Free trade

Seminar: Brexit – Planning for the Unknown

Tuesday 9 May 2017 The UK Government finally delivered its Article 50 notice to the European Council on 29 March. The contents of that letter created much disagreement across the continent almost as soon as it was taken out of the envelope. The prospects for a harmonious two-year negotiation period are therefore rather slim. But […]

Do you want a hard or soft-boiled Brexit?

Charles Proctor explains how the UK could declare itself a free trade zone by ceasing to impose tariffs on imports immediately after its split from the European Union. UK politicians have spent the last few months arguing over the shape of a post-Brexit deal with the EU: will it be ‘hard’ or will it be […]

Brexit countdown – legal update as leave approaches

Charles Proctor joins the commentary about the Brexit countdown in The Brief. Kiss tariffs goodbye As the most recent Nobel prize winner did not quite sing at Desert Trip in California last weekend: “It’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard Brexit gonna fall.” Indeed, writes Edward Fennell, there’s a good chance that the […]

A look at post-Brexit trademark protection

The fashion powerhouse Christian Louboutin (Louboutin) has been litigating to protect its iconic red-soled shoes since 2011. It began in the United States and has meandered through various courts in Europe, finding its way to the European Court of Justice (ECJ). Here we take a brief look at Louboutin’s fight to protect its trademark and […]