Intellectual Property

Gregor Kleinknecht discusses journalists and the law in Discover Germany

Don’t shoot the messenger A few columns ago, I looked at the risks that lawyers take with their life and livelihood in some parts of the world, simply by going about their profession. Today, I want to look at another profession that can find itself – quite literally – in the line of fire: journalists.…

Gregor Kleinknecht discusses Brexit Britain in Discover Germany

Going, going, gone – ready or not Since the end of August, the government has been publishing a growing collection of ‘technical notices’ under the broad heading How to prepare if the UK leaves the EU with no deal – Guidance on how to prepare for Brexit if there’s no deal. These notices are part negotation…

Gregor Kleinknecht examines Brexit and the impact on financial services in Advoselect

Brexit – die Auswirkungen auf Finanzdienstleistungen

Gregor Kleinknecht, Partner

Read Gregor’s full article  here on page 3, and more news in Advoselect here.

Gregor Kleinknecht discusses Brexit and financial services in Discover Germany

Brexit and financial services Six months to go. The inevitability of Brexit is now pretty much universally accepted. In a best case scenario, agreement will be reached on the terms on which the UK leaves the EU in time for a no-deal scenario to be avoided. This will be combined with a political declaration as…

Gregor Kleinknecht discusses the legal framework of self-driving cars in Discover Germany

Driven to distraction When autonomous vehicles, also known as automated vehicles, self-driving or driver-less cars, have made the head-lines recently, it has normally been in the context of road traffic accidents. Nevertheless, they are considered to be the technology of the future and safer than ‘normal’ cars because they eliminate human error. Looking at the…

ASA rules against exaggerated success rate in “instant win” promotions

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ruled that instant win promotions on Highland Spring water bottles and packets of McCain French Fries breached The UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing (CAP Code) because the chances of winning a prize were far lower than the promotional material suggested. Highland Spring bottle labels stated that 10,000 “instant win” prizes…

Stephen Morrall discusses Brexit with the International Legal Team in Porto, Portugal

The International Legal Team, a worldwide society comprising of lawyers with a “core” for international business, debated Brexit and Catalonia. The event was organised by the Sociedade de Advogados Vilar & Associados at the Palace of Visconde de Balsemão, where there was a presence of solicitors from Berlin, Barcelona, London, Marseille, Paris, Nice, Kraków and Luxembourg representing the…

Gregor Kleinknecht discusses advertising regulation in Discover Germany

Let there be truth It must be hard to be an advertising executive and get us to part with our hard-earned cash. In particular, in times when the Brexit pinch is starting to make itself felt on consumer confidence and the economy at large, and businesses and consumers are thinking twice before committing to spending…

Stephen Morrall comments on landmark Pimlico Plumbers v Smith Supreme Court judgment in The Times, The Times Law Brief, Bloomberg, Yahoo! Finance, The National and New Zealand Herald

Plumber, Gary Smith, today (13 June) won a legal battle for working rights in a Supreme Court ruling expected to have huge ramifications for the gig economy. Supreme Court judges found that plumber Gary Smith, who worked for London-based Pimlico Plumbers between August 2005 and April 2011, wasn’t self-employed or a client of the firm, giving him…

Gregor Kleinknecht discusses intellectual property advice for small businesses and trademark infringement in The Times

There are countless things for founders to worry about when trying to get a start-up off the ground, finance, production, marketing, supply and staffing levels to name but a few. For Oliver and Alexander Kent-Braham, that list stretched to engaging in a lengthy and bizarre row about the semantics of the word “marshmallow”. Having decided to…

Cécile de Lagarde discusses the Court of Appeal decision in Computer Associates UK Ltd v Software Incubator Ltd

Software does not amount to goods for the purposes of the Commercial Agents Regulations ruled the Court of Appeal in Computer Associates UK Ltd v Software Incubator Ltd[1] The Commercial Agents (Council Directive) Regulations 1993 (1993 Regulations) gives protection to commercial agents in their relationship with their principals and provide them in particular with the…

Cécile de Lagarde discusses Louboutin’s “red sole trade mark”

Louboutin’s “red sole trade mark” at risk of being invalid French shoe maker Louboutin’s well-known red sole, which has been registered as an EU trade mark not without difficulty, is now at risk of being found invalid as the Advocate General at the European Court of Justice gave an additional opinion on 6th February 2018…