Serjeants LLP

Happy New Year! Wishing you a happy and healthy 2025🎉

Merry Christmas from the team at Serjeants!✨🎄

Would it be Christmas time without brands hopping on festive trends and selling similar products? A few years ago M&S released their popular light-up gin bottle as part of their festive range and shortly after, Aldi released a similar, cheaper version of the product. There was much debate between the two brands but ultimately in March of this year the Court of Appeal confirmed that Aldi's light up gin bottle infringed M&S's registered designs. Read our blog to learn more: https://bit.ly/3Jk1Gzt #Designs #DesignRights #Aldi #M&S

Have you signed up to our quarterly newsletter? Follow the link below to sign up and receive the latest IP news and updates from the team https://bit.ly/3lCyd8u #IP #IntellectualProperty #TradeMarks #Copyright

Earlier this year, six-year-old Khaleesi’s passport application was initially refused by the Passport Office because she was named after a Game of Thrones character, and there was concern that her name may be breaching trade mark rights. While this dilemma was eventually resolved, with the Passport Office concluding that it had made an error, the case still raises the question, can you trade mark a name? In our latest blog the Serjeants team discuss the regulations surrounding this: https://bit.ly/4ezLSXI #TradeMark #NameTradeMark #Khaleesi #GameOfThrones

Coleen Rooney has traded in court trials for jungle trials as she takes part in I’m A Celebrity this year, and is now tipped as one of the favourites to win the show. While she’s busy braving critters and challenges, there’s been buzz about whether ITV and Ant & Dec can legally use the phrase “Wagatha Christie” without needing to pay royalties to Rebekah Vardy, who owns the trade mark. 🐜🌴 Our expert trade mark attorneys at Serjeants dive into the legal drama behind the jungle scenes in our recent blog. Check it out here: https://bit.ly/3ADRFgU #ImACeleb #WagathaChristie #TradeMarks

Going to the effort of choosing a good trade mark can provide several advantages, especially in the future as your mark becomes better established. These include: 💡Being able to register it 💡Being able to stop others from using anything similar 💡Standing out from the crowd 💡Being more likely to come up with something that is free for you to use (i.e., you won’t infringe someone else’s rights) Learn more about what makes a good trade mark and how you can choose one here: https://bit.ly/3Vc4g24 #TradeMarks #TradeMarkAdvice #IntellectualProperty

In 2019, Puma had an EU design registration for its creeper shoe declared invalid by the EU Intellectual Property Office due to a social media post, a decision that was confirmed by the European Court of Justice this year following an appeal. The relevant post was not a direct social media post made by the company, but instead an Instagram post from the international pop star Rihanna. In our blog, the Serjeants team explains the importance of first disclosure of a design and highlights how Puma’s registration was effectively invalidated by Rihanna’s actions: https://bit.ly/3A63OL3 #Design #RegisteredDesigns #IP #IntellectualProperty

Curious about protecting your ideas, brand, or designs? We can help! From filing patents and trademarks to registering designs, Serjeants handles all aspects of intellectual property. We don’t just stop at securing your IP rights, we’re here to help enforce them too. Plus, if you’re ever on the other side of the fence and find yourself facing a potential IP dispute, we’ve got you covered. Find out more about our full range of IP services here: https://bit.ly/45lO7sV #IP #IntellectualProperty #Copyright #Designs #TradeMarks

Taylor Swift has spent the last few years successfully re-recording her previous albums and marking them as 'Taylor's Version' While the enormous success of her re-recordings is highly unusual, Swift’s copyright dispute has highlighted the restrictive nature of contracts for emerging artists and the importance of considering IP with any commercial arrangement. The process has raised awareness of the often unfair nature of music masters, particularly for young artists, and will encourage artists to ensure they understand their rights and what they are signing away when they begin their career. Read our blog to learn more//bit.ly/3ZFVNqS #Copyright #CopyrightProtection #TaylorSwift #TaylorsVersion