22nd May 2025

LexisNexis Case Analysis: Iqbal and another v City of Wolverhampton Council [2025] EWCA Crim 498

Trainee Solicitor Saher Amin and Legal Director Helene Whelbourn discuss the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)’s decision to uphold criminal convictions of brothers Majid and Mohammad Iqbal for conspiracy to infringe trade marks, brought by the City of Wolverhampton Council over the sale, ownership and distribution of goods that infringed the trade marks of, among other items, Apple’s AirPods.

This case reinforces the seriousness of intellectual property crimes with which UK courts treat intellectual property crimes and discusses the legal thresholds for establishing criminal conspiracy in trade mark and design infringement cases, re-affirming the core elements required to establish a conspiracy conviction.

This piece was originally written for, and published by LexisNexis on 14 May 2025 and is available to read here or by clicking on the button below.

Find out more about our Brand Protection work here.