making money out of domain names a cybersquatter, and in the process to regard them as guilty of fast practice verging on the fraudulent. But is it appropriate to...
January 27, 2008
For an audio version of this article, or if you want to listen on the move, download the MP3 here. For the full text, continue reading.
Whether a charity is a household name or an innovative start-up, like any ordinary...
January 28, 2008
IP in the Fashion Industry
IP rules take on a different facet depending on the industry involved. So, whether you are a retailer bringing key designs to the masses at affordable high street prices, or a designer seeking to protect...
April 11, 2008
Series of domain articles
In January we posted an article about entrepreneurs whose livelihood turns on having large portfolios of domain names.
We explained how these domainers tend to buy generic (that is, descriptive) or subject...
January 28, 2008
One challenging aspect of advising small businesses is the vagueness of the law. It is difficult to give the clear, black and white answers business people need. One client recently asked me what letters we would be able to send...
March 20, 2008
Google’s unsuccessful EU wide trade mark application to register the name ‘G-mail’ shown here is a salutary lesson about the importance of registering rights to a brand early, and in all countries in...
March 20, 2008
Trade mark law like any IP right has been forced to adapt to the digital environment where trade marks are seen on virtually every web page available on the internet. The question is whether or not the appearance of the mark...
Google’s Gmail litigation raises an important point about clearing names before use.
It is hard enough for a business to invent good distinctive names that are not already someone else’s trade mark in one country, let...
March 31, 2008
As a potential user of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) services, as well as solicitors specializing in internet and related laws, we recently examined the market and reviewed the services that are offered. As expected there is a...
April 7, 2008
Domain names are always an important part of any business. For web based businesses they are sometimes a lifeline. So, what do you do if you do not own a domain name you want? One of the available options is to use a domain drop...
April 11, 2008
The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) operates a policy quite different to that of the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) and Office of Harmonisation in the Internal Market (OHIM) as regards trade mark use. It is important...
