Insights

On 19 October 2026, 7-Eleven dropped its US trademark lawsuit against Nike. Its claim was not about a name or a logo but about orange, green and red stripes on a sneaker, combined with a release date of 7/11 (news). The case ended without a ruling, but it raises a question brand owners often ask: can a set of colours or stripes be protected as a trademark? In China the answer is yes, but the bar is higher than for words and logos. This guide covers the legal basis, the evidence that decides most cases, and how to file. It is general information; CNIPA's current examination practice and the facts of each case decide the outcome.

There is still time to be heard on AI and intellectual property. Singapore's Ministry of Law (MinLaw) and the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) have extended their joint public consultation on AI and Singapore's IP regime: feedback was originally due on 22 October 2026, and the exercise will now close on 5 November 2026.

The consultation opened on 26 August 2026 and spans two tracks — copyright and patents — with three focus areas on copyright and two on patents. Everything is still at the 'seeking views' stage; nothing has been decided.

A trade mark registration in Australia is not beyond recall the moment it is granted. On 20 October 2026, IP Australia published a new Part 36 in its Trade Marks Manual of Practice and Procedure, pulling the previously scattered chapters on revocation of acceptance and revocation of registration into one place, adding the amendment or cessation of protection of international registrations, and writing in the Full Court's 2026 National Cancer Foundation decision.

Part 36 covers three powers. Before registration, the Registrar may revoke acceptance of an application under s 38.

Is Getty Images, one of the world's largest stock libraries, going bust? Not quite. On 21 October 2026, Getty Images Holdings (OTCPK: GETY) said certain of its US entities had commenced a prepackaged Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (No. 26-11646) to carry out a previously announced financial restructuring. The library keeps trading, and the company expects no impact on contributors, partners or customers.

Brands that take down counterfeit listings on Chinese marketplaces often describe the same frustration: the listings disappear, and a few weeks later the same products are back, under new store names. A takedown removes a listing, not the people or the factory behind it. To make the problem smaller, you need to find out who is actually making and shipping the goods, and then use tools that reach them. This guide sets out how to trace the source and which routes are open once you have found it. It is general information; Chinese law, platform rules and the facts of each case decide the outcome.

A Nike Air Max 95 that nowhere shows the words “7-Eleven” and carries no convenience-store signage was sued before its release this summer. What 7-Eleven objected to was the band of orange, green and red stripes running across the shoe — a pattern it says it has used for close to forty years. On 19 October 2026 the chain filed a notice voluntarily dismissing the case with prejudice, ending the fight on its own motion.

The suit ran in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas (Dallas Division, No. 3:26-cv-02201).