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
The City of London Police has announced that Rehan Ahmed was sentenced to three years and six months’ imprisonment on 18 September 2026 after...
Law360, London: Shein can revive its case that Temu infringed its copyright for several product images, after a judge ruled on 21 September 2026, the...
Law360, London: The Unified Patent Court (UPC) Court of Appeal held that the UPC has competence to hear an action for a declaration of...
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...
MLex: The UK Intellectual Property Office invalidated UK trade mark rights in ‘GPT’ and ‘ChatGPT’ while rejecting OpenAI’s bid to block ChainGPT LLC...
Latest IP Practice Notes
FORTHCOMING CHANGE: From 1 October 2026, section 48 of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 (inserting sections 14A and 15A of the...
This guide sets out the requirements for executing simple contracts in various international jurisdictions. The table provides a quick-reference...
This Practice Note deals with collecting societies, which may also be ‘licensing bodies’ and/or ‘Collective Management Organisations’ (CMOs). It also...
Many businesses wish to promote their goods or services by reference to those of a competitor to gain a commercial advantage. For example, a business...
IntroductionValuation is required at many points in the lifecycle of an IP asset, and for many different purposes, including:•sale and purchase of a...
Latest IP Precedents
Case No. [insert claim number]IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICEBUSINESS AND PROPERTY COURTS OF ENGLAND & WALESINTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LIST (ChD)[INTELLECTUAL...
FORTHCOMING CHANGE: When BSAIA 2025, s 48 is brought into full force on 1 October 2026, it will insert section 14A into IANA 2006. Section 14A...
The purpose of the claim formA claim form is a type of statement of case. It is the document used to start proceedings. It contains information...
The purpose of the claim formA claim form is a type of statement of case. It is the document used to start proceedings. It contains information...
The purpose of the claim formA claim form is the document used to start proceedings. It contains information relevant to the proceedings, including:...
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
European patent
A European patent is a patent which is granted under the European Patent Convention.
Private study
Copyright is not infringed in a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work where it amounts to fair dealing for the purposes of private study.
Qualification
A person is only entitled to copyright protection (or protection as a performer) where they qualify.
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