Alaska Airlines loses £160m ($160m) trademark appeal to Virgin Group, ordered to pay $8m annual royalties until 2039.

Alaska Airlines lost an appeal in a £160m ($160m) trademark case with Virgin Group, after a London court ruled that Virgin is entitled to royalties even though Alaska no longer uses the Virgin brand. Virgin units successfully argued that Alaska is liable to pay an $8m "minimum royalty" payment every year until 2039, based on a 2014 licence agreement that required the annual payment even if Alaska stopped using its branding.