Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Goods definition

What does Goods mean? In legal practice, goods are tangible, movable items that are bought, sold, supplied or hired under commercial or consumer contracts. Across the UK and Ireland, legislation defines the term: the Sale of Goods Act 1979 (England & Wales and Scotland), the Sale of Goods Act (Northern Ireland) 1979, and in Ireland the Sale of Goods Act 1893 as amended by the 1980 Act. Broadly, goods comprise all personal chattels (in Scotland, all corporeal moveables) other than money and things in action. The statutory definition includes emblements and industrial growing crops, and items attached to or forming part of land...

UK Character Merchandising: Copyright, Trade Marks and Passing Off Protection; Competition Law Risks (Chapter I, VABEO/TTBER), Block/Individual Exemptions and Drafting Guidance

Published by a LexisNexis IP expert

Practice notes

This Practice Note

This Practice Note outlines the IP and competition law considerations that can surface around character merchandising (that is, licensing a character’s name or image for promoting Goods or services, typically involving licences of trade marks and/or copyright) in the UK. It reviews matters arising under the Competition Act 1998 (CA 1998). It discusses potential block exemptions and individual exemptions that could be relevant. It also explores how competition law intersects with the tort of passing off. Conceptually, linking a product or service with a character enhances its appeal in the marketplace. For licensors, beyond the royalties received, exploiting such character rights can be an essential tool for marketing and sponsorship. For a concrete illustration where IP rights were licensed for character merchandising, together with an examination of the strategic considerations, see News Analysis: What does the Barbie film mean for IP rights? This Practice Note has a UK IP and competition law focus. From 1 January 2021, EU competition law no longer applies in the UK. Coverage includes the potential availability of block or individual exemptions, as appropriate, and the way such licensing arrangements may engage passing off alongside competition rules...

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Francion Brooks

Bristows

Francion specialises in EU and UK competition law. She has experience of both contentious and non-contentious matters, particularly for clients in the technology, life sciences and consumer products sectors.Francion has acted in a number of FRAND disputes including for Samsung in the Unwired Planet litigation, and more recently in disputes for ZTE and Philips. She was also a member of the team that successfully defended Google in an abuse of dominance claim brought by Streetmap. Francion has also advised on the competition law aspects of a life sciences arbitration.Francion advises on issues arising from commercial arrangements including settlement, distribution and licensing agreements across all sectors. She also advises on competition law and GSCOP issues arising in the retail and FMCG sector, including in relation to the recent Tesco/Booker and Sainsbury’s/Asda mergers.Francion has spent time on secondment at Google and at the...

Iva Gobac

Bristows

Iva trained at Bristows before qualifying as an Associate in 2023. She advises clients on all aspects of competition law, including merger control, investigations, litigation and competition law aspects arising out of commercial agreements. Iva also advises on the application of the National Security and Investment regime. She has experience of litigation before the High Court as well as the Competition Appeal Tribunal.Prior to joining the Competition team in October 2024, Iva worked in Bristows’ Brands, Designs and Copyright team and has a keen interest in the intersection between competition and IP law.Iva has written for publications such as The Licensing Journal, Entertainment Law Review, the Journal of World Intellectual Property, Intellectual Property Forum Journal (IPSANZ) and Thomson Reuters Practical Law.Prior to joining Bristows as a trainee solicitor, Iva worked as a consultant at the World Intellectual Property...

Web page updated on 28/05/2026

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