IP in M&A

IP in M&A

When businesses are bought or sold, or assets reorganised within a corporate group, it is important that intellectual property (IP) issues are considered and addressed so that businesses can continue to operate normally and without disruption. In some cases IP will be critical to the operation of a business, and in others IP will play a more ancillary role. There are almost no cases where a business will not rely on any IP rights or use no material subject to IP protection in its wider operations.

IP as a business asset

IP is first and foremost a form of property, and is a key asset for many businesses. How critical a role that IP plays in the success of a business will depend both on the nature of the business and the nature of the IP. A business engaged in producing consumer products will depend heavily on trade marks and rights in passing off to protect their brand and position in the market. For some businesses their core value may come from ownership of patents giving them a monopoly over a particular inventive product or process. For other businesses,

To view the latest version of this document and thousands of others like it, sign-in with LexisNexis or register for a free trial.

TAKE A FREE TRIAL

Latest IP News

WIPO launches Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Interchange initiative

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has launched the Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Interchange (AIII), a new initiative to promote expert dialogue on IP and AI, focusing on technical and operational issues. Discussions will address areas, including facilitating access to data at scale, identification and attribution standards, watermarking, fingerprinting, rights management and the use of AI for IP enforcement and infrastructure. To support this work, WIPO has established a Technical Exchange Network comprising over 90 experts across multiple countries. The network will initially undertake a mapping exercise of existing copyright infrastructure and the technical challenges arising from the intersection of AI and the creative economy. Its findings will inform the identification of priority areas for further work. The first annual public meeting of the AIII is scheduled for 2 October 2026, where Member State representatives and stakeholders will provide input on the Technical Exchange Network’s progress and findings.

IP weekly highlights—19 March 2026

This week's edition of IP weekly highlights includes: a hand-picked summary of news analysis, updates and new content from the world of IP. These highlights focus on the key rights of copyright and associated rights, design rights, database rights, trade marks and passing off, and patents, as well as covering issues relating to confidential information, know-how R&D and IP disputes all mainly from a UK and European perspective.

DSIT publishes report and impact assessment on copyright and artificial intelligence

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Intellectual Property Office have jointly published a report and an impact assessment examining the use of copyright works in the development of artificial intelligence systems which have been released under sections 135 and 136 of the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (DUAA 2025).

European Parliament Legal Affairs Committee adopts proposals on AI copyright protection

The European Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee (JURI) have adopted proposals that mandate transparency and fair remuneration for copyrighted work used by generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems.