Intimate meaning

On 29 April 2025, the EU's General Court confirmed that the EU Intellectual Property Office's (EUIPO) Board of Appeal was correct to conclude that there are insufficient visual, aural and conceptual cues to distinguish Dr August Wolff GmbH & Co KG Arzneimittel's 'Vagisan' sign from Combe International LLC's 'Vagisil' brand. The court stated that, although the element 'vagi' hints at the goods' intended purpose, that does not negate the resemblance between the signs arising from that shared component, nor from their identical structure, cadence and intonation. The Board of Appeal determined that both marks contain the segment 'vagi', which points to 'vagina' and indicates the products' function within female intimate healthcare, and the court upheld that assessment, finding the similarities sufficient to preclude differentiation for the purposes at issue in this particular case...

In this issue: Investigating criminal conduct Criminal procedure and evidence Bribery, corruption, sanctions and export controls Consumer protection and cartels Environmental offences Financial services and pensions offences Health and safety and corporate manslaughter offences Insolvency offences and Companies Act offences Money laundering International Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Useful information Investigating criminal conduct Crime and Policing Bill introduced into Parliament The Home Office has confirmed that the Crime and Policing Bill is due to be laid before Parliament. Headline measures include a power for police to enter without a warrant to retrieve electronically tracked stolen goods, scrapping the £200 de facto threshold for prosecuting shop theft, and a bespoke assault offence to better protect retail staff. The Bill also establishes new crimes for spiking, child criminal exploitation, and recording intimate images without consent. It bolsters existing regimes on stalking,...

Reid v Price [2020] EWHC 594 (QB) What are the practical implications of this case? This decision is a helpful authority on quantifying damages for claims involving disclosure of private information, breach of undertakings, breach of confidence, and the misuse of private information. It addresses how compensation should be assessed across overlapping privacy-related wrongs. The principles articulated in the judgment merit close attention by practitioners advising on likely awards in comparable situations, particularly since, in Warby J’s own phrase, ‘the authorities are not very numerous’. Warby J held that Mr Reid succeeded on four distinct causes of action: breach of contract, namely breach of express undertakings provided by Ms Price in 2011 that the relevant material would not be revealed unjustified breach of Mr Reid’s confidence misuse of private information concerning Mr Reid breach of statutory duty under section 4(4) of the Data Protection Act 1998, being a failure to adhere to the overarching data protection principles As many...

A glossary of frequently used terms and phrases in Scottish Private Client law, with the closest England and Wales equivalents (where applicable) and links to helpful websites Ab intestato Meaning From someone who dies without a will; describes property taken under the laws of intestate succession. Nearest English equivalent None Action of specific implement Meaning A court action seeking an order compelling a party to carry out a particular act. In Scotland there is no division between equitable and legal remedies, unlike England and Wales. Nearest English equivalent Specific performance (an equitable remedy for breach of contract that can be ordered alongside, or in place of, damages) Advance notice Meaning An entry in the relevant property register that protects the grantee of a deed intended for registration in the Land Register of Scotland. The protected period of 35 days begins on the day after registration....

This Practice Note examines the offences of controlling or coercive behaviour under section 76 of the Serious Crime Act 2015 (SCA 2015) and causing or allowing a child or vulnerable adult to die or suffer serious physical harm under section 5 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 (DVCVA 2004). For information on domestic abuse, see: Domestic abuse—overview. Controlling or coercive behaviour offence under the Serious Crime Act 2015 Under SCA 2015, s 76, controlling or coercive behaviour within an intimate or family relationship is a criminal offence where the conduct has a serious effect on the victim. The offence was introduced to address a perceived gap in the law regarding patterns of controlling or coercive behaviour that may occur during a relationship between intimate partners, former partners who remain living together, or family members, where isolated incidents would not, on their own, amount to an offence. It also acknowledges the harm that coercion or control can cause, the cumulative impact upon the victim, and the...

Authorising and ordering intimate searches An intimate search means a physical examination of any of a suspect’s bodily orifices except the mouth. It is an invasive procedure, not merely a visual check. Only an arrested person held in police detention may be subjected to an intimate search. PACE 1984 Code C is engaged. Such a search may be authorised solely by an officer of inspector rank or above who has reasonable grounds to believe that: a detainee has secreted on their person: something capable of causing physical injury to themselves or others, and they might injure themselves or others whilst in police detention or court custody, or a detainee: may have Class A drugs hidden on their person, and at the time of arrest, was in possession of those drugs intending to supply or export them An officer must not...

This overview offers general guidance on injunctions in the family courts to protect against domestic abuse. Your family lawyer can provide specific advice tailored to your situation. Family homes and domestic abuse If you are facing violence, threats or intimidation, you can apply to the family courts for an injunction to help protect you. There are two types of injunction: a non-molestation order, and an occupation order What is a non-molestation order? A non-molestation order restrains your partner or spouse from using or threatening violence against you or your children, or from intimidating, harassing or pestering you. It can include detailed provisions tailored to the particular behaviour affecting you. Who can apply? To seek a non-molestation order you must be an associated person, as defined in the relevant legislation. This includes current and former spouses, civil partners and cohabitants, as well as fiancé(e)s, relatives, people living in the same household, the parents of children in the home, and...

This response considers whether there is a fixed period that a relationship needs to have lasted in order to fall within the definition of a relationship of ‘significant duration’ under section 62(3) of the Family Law Act 1996 (FLA 1996). A court may issue a non-molestation order under FLA 1996, s 42 where an application is brought by a person ‘associated with the respondent’. Equally, in any family proceedings to which the respondent is a party, the court can decide that such an order should be made for the benefit of any other party to the case or any relevant child, despite no application having been submitted (FLA 1996, s 42(2)). For more detailed guidance, see Practice Note: Non-molestation orders. The phrase ‘associated persons’ is defined in FLA 1996, s 62(3)...