SkyKick UK Ltd and Another v Sky Ltd and Others
The hearing between SkyKick UK Ltd and Sky Ltd centered on a long‑running dispute over trademark registration practice, specifically whether the lack of an intent‑to‑use requirement and overly broad specifications constitute bad‑faith filing. The counsel highlighted two pivotal developments: the UK government’s repeal of the 2017 trademark regulation, which removed the retained EU law framework, and the Court of Justice of the Union (CJU) judgment that affirmed the EU’s “first‑to‑file” regime does not demand a bona‑fide intent to use at the filing stage. The argument was framed by parallel trends from 2002‑2008: evolving case law that progressively dismissed an intent‑to‑use requirement, and the EUIPO’s Presidential Communication No 4/03, which instructed applicants to list extensive goods and services. References to the Trillium and Scitec decisions illustrated how these precedents shaped the current doctrinal disagreement, while the judge’s own papers on “broad specifications and intent to use” underscored the tension between liberal filing practices and calls for greater granularity. Prominent voices—including Lord Justice Arnold, Sir Robin Jacob, and Advocate General Tanchev—were cited to illustrate the split. Arnold’s criticism of vague specifications, Jacob’s doubts in Labberto and Red Bull cases, and Tanchev’s public‑policy arguments all point to a judicial appetite for tightening filing standards. The counsel framed the dispute as the culmination of a fourteen‑year debate, with the CJU’s stance now firmly against imposing a UK‑style intent‑to‑use test on EU marks. The outcome could reshape trademark strategy across the UK and EU. If courts adopt a “granularity” requirement, applicants may need to narrow their goods‑and‑services lists, increasing filing costs and litigation risk. Conversely, maintaining the current liberal regime preserves the ease of broad filings but leaves room for future challenges, especially as post‑Brexit UK law continues to diverge from EU practice.
SkyKick UK Ltd and Another v Sky Ltd and Others
The hearing centered on SkyKick UK Ltd’s challenge to Sky Ltd’s trademark registration, focusing on whether the mark was obtained in bad faith under both European Union and United Kingdom law. Judges scrutinized the applicable legal framework, especially in light...
SkyKick UK Ltd and Another v Sky Ltd and Others
The hearing between SkyKick UK Ltd and Sky Ltd centered on the proper purpose of trademark registration, questioning whether marks can be obtained merely as defensive tools or must genuinely indicate the origin of goods and services. The judge highlighted...
Stanford Asset Holdings Ltd and Another v AfrAsia Bank Ltd (Mauritius)
The hearing centered on Stanford Asset Holdings Ltd’s appeal against AfrAsia Bank Ltd, probing whether Mauritian courts may compel disclosure of confidential banking documents under section 643H of the Banking Act. The appellant argued that the judging chambers possess jurisdiction...
Stanford Asset Holdings Ltd and Another v AfrAsia Bank Ltd (Mauritius)
The Mauritian Supreme Court heard an appeal by Stanford Asset Holdings Ltd and another party against AfrAsia Bank Ltd, seeking a freestanding Norwich Pharmac equitable remedy to obtain confidential banking information held by the Financial Services Commission. The appellants argue...
Commissioners for HM Revenue and Customs v Professional Game Match Officials Ltd
The Lords heard arguments in Commissioners for HM Revenue and Customs v Professional Game Match Officials Ltd, concentrating on whether the referees were employees for tax and social‑security purposes. Central to the dispute was the First‑Tier Tribunal’s application of the...
Commissioners for HM Revenue and Customs v Professional Game Match Officials Ltd
The hearing between HM Revenue & Customs and Professional Game Match Officials Ltd centered on whether the match officials were employees for tax and employment‑rights purposes. Counsel argued that the crux lay in the mutuality of obligation test, invoking...