NIPC Law

  Jane Lambert Court of Appeal (Sir Colin Birss, Chancellor, Lord Justice Stephen Phillips and Lady Justice Falk) Shorts International Ltd v Google LLC [2026] EWCA Civ 668 (25 May 2026) This was an appeal by Shorts International Ltd. ("Shorts") against the order of Michael Tappin KC sitting as a deputy judge of the High Court following his judgment in  Shorts International Ltd v Google LLC [2024] EWHC 2738 (Ch) (31 Oct 2024).  There was also a cross-appeal by Google LLC ("Google").  The appeal and cross-appeal came before the Chancellor, Sir Colin Birss, Lord Justice Stephen Phillips and Lady Justice Falk on 10 and 11 March 2026.  They handed down their judgment in Shorts International Ltd v Google LLC [2026] EWCA Civ 668 on 25 May 2026. the late Spring Bank Holiday.   The Marks Shorts is the registered proprietor of the following marks for goods and services in classes 9, 38, and 41: It also registered the word SHORTSTV as a trade mark for goods a...

Alcatel-Lucent SA's Head Office in Boulogne-Bilancourt Author AnaBé   Licence CC BY-SA 3.0   Source Wikimedia Commons Jane Lambert Court of Appeal (Lords Justices Newey, Arnold and Snowden)  Alcatel Lucent SAS v Amazon Digital UK Ltd and other s [2025] EWCA Civ 43 (28 Jan 2025) This was the second of three cases in which the Court of Appeal had to consider whether a willing licensor of a portfolio of patents declared essential to one or more standards (" standard-essential patents" or "SEPs" ) would grant an implementer of those standards who has undertaken to take a licence to that portfolio on the terms to be determined by the Patents Court to be fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory ("FRAND") an interim licence pending that determination.  The other cases were  Panasonic Holdings Corporation v Xiaomi Technology UK Ltd and others [2024] EWCA Civ 1143 (3 Oct 2024) which I discussed in  FRAND - Panasonic Holdings Corporation v Xiaomi Technology UK ...

  Jane Lambert Patents Court (HH Judge Hacon)  Safestand Ltd v Weston Homes PLC and others [2023] EWHC 3250 (Pat) (19 Dec 2023) This was a claim by Safestand Limited ("Safestand") against Weston Homes Plc, Weston (Logistics) Limited. and Weston Group Limited ("the Weston companies" or "Weston") for patent and registered design infringement. There was also a counterclaim by Weston for revocation of the patents for obviousness and invalidation of the registered designs for want of unity and/or clarity and/or lack of novelty and/or individual character.  The action and counterclaim came before His Honour Judge Hacon sitting as a judge of the High Court between 8 and 19 June 2023.  He delivered judgment on 19 Dec 2023 (see Safestand Ltd v Weston Homes PLC and others [2023] EWHC 3250.  By para [254] of his judgment, he held that the patents were valid and infringed but the registered designs were invalid. The Patents Safestand's patents were  UK Patent No...