A trade mark battle in the US law courts has turned ugly, forcing a long-established Australian footwear manufacturer to rebrand and raising concerns about whether the pursuit of intellectual property rights is affecting cultural legitimacy. In a video posted to social media recently, Todd Watts, owner of Australian sheepskin-lined boot manufacturer ‘UGG Since 1974’ and […]

UPDATE 29 January 2025: Since this blog post was written, we’ve learned that the scammers behind these emails have also been operating under the names “Trademark Registry Filer” and “TM Registry Filer.” While the three associated websites (Patent Registry Hub, Trademark Registry Hub, and presumably the newer ones) appear to have been shut down or […]

Many businesses put their intellectual property at risk when they start to trade internationally because they haven’t registered their trade mark in those foreign jurisdictions.  Even though infringements may be completely unintentional, the opening up of global trading through ecommerce can result in businesses breaching IP law in those countries in which they manufacture, market […]

Registering trade marks has been a business imperative for brands that want to protect their exclusivity in virtual settings for some time, but the emergence of the metaverse – a technological platform in which users experience digital 3D lives that parallel their real ones – brings the question of intellectual property rights in the virtual […]

The commercial landscape is more competitive than ever – and with the rising financial pressures on consumers and businesses, hungry and often ruthless competitors and an increasingly crowded marketplace – brands have to work harder and smarter just to survive, let alone thrive. Businesses also have to make sure they’re able to attract and retain […]