Architects shouldn't be stifled by their disdain for copying successful ideas, from Assemble's pop-up cinema to Shigeru Ban's cardboard structures, says Phineas Harper in his latest Opinion column. More
Confectionary giant Mondelez and British chain Poundland are locked in a feud over the discount store's new Toblerone-esque chocolate bar called Twin Peaks. More
The blue and white sari famously worn by recently canonised nun Mother Teresa has been trademarked to protect her reputation. More
The organisers of Swiss fair Art Basel have filed a lawsuit against Adidas for using the event's name and branding without permission on a limited-edition pair of trainers. More
Nestlé has lost a four-year battle to get the design of its KitKat chocolate bar recognised as a trade mark in the UK. More
The Italian courts have sided with Molteni&C in a legal dispute against Cassina that saw both brands exhibit the same chair during Milan design week. More
Molteni&C has won the first round of a legal battle against Cassina, after both Italian brands showed the same 1950s Gio Ponti chair at Milan design week. More
Copyright protection lasts too long and should be shortened, according to musician David Byrne, speaking at a design festival at the new A/D/O space in New York this weekend. More
The US Supreme Court has ruled in favour of Samsung in its ongoing patent case against fellow tech giant Apple. More
German brand e15 is taking IKEA to Germany's highest court over a bed it claims is copied from one of its own designs. More
Recent changes to UK copyright law might not give furniture designers the protections they expect, according to intellectual property lawyer Margaret Briffa. More
New copyright laws in the UK have come into effect, banning replicas of some of the most-copied icons of 20th century furniture design – including pieces by Arne Jacobsen, and Charles and Ray Eames (+ slideshow). More
Business news: American furniture brand Emeco has accepted an out-of-court settlement from IKEA after accusing the Swedish giant of copying the design of one of its chairs. More
A new copyright law in the UK will "wipe out" design book publishing and cripple design education, according to author and publisher Charlotte Fiell. More
News: design brands including Vitra, Artek and Flos have joined forces to attack the UK government for delaying the implementation of a law that would outlaw the sale of copies of their furniture and lighting products. More
News: a bill to extend copyright protection on industrial design from 25 years to the length of the author's life plus 70 years has today become law in the UK. More
Dezeen and MINI World Tour: in this movie filmed in Milan earlier this month, leading designers and manufacturers discuss the phenomenon of copying and how they are responding. "It’s become an increasingly big problem for us," says Tom Dixon. "People can steal ideas and produce them almost faster than we can now." More
Dezeen Wire: The Guardian reports on a campaign to persuade high-street retailers to respect the intellectual property of independent designers following the case of English pattern designer Rachael Taylor, who last week spoke out after finding a product almost identical to her own on sale at Marks & Spencer (above and below; Taylor's designs are on the right in both photos). More