Trade Marks Law & Practice: Shaping New Developments into Solution-Focused Advice for Your Clients
Court-proven, Solution-Focused Answers to 7 Thorny Trade Mark Questions Facing Experienced Practitioners — from Leading Trade Mark Attorneys, Senior Juniors and Solicitors
Live Attendance
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Highly recommended
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Information you won't find elsewhere
Our experts talk under Chatham House Rule, so you get the best, most readily usable information they wouldn't share elsewhere
Programme
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09:30
Registration and coffee
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10:00
Chair's Introduction
Trade Marks Law & Practice: Shaping new developments into solution-focused advice for your clients
Chaired by Carrollanne Lindley, Kilburn & Strode
Carrollanne has been recognised as an “IP Star” for trade marks and as one of Managing IP’s Top 250 Women in IP. She formerly worked in-house at Rothmans International and The Body Shop.
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10:10
Family of marks
Where is the legal wriggle room for gaining protection for a family of marks following Athleta v Athlecia and the easyGroup line of cases?
Answered by Professor Mark Engelman, 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square
Mark acted for Apple in the IWATCH proceedings, where Apple’s reliance on its family of i-prefixed marks was directly in issue. He also acted in Intel v CPM culminating in the ECJ's ruling on trade mark dilution.
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10:45
Comparative advertising
When does use of a rival’s mark in comparative advertising cross the line into infringement, denigration or malicious falsehood following the recent run of cases?
Answered by Jamie Muir Wood, Hogarth Chambers
Jamie is co-author of “A User’s Guide to Trade Marks and Passing Off” and acted in the easyGroup v Netflix litigation. He is Standing Counsel to the Comptroller-General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks.
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11:20
Morning Coffee
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11:35
Trade mark threats
What is the latest judicial thinking on trade mark threats after Bargain Busting v Shenzhen SKE [2026]— including supply-chain letters, interim relief and free-expression constraints?
Answered by Guy Tritton, Hogarth Chambers
Guy is Chief Author of "Tritton on Intellectual Property in Europe" and an IP Junior Barrister of the Year. "He is a go-to barrister for all IP work, with a particular focus on trade mark and copyright issues.”
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12:10
Bad faith
What is realistic and achievable when challenging a broadly drafted, likely bad-faith application with little visible commercial rationale after Wise Payments v With Wise?
Answered by Stuart Baran, Three New Square
Stuart acted for SkyKick on bad faith applications from the outset through multiple High Court hearings, two Court of Appeal appearances, the Court of Justice and the Supreme Court.
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12:45
Overrun
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13:00
Lunch
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13:45
Post-sale confusion
What counts and will sway the court on post-sale confusion after Iconix v Dream Pairs — where there are fleeting, imperfect or real-world viewing conditions?
Answered by Theo Barclay, 4 New Square
Theo appeared for the successful appellant in Iconix v Dream Pairs [2025] UKSC, now the leading authority on the similarity and confusion tests in trade mark law.
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14:20
Genericism
Where is the line between a protectable trade mark, a descriptive product name and ordinary trade language in light of Dryrobe v D-Robe and Wang Zeng v Bing Bing Food [2026]?
Answered by Victoria Jones, 3PB
Victoria successfully represented the applicant in CERAD, over a challenge that the mark was descriptive and non-distinctive. She is listed as one of the most frequently instructed counsel before the UKIPO.
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14:55
UK/EU split
How are UK and EU trade mark strategies splitting apart after EUIPO v Nowhere and the 2026 comparable-mark use cliff, and how do EU-based owners show genuine UK use?
Answered by Louise Popple, Winston Taylor
Louise wrote on the ECJ's February 2026 decision in EUIPO v Nowhere. She edits and writes for “Brands Update” and “Advertising Quarterly” and was named in WIPR’s Influential Women in IP 2026 list.
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15:30
Overrun
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16:00
Close of conference
Live Attendance