Welcome to the latest edition of Brand Matters, a series of articles and updates from Mishcon de Reya for brand owners and creators. This is the final edition of 2018 in a busy but rewarding year for our team. In October we were delighted to move up into the top tier of the Brand Management category within the Legal 500 2019 rankings, and are grateful to our clients, contacts and friends for your support.
In good news for brand owners, we consider the enhanced protections afforded to UK trade marks through The Trade Marks Regulations 2018, which comes into effect in January. Other new legislation that impacts on brand owners includes the Geo-blocking Regulation, intended to combat issues of geo-discrimination in relation to online shopping and electronically supplied services.
The impact of Brexit continues to dominate newspaper headlines. We also update you on the consequences of a 'no deal' Brexit for brand owners – which remains a real prospect – and the proposed amendments to the UK's current consumer protection laws, as well as the impact on the new geo-blocking rules.
In this edition, we also look at the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee's recent evidence hearing – the first of two hearings – on the environmental effect of the UK's love of fast fashion and the wider fashion industry.
If you would like to discuss any of the matters raised in this newsletter or have ideas for future issues, please do not hesitate to get in touch. We would love to hear from you.
Happy holidays!