Iain Connor

As a partner, Iain has built an intellectual property practice protecting ideas and innovation for clients across a range of sectors from retail and consumer to hotels and leisure; financial services institutions and technology companies to manufacturers of fast moving consumer goods and healthcare companies; and education and training to media and sport.

His work has given him the chance to pursue many pieces of high profile IP litigation through the UK courts and then on to the Court of Justice of the European Union. His court highlights include Interflora -v- Marks & Spencer - a trade mark infringement case relating to the use of Interflora as an AdWord in the Google advertising programme – for which his team won Managing IP's ‘UK Trade Mark Litigation Team of the Year’ and The Lawyer's ‘IP team of the Year’; British Horseracing Board -v- William Hill - the first Database Rights case to be heard before the CJEU; Specsavers -v- Asda Stores – a parody advertising case relating to the use of the advertising strapline "Be a real spec saver at Asda" referred to the CJEU on the question of genuine use of a trade mark; and L'Oreal -v- Bellure - a comparative advertising case relating to smell-a-like perfumes referred to the CJEU on the question of what amounts to taking unfair advantage of a trade mark.

Iain is listed by all the major directories as an expert in his field with his international experience extending beyond trade marks, brands and advertising into patents, design rights, database rights, copyright and breach of confidence cases. Iain has strong technology and software disputes practice as well as advising on parallel imports.