Insights
Written for the file, then published.
These notes are the same advice we put in client letters. Official fees and practice are current as at the date on each piece.
Trade marks · 12 June 2026
After SkyKick: specification discipline on the UK register
Broad class headings are no longer a harmless habit. The specification you file is now part of the validity of the mark.
8 minute read
Portfolio · 28 April 2026
Comparable UK rights: what still exists, and what needs a new filing
EU trade marks and designs did not vanish in Britain. The ones that were alive on 31 December 2020 became something else. Everything filed later did not.
Practice · 3 April 2026
The April 2026 UKIPO fee change, in the numbers that matter
Official fees rose on 1 April 2026. The increase is small on a single filing and large on a neglected renewal calendar.
Patents · 18 February 2026
Freedom to operate before you launch in Great Britain
A patent on your own product is not permission to sell it. The question is whether anyone else can stop you.
Designs · 22 January 2026
Registered designs and unregistered design right are not substitutes
One is a register entry you can wave. The other is an argument about dates, originality and who first marketed the article.
Portfolio · 9 December 2025
Building an IP docket that survives an audit
Buyers, lenders and insurers do not want a folder of certificates. They want to know the next deadline will be met without the person who 'just knows'.