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The phantom menace

25 September 2008
Issue: 7338 / Categories: Features , Commercial
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Jonathan Cohen reports on phantom passengers, terminating contracts and trade mark confusion

Returning to their desks after what passed for a British summer, commercial litigators can take some consolation from three recent decisions in which the judiciary have provided us with useful guidance in areas which often prove complex:
      ●     how a contract can be terminated effectively against the backdrop of litigation;    
      ●     how a fraudulent claim will impact an otherwise genuine piece of litigation; and      
      ●     how to adduce evidence of confusion (or lack of it) when opposing the registration or the continued use of a mark, that is claimed to be similar to a registered trade mark.

The Leofelis litigation

At the outset of his leading judgment in Leofelis SA and Leeside SRL v Lonsdale Sports Ltd, Trade Mark Licensing Co Ltd and Sports World International Ltd [2008] EWCA Civ 640, [2008] All ER (D) 87 (Jul) Lord Justice Lloyd commented both on the unusual number of issues in the appeal and noted that whilst it centred on a trade mark licence,

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Hugh James—Phil Edwards

Hugh James—Phil Edwards

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Lawyers’ liability practice strengthened with partner appointment in London

NEWS
Commercial leasehold, the defence of insanity and ‘consent’ in the criminal law are among the next tranche of projects for the Law Commission
Tech companies will be legally required to prevent material that encourages or assists serious self-harm appearing on their platforms, under Online Safety Act 2023 regulations due to come into force in the autumn
The Bar has a culture of ‘impunity’ and ‘collusive bystanding’ in which making a complaint is deemed career-ending due to a ‘cohort of untouchables’ at the top, Baroness Harriet Harman KC has found
Lawyers have broadly welcomed plans to electronically tag up to 22,000 more offenders, scrap most prison terms below a year and make prisoners ‘earn’ early release
David Lammy, Ellie Reeves and Baroness Levitt have taken up office at the Ministry of Justice, following the cabinet reshuffle
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