Intellectual property

IP is a crucial element in today's knowledge-driven business environment.  Our IP team focuses on the protection, management and exploitation of intellectual property rights; the legal issues related to new technology, from patented inventions to computer software and the legal and commercial needs of businesses whose major assets include substantial IP portfolios.

These are fast-moving areas of law, where original thought and speed of response are at  a premium, built on a consistent quality of service.

We have an international IP practice and, for example, we are one of the leading advisers to four out of the ten fastest-growing technology businesses based in India. With our international offices in Monaco, Dubai and Moscow, we are also used to handling international arrangements, including the structuring and contractual provisions for the exploitation of intellectual property rights. Our offices work seamlessly, in a way which no other law firm can match, to provide integrated commercial and tax effective solutions to meet the business needs of our international clients.

Our IP team works across the whole range of IP rights on a worldwide basis. In particular we regularly advise on the registrability of IP rights, and undertake work associated with the registration of IP rights; manage and monitor IP portfolios for potential infringements and advise on enforcement strategies; enforce IP rights by way of pre-action correspondence, high court litigation and various forms of arbitration and mediation; and draft and negotiate agreements and structures relating to the exploitation of IP rights.

Intellectual property

We have expertise across the full range of IP rights across all jurisdictions.  We can advise on both non-contentious and contentious IP matters concerning:

• Brands
• Confidential information and know-how
• Copyright
• Database rights
• Design rights
• Licensing and commercial agreements
• Media, defamation and reputation
• Merchandising and sponsorship
• Passing off
• Patents
• Technology
• Trade marks

Intellectual property

Highlights of our recent IP work include:

We advised Kraken Sports & Media on licensing arrangements for its Opus range of books featuring the NFL, Manchester United (one copy of which was bought at a charity gala in Dubai for £758,000 - a new world record price for a sporting publication), Formula 1, Ferrari, the All England Lawn Tennis Association, and Vivienne Westwood.

We advised the UK listed company Entertainments Rights PLC on its $305 million acquisition of Classic Media Holdings, Inc. the US-based owner of an extensive portfolio of children's and family characters and brands (including ‘Lassie’ and ‘The Lone Ranger’). The acquisition of Classic Media effectively doubled the size of Entertainment Rights and the transformation of its business into a global player marked the culmination of its declared international growth objective.

We advised The Mediterranean Science Commission (CIESM), the international organisation supported by 23 Member States to promote international research in the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea, on a claim for copyright infringement against the World Wildlife Fund relating to the publication of a series of scientific articles. This matter, which entailed detailed scientific and legal analysis, was concluded successfully in favour of CIESM including the issue of an agreed public statement by WWF. We first conducted a thorough investigation of CIESM's potential claim, including comparisons of specific scientific texts and materials. We then negotiated with the World Wildlife Fund with a firm but non-aggressive approach in order to achieve a negotiated settlement favourable to CIESM but also in line with its public ethics and standards of conduct.

Intellectual property