intellectual property & it

Intellectual property rights are usually among the most neglected assets a business has. Ask a businessperson about cashflow or the value of their premises and you will usually get a reasonably accurate answer. However where IP rights are concerned they often have no idea about value and may not even recognise them as an asset.

The different forms of intellectual property rights arising under the law for the protection of inventions, products and designs are many and varied. As part of our corporate team, our IP practice advises on, negotiates, litigates and documents all aspects of IP. Our advice covers copyright, patents, trade marks, design rights, database rights, confidentiality agreements, licensing, trade secrets, internet issues, data protection, commercial drafting and infringement advice. We also deal with applications for registration of patents, trademarks and registered design and give advice on intellectual property and IT aspects of mergers and acquisitions work.

The rapid growth of the internet has helped to make ’know-how’ one of the most important assets on a company’s balance sheet. In addition this means that an ever-increasing number of technology and other infrastructure suppliers, access providers and trading organisations require legal advice on regulatory matters including IP on the internet as well as on web design and development agreements, webhosting agreements, outsourcing and computer contracts generally.

Our experience is wide-ranging both in terms of the industry and the service sectors in which our clients operate and the issues on which we advise. Our clients include businesses based in the media and creative industries, the educational sector and science and technology sector.

Like the rest of the firm, the practice area prides itself on giving practical and commercial advice to our clients; we work closely with clients in understanding their commercial objectives and regard our knowledge of their industry and market as central to this. The practice area also has well-established contacts with other professionals in the field and with Counsel and patent and trade mark agents who can be consulted should the need arise.

We have extensive experience of contentious and non-contentious matters across the entire spectrum of Intellectual Property and Information Technology and regularly assist clients both with obtaining and maintaining protection for their inventions, brands, commercial and creative designs, trade secrets, software, data and whatever else may be the subject of intellectual property protection.