About IP Law
With the laws around Intellectual Property and Information Technology changing all the time, keeping pace is hard enough. But knowing the law isn’t enough. You need to know what those changes are going to mean for your clients. The big picture, the fine detail, the impact and the next steps.
Copyright
Practical information about copyright, moral rights, performers’ rights and rights in performances. Get precedent copyright assignments and licences here.
Trade marks
Practical information about trade marks, passing off, geographical indications and anti-counterfeiting. Get precedent trade mark assignments and licences here.
Patents
Practical information about patents and supplementary protection certificates. Get precedent patent assignments and licences here.
IP disputes
Get guidance on strategic and practical steps for dealing with IP disputes, including ways of trying to avoid them in the first place. Our case analysis highlights points from judgments so you can be confident at work.
Topics We Cover
Latest IP News
IP analysis: In a closely watched dispute over mRNA vaccine technology, the Court of Appeal upheld the validity of European Patent (UK) No 3 590 949...
Law360, London: Headline proposals by a government body to examine whether registered designs are novel and can potentially set aside protection for...
The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has published guidance on its forthcoming One IPO patents service, scheduled to launch in early 2026. The...
The European Commission has launched a public consultation on draft revisions to Regulation (EU) No 316/2014 (Technology Transfer Block Exemption...
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...
Latest IP Practice Notes
Retained EU law and assimilated lawThis Practice Note provides an overview of retained EU law as it applied from 2021–23, including the key...
International design applications under the Hague AgreementThis Practice Note sets out the procedure for filing international design applications...
Intellectual property international treaties and conventionsIP laws are almost always national in nature. However, there are many conventions and...
‘One IPO’ transformation programme—trackerWhat is the ‘One IPO’ transformation programme?This Practice Note tracks developments in the UK Intellectual...
IP and the luxury goods sectorThe luxury goods sectorIP rights are critical for all businesses to protect the development of new products and to...
Latest IP Precedents
Defence (database right infringement)Case No. [insert number]IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICEBUSINESS AND PROPERTY COURTS OF ENGLAND & WALESINTELLECTUAL...
Confidentiality agreement—one-way—pro-discloserThis Agreement is made on [date]Parties1[Insert name of party][ of [insert details] OR a company...
Confidentiality letter—one-way—pro-discloser[insert address of sender]Our ref: [insert reference]Your ref: [insert reference][insert address of...
Confidentiality agreement—one-way—pro-recipientThis Agreement is made on [date].Parties1[Insert name of party] [of [insert address] OR a company...
Confidentiality letter—one-way—pro-recipient[insert address of sender]Our ref: [insert reference]Your ref: [insert reference][insert address of...
Latest IP Q&As
Featured IP content
Introduction to passing off
Introduction to passing offUnlike many other countries, the UK has no unfair competition law. Brand owners seeking to prevent competitors from...
Trade mark infringement—UK
Trade mark infringementRights conferred by a trade mark registrationThe registration of a trade mark gives the owner the exclusive right to prevent...
Copyright—authorship and ownership
Copyright—authorship and ownershipThe Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (CDPA 1988) defines the author of a work as the person who created it....
Passing off—goodwill, misrepresentation and damage
Passing off—goodwill, misrepresentation and damageWhat is passing off?Passing off is a common law tort which protects rights that are not capable of...
Absolute and relative grounds for refusal to register a UK trade mark
Absolute and relative grounds for refusal to register a UK trade markAbsolute and relative groundsA trade mark’s essential function is to be a badge...
Copyright infringement—remedies
Copyright infringement—remediesThis Practice Note covers the remedies available for copyright infringement.The remedies available in cases of...
Introduction to revocation of patents
Introduction to revocation of patentsPatents may be revoked, that is, taken off the register of patents, if it is decided that they are invalid in...
Joint ownership of intellectual property rights
Joint ownership of intellectual property rightsWhen parties collaborate on creative projects or research and development, complex questions arise...
Sub-licensing intellectual property rights
Sub-licensing intellectual property rightsAn intellectual property (IP) owner may choose to license its IP to a third party. This can be an effective...
Brand protection online—strategy
Brand protection online—strategyHaving an online presence is essential for most brands. Many advertise and sell their products online—on their own...
Types of dispute resolution
Types of dispute resolutionThis Practice Note provides an overview of the main types of dispute resolution that are an alternative to litigation in IP...
Parallel imports—UK
Parallel imports—UKThe legal frameworkThis Practice Note explains trade mark law on parallel trade. Parallel imports, or ‘grey market’ goods, are...
Know-how—protection and licensing
Know-how—protection and licensingThis Practice Note explains what know-how is and sets out the different ways know-how can be protected before...
Copyright—secondary infringement
Copyright—secondary infringementWhereas primary infringement requires in most instances the act of reproduction, secondary infringement is about...
Licensing intellectual property rights
Licensing intellectual property rightsLicensing IP rights—introductionDrafting IP licences can raise a number of commercial and legal issues, which...
Application to register a UK trade mark
Application to register a UK trade markThis Practice Note provides guidance on applying to register a trade mark at the UK Intellectual Property...
IP rights and semiconductors
IP rights and semiconductorsBackground to semiconductorsA semiconductor is essentially any material which has electrical conductivity and can thus...
Can the assignment of a patent be retroactively effective?
Associated legal terms
Abstract
The abstract for a patent must include a concise summary of what is in the patent specification.
Land “in a contaminated state”
(1) For the purposes of this Part land is in a contaminated state if (and only if), because of something in, on or under the land, the land is in a condition such that— (a) relevant harm is being caused, or (b) there is a serious possibility that relevant harm will be caused. (2) But land is not in a contaminated state by reason of the presence in, on or under it of— (a) living organisms or decaying matter deriving from living organisms, air or water, or (b) anything present otherwise than as a result of industrial activity. (3) The Treasury may by order specify circumstances in which subsection (2) is not to apply to the extent specified in the order; and an order under this subsection may contain incidental, supplemental, consequential and transitional provision and savings. (4) In this section “relevant harm” means— (a) death of living organisms or significant injury or damage to living organisms, (b) significant pollution of controlled waters, (c) a significant adverse impact on the ecosystem, or (d) structural or other significant damage to buildings or other structures or interference with buildings or other structures that significantly compromises their use.
Sufficient acknowledgement
A sufficient acknowledgement is the identification of the work in question and is required for a person to rely on certain of the fair dealing exceptions.
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