NIPC Law

  Jane Lambert Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (HH Judge Hacon) easyGroup Ltd v Easyfeetstore OU and others [2026] EWHC 767 (IPEC) (1 April 2026) His Honour Judge Hacon, who tried this claim, described it in para [1] of his judgment in  easyGroup Ltd v Easyfeetstore OU and others [2026] EWHC 767 (IPEC) (1 April 2026) as "the latest in a line of claims brought by the claimant ('easyGroup') against parties trading under a name which begins with the word 'easy'."  he added that the claim was for trade mark infringement and passing off. The Parties The claimant is the owner and licensor of all intellectual property rights relating to the various 'easy' businesses set up by Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the best known of which is easyJet. The first defendant ('Easyfeetstore') is an Estonian company which sells orthopaedic and orthotic insoles and related accessories online in several territories including the United Kingdom.  The second defend...

  Jane Lambert Patents Court (Mr Justice Mellor) Nador Cott Protection SAS v Asda Stores Ltd and another [2026] EWHC 553 (Pat) (12 March 2026) This was a claim by Nador Cott Protection SAS against ASDA Stores Ltd, and International Procurement and Logistics Ltd. for the alleged infringement of Plant Breeders' Right number 28016 by importing    Tang Gold oranges into the UK and retailing them to the British public.  The action came on for trial before Mr Justice Mellor on 25 and 26 Nov 2025.  By para [359]  of his judgment in  Nador Cott Protection SAS v Asda Stores Ltd and Another [2026] EWHC 553 (Pat), which he handed down on 12 March 2026, the learned judge dismissed the action. Issues His lordship set out the issues in the trial as follows: whether the Tang Gold fruit was a dependent variety of Nador Cott's ("the dependent variety issue"), and if it was whether Nador Cott Protection had lost its right of action because it  had  a rea...

  Jane Lambert Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (HH Judge Melissa Clarke)   Wang Zeng International Ltd v Bing Bing Foods Ltd and others [2026] EWHC 360 (IPEC) (20 Feb 2026) This was an action for trade mark infringement and a counterclaim for revocation or invalidation of the claimant's marks.  The action and counterclaim came on for trial before Her Honour Judge Melissa Clarke on 17 and 18 Nov 2025.  By para [122] of her judgment in  Wang Zeng International Ltd v Bing Bing Foods Ltd and Others [2026] EWHC 360 (IPEC), which she handed down on 20 Feb 2026, the learned judge dismissed the counterclaim and found for the claimant on the claim. The Parties The claimant and first defendant were private companies incorporated in England and Wales with limited liability. In her judgment, Judge Melissa Clarke sometimes referred to the claimant as WZI ("Wang Zeng International Limited") and the first defendant as BBF (" Bing Bing Foods Limited" ).  ...