News

• Gucci Wins WIPO Case Over 30 Domain Names in Major Anti-Cybersquatting Victory

  
  
  
  Italian luxury house Gucci has secured a sweeping win at the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center, which ordered the transfer of 30 domain names—including gucci.kids, gucci.sydney, and thegucci.shop—registered by U.S.-based Technology In Motion Enterprises. The panel found that the domains, which redirected to sites selling rival handbags and jewellery, were registered in bad faith to exploit Gucci’s global reputation. Evidence showed the respondent had attempted to lease the domains to Gucci for fees exceeding $10,000, while also controlling similar domains tied to Dior, Chanel, and Estée Lauder. The WIPO panel ruled that such conduct amounted to "opportunistic bad faith" and a deliberate attempt to profit from confusion with Gucci’s trademarks.
  
  

  
  

  29/10/2025

• An update to our trademark report is now available

    To access it, please log in to your account and go to the "Trademark" section. If you're not registered yet, simply sign up with your reference number.
  
  
  

  27/10/2025

• UKIPO Rejects Philips’ Shaver Design Trademarks for Lack of Distinctiveness

  
  
  
  The UK Intellectual Property Office has refused four trademark applications by Dutch technology group Koninklijke Philips N.V. for geometric dot patterns applied to electric shavers, ruling the designs “devoid of distinctive character” under the Trade Marks Act 1994. The decision found that the dotted motifs—featured across multiple filings—would be perceived by consumers as decorative embellishments rather than indicators of trade origin. Philips argued the patterns were unique and already accepted by the EUIPO, but the UK examiner held that aesthetic appeal alone does not make a design a trademark. The rejection underscores the UKIPO’s increasingly strict approach to design marks in consumer electronics, where visual simplicity can hinder distinctiveness. The ruling comes as Philips continues its transformation into a health technology powerhouse, generating €18 billion in 2024, largely driven by its medical imaging and diagnostic equipment.
  
  

  
  

  23/10/2025