Practical information about copyright, moral rights, performers’ rights and rights in performances. Get precedent copyright assignments and licences here.
Practical information about trade marks, passing off, geographical indications and anti-counterfeiting. Get precedent trade mark assignments and licences here.
Practical information about patents and supplementary protection certificates. Get precedent patent assignments and licences here.
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.
The European Commission has launched a consultation on a draft delegated regulation that will supplement Regulation (EU) 2023/2411 on geographical...
IP analysis: Michael Smith of Three Stone Chambers considers the impact of Brexit on the UK's regime for the exhaustion of IP rights. In particular,...
Law360, London: The UK government urged a judge on 30 June 2025 to dismiss most of a legal claim brought by two US trade unions and fund trustees for...
TMT analysis: In a row over the ownership and exploitation of copyright and performers’ rights in the studio albums of eponymous rock band The Jimi...
IP analysis: The case of CG, YN v Pelham GmbH, SD, UP examines whether a two-second sample from the claimant’s song which is used in a hip-hop track...
Rome II—specific types of claims (UK only)This Practice Note is for use when determining applicable law in the courts of England and Wales in respect...
Brexit timelineOn 23 June 2016, the UK held a referendum on its membership of the EU, with a majority voting in favour of the UK leaving the EU. On 29...
Brexit legislation trackerThis Practice Note tracks the progress of UK legislation introduced as part of the legislative project associated with the...
Intellectual Property Enterprise Court—costs capping in practiceBackgroundThe Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (IPEC) is a sub-list of the...
Trade marks tracker—UKThis Practice Note tracks the progress of UK trade mark judgments, legislative proposals, and current UK consultations, guidance...
Consultancy agreement—company and individual—pro-clientFORTHCOMING CHANGE:On 19 June 2025, the Data (Use and Access) Bill received Royal Assent,...
Assignment of designs—pro-assignorThis Agreement is dated [insert date]Parties1[insert name of assignor] [of OR a company incorporated in [England and...
Consultancy agreement—company and company—pro-clientFORTHCOMING CHANGE: On 19 June 2025, the Data (Use and Access) Bill received Royal Assent,...
Retained EU law—training materials [Archived]ARCHIVED: This Precedent has been archived and is not maintained.These training materials consist of...
Letter of claim—passing off[Infringer name and address][Date]Dear [insert organisation name]Letter of claim—passing off: [Subject]We are writing on...
Introduction to passing offUnlike many other countries, the UK has no unfair competition law. Brand owners seeking to prevent competitors from...
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 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 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 markAbsolute and relative groundsA trade mark’s essential function is to be a badge...
Copyright infringement—remediesThis Practice Note covers the remedies available for copyright infringement.The remedies available in cases of...
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 rightsWhen parties collaborate on creative projects or research and development, complex questions arise...
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—strategyHaving an online presence is essential for most brands. Many advertise and sell their products online—on their own...
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—UKThe legal frameworkThis Practice Note explains trade mark law on parallel trade. Parallel imports, or ‘grey market’ goods, are...
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 infringementWhereas primary infringement requires in most instances the act of reproduction, secondary infringement is about...
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 markThis Practice Note provides guidance on applying to register a trade mark at the UK Intellectual Property...
IP rights and semiconductorsBackground to semiconductorsA semiconductor is essentially any material which has electrical conductivity and can thus...
Absolute novelty, in patent law, means that an invention is new if it has not been used or published anywhere in the world.
A Crown copyright work is a work made by Her Majesty or by an officer or servant of the Crown in the course of his or her duties, which will qualify for copyright protection and Her Majesty is the first owner of any copyright in the work.
The author of a copyright literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work, and the director of a copyright film, has the right to be identified as the author or director of the work.