IP rights and competition law

Strike a balance between protecting IP rights and complying with competition law. This topic provides IP practitioners with practical insights and strategies to navigate the interplay between innovation and market regulation. Understand the nuances of leveraging your intellectual property while avoiding anti-competitive practices. Equip yourself with the knowledge to ensure your clients' IP strategies are legally sound and commercially effective.

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IP rights and competition law

Latest IP News

IP weekly highlights—30 July 2026

IP weekly highlights—30 July 2026

This week's edition of IP weekly highlights includes a hand-picked summary of news analysis, updates and new content from the world of IP. These...

Supreme Court rules courts in England and Wales may have jurisdiction to determine FRAND rates for SEPs licensed through patent pools (Tesla, Inc v InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc)

Supreme Court rules courts in England and Wales may have jurisdiction to determine FRAND rates for SEPs licensed through patent pools (Tesla, Inc v InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc)

The Supreme Court has unanimously allowed Tesla’s appeal, holding that there is a serious issue to be tried as to whether a standard essential patent...

Fight the case in front of you, not the one you’d like it to be (DecoTrend GMBH v EUIPO)

Fight the case in front of you, not the one you’d like it to be (DecoTrend GMBH v EUIPO)

IP analysis: The General Court dismissed DecoTrend’s challenge to a European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) Board of Appeal decision...

European Parliament study highlights consumer risks from fake web shops

European Parliament study highlights consumer risks from fake web shops

The European Parliament has published a study on online fraud and fake web shops, mapping the fraudulent practices used across their full operational...

Featured IP content

Introduction to passing off

Introduction to passing off

Introduction to passing offUnlike many other countries, the UK has no unfair competition law. Brand owners seeking to prevent competitors from...

Trade mark infringement—UK

Trade mark infringement—UK

Trade mark infringementRights conferred by a trade mark registrationThe registration of a trade mark gives the owner the exclusive right to prevent...

Copyright—authorship and ownership

Copyright—authorship and ownership

Copyright—authorship and ownershipThe Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (CDPA 1988) defines the author of a work as the person who created it....

Passing off—goodwill, misrepresentation and damage

Passing off—goodwill, misrepresentation and damage

Passing off—goodwill, misrepresentation and damageWhat is passing off?Passing off is a common law tort which protects rights that are not capable of...

Practice notes

Absolute and relative grounds for refusal to register a UK trade mark

Absolute and relative grounds for refusal to register a UK trade markAbsolute and relative groundsA trade mark’s essential function is to be a badge...
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2nd Jun
Practice notes

Copyright infringement—remedies

Copyright infringement—remediesThis Practice Note covers the remedies available for copyright infringement.The remedies available in cases of...
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2nd Jun
Practice notes

Introduction to revocation of patents

Introduction to revocation of patentsPatents may be revoked, that is, taken off the register of patents, if it is decided that they are invalid in...
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30th May
Practice notes

Joint ownership of intellectual property rights

Joint ownership of intellectual property rightsWhen parties collaborate on creative projects or research and development, complex questions arise...
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Produced in partnership with Jessica Stretch
13th Oct
Practice notes

Sub-licensing intellectual property rights

Sub-licensing intellectual property rightsAn intellectual property (IP) owner may choose to license its IP to a third party. This can be an effective...
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Produced in partnership with Jessica Stretch
13th Oct
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Practice notes

Brand protection online—strategy

Brand protection online—strategyHaving an online presence is essential for most brands. Many advertise and sell their products online—on their own...
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2nd Jun
Practice notes

Types of dispute resolution

Types of dispute resolutionThis Practice Note provides an overview of the main types of dispute resolution that are an alternative to litigation in IP...
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2nd Jun
Practice notes

Parallel imports—UK

Parallel imports—UKThe legal frameworkThis Practice Note explains trade mark law on parallel trade. Parallel imports, or ‘grey market’ goods, are...
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2nd Jun
Practice notes

Know-how—protection and licensing

Know-how—protection and licensingThis Practice Note explains what know-how is and sets out the different ways know-how can be protected before...
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2nd Jun
Practice notes

Copyright—secondary infringement

Copyright—secondary infringementWhereas primary infringement requires in most instances the act of reproduction, secondary infringement is about...
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2nd Jun
Practice notes

Licensing intellectual property rights

Licensing intellectual property rightsLicensing IP rights—introductionDrafting IP licences can raise a number of commercial and legal issues, which...
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Produced in partnership with Adam Coughlin of Bristows and Claire Smith of Bristows
13th Oct
Practice notes

Application to register a UK trade mark

Application to register a UK trade markThis Practice Note provides guidance on applying to register a trade mark at the UK Intellectual Property...
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30th May
Practice notes

IP rights and semiconductors

IP rights and semiconductorsBackground to semiconductorsA semiconductor is essentially any material which has electrical conductivity and can thus...
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Produced in partnership with Ciara Cullen and Noonie Holmes of RPC
30th May
Q&As

Can the assignment of a patent be retroactively effective?

Can the assignment of a patent be retroactively effective?A patent or patent application is personal property that can be assigned (section 30(1) and...
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Produced in partnership with Joshua Marshall of Fieldfisher
13th Oct
Practice notes

Intellectual property international treaties and conventions

Intellectual property international treaties and conventionsIP laws are almost always national in nature. However, there are many conventions and...
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30th May
Practice notes

Exploiting intellectual property rights

Exploiting intellectual property rightsIP rights are only valuable if they make money for the business. Even if they are used in the business, a...
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30th May

Popular documents

If a rentcharge is shown as being informally exonerated on title information, does this apply to the

If a rentcharge is shown as being informally exonerated on title information, does this apply to the current registered owner? Or does the informal exoneration only apply to the parties to the document which informally exonerated the rentcharge?This Q&A considers the situation where, at some point

Late payment penalties—inheritance tax

Late payment penalties—inheritance taxWhile interest often accrues on overdue tax, the late payment of certain taxes may also attract a penalty. For information on the interest accruing on overdue tax, see Practice Notes: IHT—payment deadlines on death—Interest on IHT and Interest on late paid

Contributory negligence in personal injury claims

Contributory negligence in personal injury claimsContributory negligence is a partial defence which can lead to a discount in damages.Other defences may also be relevant. See Practice Notes: Did the claimant consent to the risk of injury? and Was the claimant involved in an illegal activity?If a

Template for regulatory references given by SMCR firms and disclosure requirements

Template for regulatory references given by SMCR firms and disclosure requirements[Insert addressee details]Dear [insert name][It is our understanding that [insert name of prospective employee] [was an employee of yours between the dates of [insert dates as appropriate] OR is a current employee of