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Trade Mark, Designs and Copyright

Trade mark, designs and copyright protection is critical to the creativity, innovation and investment that go into developing brands. Allen & Overy’s market-leading team helps today’s leading businesses to protect these significant company assets.

More than ever, the world’s top businesses need a strategic and coordinated global approach to Intellectual Property. Our pre-eminent global team has worked on some of the most complex, high-profile and often precedent-setting trade mark, designs and copyright cases of recent times.

Implementing and executing effective global dispute resolution strategies to defend brands is a key part of our expertise. We act for some of the world’s most valuable brands, devising litigation strategies that are effective at all levels of the relevant courts and tribunals.

Explore our services

Warner Bros

in EU-wide trade mark infringement proceedings commenced in the Brussels Commercial Court, and in two sets of parallel invalidity proceedings before the EUIPO.

Nintendo

as their main adviser in France, on a day-to-day basis, on the enforcement of all aspects of its anti-piracy policy in France. Most notably, we advised on its efforts to prohibit the sale of devices designed to circumvent the technical measures protecting the Nintendo consoles, infringing their copyright and trade marks.

SC Johnson

the maker of well-known brands such as Mr Muscle, Autan, Glade, Raid and Off! on all aspects of its trade marks, product designs and advertising/unfair competition work across a number of European jurisdictions.

A global pharmaceutical company

on successful arguments for the registration of its trade mark for the distinctive shape of one of its products in the Czech Republic.

News and insights

sections of glass and steel layered over each other

Publications: 14 March 2024

Infringing gin part II: Court of Appeal victory for M&S against Aldi’s copycat design

Designers and brand owners will be comforted by Marks & Spencer’s Court of Appeal victory. It reinforces the importance of registering designs to protect against copycat products and, as the first…

Publications: 08 November 2023

Real or fake? The IP risks of synthetic media

Generative AI has the potential to revolutionise advertising. These AI models can now synthesise and manipulate marketing content quickly and efficiently to create “synthetic media”. This is exciting…

Publications: 16 October 2023

The Council of the EU adopts its positions on designs protection legislation

On 25 September 2023, the Council adopted its positions (‘general approaches’) on the proposed amendments to EU designs legislation (the recast Directive for the legal protection of designs and…

Publications: 06 September 2023

Consultations on the One IPO Transformation Programme

What is the background to the IPO’s Transformation Programme and what stage has the consultation process reached?

Awards and accolades

Winner: Copyright & Design Firm of the Year – France, Managing IP EMEA Awards 2020

Recognition of our work

Allen & Overy is not just an able running mate to world-leading brands but a strategic pacesetter.

WTR 1000 International 2020

Allen & Overy was the first UK-based firm to open in Bratislava and now it is one of, if not the most specialised in intellectual property in Slovakia.

WTR 1000 2020