Kerly’s Law of Trade Marks and Trade Names has provided clear and authoritative advice on all aspects of UK trade mark law since 1894. Through its mix of insightful commentary and up-to-date analysis of case law and legislation, it has established itself as the leading reference on trade mark law and a must-have title for practitioners. This updated seventeenth edition is available in print and as an eBook on Thomson Reuters ProView.
The 17th edition, published in December 2023, has now been updated with the 1st Supplement published in June 2026. The 1st Supplement covers various related decisions from the UK Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, such as Skykick (on bad faith and scope of specification), and Lifestyle Equities v Amazon (targeting, internet use), and several others.
Kerly provides you with:
- The most comprehensive and authoritative guidance on the law of trade marks and trade names.
- Explanations of key aspects of trade mark law: classification, registration, enforcement, infringement and litigation.
- Detailed analysis of community trade marks, their provisions, extent of protection and procedural matters, as well as the changes introduced by the European trade mark reforms.
- Coverage of issues such as assignment, licensing, merchandising and franchising.
- Outlines the absolute and relative grounds for the refusal of registration.
- Addresses trade mark infringement and available defences including limitations on, exclusions from and statutory.
- Explains the difference between collective and certification marks and highlights their respective functions and regulations.
- Dedicated chapters on trade libel, company names, the internet and the influence of human rights.
- Looks at the related issues of competition law and restraint of trade.
- Discusses the influence of EU law and possible areas of post-Brexit divergence.