IP analysis: When Brooklyn Beckham published a series of statements on Instagram on 19 January 2026, much of the public’s attention focused on the emotional details of his rift with parents David and Victoria Beckham. But among the allegations of wedding-day tensions, cancelled dresses and family disagreements, one claim in particular caught the attention of trade mark professionals: Brooklyn’s allegation that he was pressured in to ‘signing away the rights to my name’ in the weeks leading up to his wedding. Claire Breheny and Tanya Rahman of Mathys and Squire consider the issues.

Companies House The statutory rules in relation to overseas companies are set out in Part 34 of the Companies Act 2006 (CA 2006) and the Overseas Companies Regulations 2009, SI 2009/1801 (the Regulations). In particular, reg 4 of the Regulations requires the company, within one month of having opened a UK establishment, to deliver to the registrar a return complying with the requirements of Part 2 of the Regulations, and to deliver with the return the documents required by Part 2. These requirements apply each time a company opens an establishment in the UK. The Companies House guidance in relation to overseas companies can be found here (the Guidance) (for the registration of an overseas company opening a UK establishment see also further guidance here). The principal return, as noted above, is Form OS IN01 (to be submitted with

The death of one of the spouses to a marriage brings the marriage to an end. There is no general rule that divorce proceedings abate upon the death of a party to the marriage such that no further proceedings can be taken in them. What further steps can be taken, if any, will depend upon the nature of the further proceedings and the proper interpretation of the relevant statutory

The requirements for entry clearance as representative of an overseas business are contained in paragraph 144 and 144-SD of Part 5 of the Immigration Rules. Where entry clearance is sought as: 'a) as a senior employee of an overseas business which has no active branch, subsidiary or other representative in the United Kingdom with full authority to take operational decisions on behalf of the overseas business for the purpose of representing it in the United Kingdom by establishing and operating a registered branch or wholly owned subsidiary of that overseas business, the branch or subsidiary of which will be concerned with same type of business activity

See Practice Note: Removal, renunciation and retirement of personal representatives, which explains that an executor may renounce probate or have power reserved before the grant of probate is taken out. However, after taking the grant, a personal representative (PR) cannot retire. For further guidance, see Commentary: Retirement: Tolley's Administration of Estates [A3.2]. A PR wishing to be relieved of their duties may, if they have

The Land Registration Act (LRA 2002) came into force on 13 October 2003 and, subject to transitional provisions, radically changed law and practice relating to the adverse possession of registered land. Under LRA 2002 a squatter may apply to be registered as proprietor after ten years' adverse possession. HM Land Registry must then notify the persons specified under LRA 2002, Sch 6 para 2 that the application has been made. In that regard, HM Land Registry Practice Guide 4 states as follows: '5.3 Notices If, from the evidence we have seen, we believe it to be more likely than not that the squatter is entitled

The Family Procedure Rules 2010 (FPR 2010), SI 2010/2955, 7.14 makes provision for a respondent in proceedings for a matrimonial order to file their own application: ‘How the respondent can make an application 7.14 (1) A respondent who wishes to make an application for a matrimonial or civil partnership order must make the application for that order within 21 days beginning with the date by which the respondent's acknowledgment of service is required to be filed, unless the

When a planning committee refuses an application for planning permission and that refusal is subject to an appeal or judicial review, the local planning authority (LPA) can settle an appeal or a judicial review, however, it will have to make a fresh determination. It cannot simply agree and recover jurisdiction, as the LPA is functus officio (ie cannot re-examine that decision). This principle is well established in international arbitration, and is accepted in many national laws.

There is a duty on local planning authorities (LPA) under section 70(2) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to take into account the development plan and any other material consideration. It should be remembered that, subject to the principles of Wednesbury unreasonableness, it is for the decision maker to decide the weight to attach to a material consideration as long as they take it into account. The case of R (on the application of Leckhampton Green Land Action Group Limited) v Tewkesbury BC considered the caselaw on the situation where a material consideration or change of policy arises after the Council has resolved to grant planning permission. The judge cited the case of R (Kides) v South Cambridgeshire DC (at [para 70]), stating: ‘(ii) the duty under section

The wording of section 91(1)(a) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (TCPA 1990) is clear that: ‘…every planning permission granted or deemed to be granted shall be granted or, as the case may be, be deemed to be granted, subject to the condition that the development to which

The Practice Note: On-street parking orders provides guidance on the local authority’s power to permit on-street parking and to set regulations regarding on-street parking. See in particular sections: On-street parking orders—Controlling on-street parking and On-street parking orders—Parking on highways for payment. The Practice Note: Required signs and marking the road surface [Archived] contains information on powers and duties of local

A private limited company incorporated in England and Wales may hold, or deal with, shares in itself, if certain conditions set out in the Companies Act 2006 (CA 2006) are met. Those shares are held in treasury and referred to as the company's treasury shares. If a company does not wish to simply hold its treasury shares, it can: • sell them for cash consideration (for information on the sale/transfer of treasury shares for cash consideration, see Practice Note: Sale of treasury shares) • transfer them for the purposes of, or pursuant to, an employees' share scheme, (see Practice Note: Transfer of treasury shares to an employees' share scheme), or • cancel them (see Practice Note: Cancellation of treasury shares) As noted