Intellectual property and copyright

Protecting your intellectual property and copyright

• Intellectual property (IP) is, for most businesses, a significant asset.
• We advise on copyright, trade marks, designs, patents, format and database rights, know-how and passing off.
• Protecting, enforcing and exploiting your IP can be essential for the success of your business.

The development protection, exploitation and enforcement of IP are of paramount importance to many businesses. It is also a complex area of law that requires in-depth knowledge of all relevant rules and regulations.

What is intellectual property law?

Intellectual property law is a legal framework that protects the rights of creators and owners of original works, such as inventions, literary and artistic works, and symbols or designs. It includes patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets.

What is copyright law?

Copyright law is a legal framework that grants exclusive rights to creators of original works, such as literary, artistic, musical, and other intellectual works. It protects the creators’ rights to control the use, distribution, and reproduction of their works, and provides legal remedies for infringement.

With extensive experience of IP and copyright law, we can help you with the following:

• IP strategy – Help with understanding what IP your business owns and, more importantly, what IP your business should protect and the best way to do this cost-effectively.
• Copyright – A detailed understanding of copyright law and related commercial issues puts us in a strong position to advise you on areas such as software licensing.
• Trademarks and designs – We can help you protect your brands and/or designs and manage the registration of trademarks and designs for your business.
• Patents and know-how – For businesses with new inventions and processes, we can advise suitable licensing arrangements.
• Research & development collaborations – if you are involved in R&D collaboration, ensuring that the correct position is adopted regarding IP ownership and exploitation is of vital importance. We can advise parties in relation to various forms of R&D collaborations, including academic and private sector collaborations.
• We advise on other IP related agreements including IP assignment and licensing, distribution, sponsorship, merchandising, format rights licensing, publishing and franchising agreements.
• Links with foreign lawyers and agents means that we can secure protection for your IP rights nationally and internationally.
• Together with our dispute resolution team, we can also advise on what to do when someone else is using your IP without your permission.
• We always consider your primary commercial objectives and take a strategic, rather than an academic, approach.