Welcome to the autumn edition of Brand Matters.
The implications of Brexit for brand owners continue to be felt. As we report here, the deadline for re-filing EU trade mark and design applications that were pending at the end of the transition period is approaching on 30 September 2021. Brand owners should act now and check their portfolios to ensure that the necessary applications are made and valuable protection in the UK is not lost. We also await with interest the Government's proposals in relation to exhaustion of IP rights and parallel trade, with its recent consultation closing at the end of August.
In this edition, we discuss some of the ongoing supply chain issues in the wake of both Brexit and COVID-19, and how these can be managed, including through insurance. We also focus on a number of developments over the summer including a range of interesting IP cases, as well as the Government's proposals to shake-up the data protection regime in the UK.
Mishcon de Reya is also very proud to have recently attained B Corporation certification. This is an important step for us, and our long-standing relationship with B Lab UK has helped over 80 companies to meet the legal requirements for their B Corp certification.
Thanks again to the contributors to this edition. I hope you enjoy reading it.