NIPC Law

Tapioca Pearls Author Lars Plougmann   Licence CC BY-SA 2.0   Source Wikimedia   Jane Lambert Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (HH Judge Hacon)  Duadata Ltd v Tian Cha Le Ltd . [2026] EWHC 1055 (IPEC) (8 May 2026) This was an inquiry as to damages for passing off.   The claimant operated a nationwide chain of bubble tea  shops and franchises under the Mooboo brand. Bubble tea is a beverage that contains small chewy tapioca balls and various flavourings of different kinds.  A company owned and operated by one Qin Lin held a Mooboo franchise for Gateshead between 8 April 2021 and 23 Jan 2024.  On 22 Aug 2023, Ms Lin incorporated the defendant which began to operate a bubble tea outlet in Gateshead adopting a similar menu design, products, drinks, recipes and prices to the claimant's.  The claimant sued the defendant for passing off on 24 May 2024. The Order The defendant did not defend the claim and the claimant obtained a default ...

  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" ).  ...

  Jane Lambert Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (HH Judge Hacon) easyGroup Ltd v Jaybank Leisure Ltd [2025] EWHC 3077 (IPEC) (21 Nov 2025) This was a claim for trade mark infringement.   easyGroup was the registered proprietor  of UK trade mark UK00002349891 , an image of which appears above. The mark was registered for goods and services in several classes, including "[r]ental and hire of… motorised vehicles, non-motorised vehicles… and means of transport; advisory and information services relating to the aforesaid services; information services relating to transportation services, including information services provided on-line from a computer database or the Internet." easyGroup Ltd ("easyGroup") complained that Jaybank Leisure Ltd ("Jaybank") had infringed its trade mark by supplying vehicle rental and sales services under the EASIHIRE sign. Jaybank denied infringement and alleged non-use of the mark by easyGroup.  The action came on for trial ...

  Author  Ciencias Españolas   Licence  CC BY-SA 3.0   Source  Wikipedia Commons   Jane Lambert Patents Court (Michael Tappin KC sitting as a judge of the High Court) Hill v Touchlight Genetics Ltd and others [2025] EWHC 107 (Pat) (27 Jan 2025) I previously discussed this litigation in  Patents - Hill v Touchlight Genetics Ltd . on 11 July 2024.  I noted that it was an entitlement action, that is to say, a claim to ownership of certain patents and patent applications.   It was also an infringement claim in that the claimant alleged that the defendants had infringed the patents that she claimed. There was also a contingent counterclaim.  The action came before Michael Tappin KC sitting as a deputy judge of the High Court between 25 and 28 Nov 2024 and 3 to 4 and 10 to 11 Dec 2024.   At para [331] of his judgment in  Hill v Touchlight Genetics Ltd and others   [2025] EWHC 107 (Pat), which he handed down...