Effective from 1 January 2021, there has been a substantial change to the UK Intellectual Property Office’s (UKIPO) rules on address for service.
Under the previous rules, an application for design, patent or trade marks required an address in either the UK, EEA or Channel Islands for service to which the UKIPO can send correspondence.
This position has changed, and it is now mandatory for all IP owners to provide either a UK (including Isle of Man), Gibraltar or Channel Islands address in order to make new design, patent and trade mark applications. The new address for service rules also apply to any new contentious proceedings brought before the UKIPO after 1 January 2021.
The position in relation to the renewal of existing registered rights and rights created as UK registrations by automatically ‘cloning’ EU registrations as a result of Brexit, will benefit from an initial period of 3 years’ where a UK address for service will not be required.
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In an increasingly competitive market where innovation, aesthetics, and brand identity are critical assets UK businesses must take a strategic approach to intellectual property (IP) protection. Whether you’re a fashion brand, tech firm, or start-up, building and maintaining a strong IP portfolio is essential for long-term value and commercial success.
Generative AI represents a new frontier in fashion innovation but it also challenges conventional notions of creativity, ownership, and protection. As the law catches up, designers, tech firms, and brands must proactively engage with and stay on top of the changes. Whether it’s securing copyright, registering designs, or navigating patents, a specialist AI London Solicitor or IP London Solicitor can help turn AI built fashion into a legally protected asset.
As the digital fashion industry booms alongside the rise of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), questions around intellectual property (IP) ownership, licensing, and legal enforcement are more pressing than ever. Digital garments at first only used in the gaming sphere are now traded on blockchain platforms, worn in virtual environments, and even showcased on social media and virtual runways. With this evolution comes the need for legal clarity, especially for designers, platforms, and consumers based in the UK.