UCL's Moot Team off to compete in the Annual Oxford International IP Law Moot

We are delighted to announce that UCL's Intellectual Property Moot Team will be competing in the oral rounds of the 22nd Oxford International Intellectual Property Law Moot Competition which will take place in Oxford between 19th and 22nd March 2025.

The Oxford Moot is arguably the most prestigious intellectual property law mooting competition, attracting applications from distinguished law schools around the world. The many entries received have been whittled down to 32 of the best teams, selected based upon the quality of their written submissions.

The UCL team members, April Wells and Victoria Browell, are both LLM students currently studying intellectual property law at UCL Laws. We extend hearty congratulations to April and Victoria on their selection for the oral amongst fierce competition. The UCL team has been coached by Professor Sir Robin Jacob (Director of IBIL), Josh Bradley, an IBIL Scholarship PhD researcher and Athina Stavrou, Research Assistant at IBIL. Additional advocacy support has been provided by Dheemanth Vangimalla of 3 New Square, a former UCL Moot Team Coach, and a member of the UCL Moot Team in 2023.

The moot teams will be arguing in front of the Supreme Court of Erewhon, the apex court of a fictional common law jurisdiction of Erewhon. The 2025 moot concerns Multilever plc v Greenland Supermarket plc, E Peachie & Sister Inc and Whispering Gums Winery & Distillery Ltd [2024] HCE 337 which raises trade mark infringement issues, including blurring and tarnishment. The question pits Multilever plc, an Erewhonian consumer goods company and owner of trade mark registrations for VAAGAN-DAAZ (for ice cream), PEACHIES (for toilet paper) and LISTERONE (for mouthwash) against Greenland Supermarket (through the sale of BARGAIN-DAAZ ice cream); Peachie & Sister (through the sale of PEACHIE’S sandpaper and paint brushes); and Whispering Gums (through the sale of a range of vodka-based spirit drinks in a bottle of similar shape to a 3D shape mark for the LISTERONE bottle). 

All teams will be required to participate in four preliminary rounds over two days, where they will make submissions as both the appellant and the respondent. Eight teams will progress to the knock-out rounds. The judges for the Grand Final will comprise: former Justice of the Supreme Court, Lord Kitchin; the Rt Hon. Mr Justice Meade of the High Court of England and Wales; and barrister and part-time judge, Daniel Alexander KC, of 8 New Square. There will also be a lecture given by Professor William McGeveran, Dean of Minnesota Law School.

We wish the UCL team the very best of luck!