SDL Hair Ltd v Next Row Ltd & Ors [2013] EWPCC 31 (14 June 2013)

SDL Hair Ltd v Next Row Ltd & Ors [2013] EWPCC 31 (14 June 2013)  is a judgment of Mr Recorder Richard Meade (not another debutant intellectual property judge?) and concerns a patent for heating hair rollers. There is a lot in the 44-page judgment about inductive heating, which is quite interesting but not knowledge that many lawyers will be able to put into regular use. The upshot of the consideration of the physics was that there was no infringement, but there were also points to be considered about whether the claimant was an exclusive licensee and therefore entitled to sue, and whether certain threats were actionable (they were) and if so who was liable for some of them (an individual who had made a threat was held to be personally liable).