Ollie Simpson
Ollie is an Associate in the IP, IT & Commercial department, based in London. He assists a broad range of clients on a variety of matters, including commercial agreements, data protection, intellectual property, and advertising and marketing law.
In particular, Ollie assists with drafting and advising on non-disclosure agreements, master services agreements, statements of works, and terms and conditions for the supply of goods and services. He also has experience in advising on privacy policies, cookie policies, and data protection impact assessments, as well as assisting with the protection, management and enforcement of trade marks and other intellectual property rights, both in the UK and internationally.
Ollie has a particular interest in advising clients on their compliance with the advertising regulations in the UK.
Practice Areas
Panel
- Contributing Author
2 Contributions by Ollie Simpson
PRACTICE NOTES
Metatags and Keyword Advertising: UK Trade Mark Infringement, Advertiser and Platform Liability, Targeting/Jurisdiction, Google Ads Policy and Practical Guidance (post‑Brexit)
Using metatags and keyword advertising is lawful, yet it has prompted disputes where site operators select competitors’ trade marks as keywords to channel traffic to their own pages. The competitor’s trade mark is usually not visible in the advert or on the advertiser’s site, but the advert or the web link appears when an internet user enters the competitor’s mark as a search term. The central issue is whether employing third-party trade marks in metatags or keyword advertising amounts to infringement.
Terminology
‘Metatags’ are keywords and descriptions inserted in the invisible hypertext mark-up language (html) of websites. They indicate a site’s content. When an internet user types a keyword or description into a search engine, it searches the metatags as well as the visible text on websites to present a list of the most relevant sites (the ‘natural’ results). Website owners use metatags to improve the chances of search engines listing and ranking their site higher, leading to more users visiting the site...
IP
PRACTICE NOTES
UK Company Names Tribunal: objections, goodwill, defences, procedure, powers and appeals, with ECCTA 2023 reforms (CA 2006 ss 69–74)
Establishment and function of the Company Names Tribunal
The Company Names Tribunal (the Tribunal) was set up under the Companies Act 2006 (CA 2006). Under CA 2006, s 69, a person may ask the Tribunal to object to a company’s registered name on the grounds that it is the same as, or sufficiently similar to, a name associated with the applicant in which it has goodwill. This Tribunal route operates alongside regulations that prohibit a company from choosing a name that is identical to, or too close to, one already registered by another company. Companies House also enforces a range of other rules that limit the selection of company names. For further information, see Practice Note: Company names and business names.
Legislative framework: CA 2006, ss 69–74 create a right for any person to challenge a registered company or limited liability partnership (LLP) name. The Tribunal specifically handles applications under CA 2006, s 69(1)(a) and (b). The Company Names Adjudicator Rules 2008, SI 2008/1738 set out the basic procedural framework within which the Tribunal functions...
IP
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