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
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...
The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) and European Commission's Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union has published...
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...
IP analysis: The High Court ruled on a rare inquiry into damages following breach of contract and trade mark infringement, holding that: (1) it was...
Law360: A California federal judge on 25 September 2025 preliminarily approved a USD 1.5bn deal Anthropic PBC struck with authors to end their...
Latest IP Practice Notes
Perfecting security over intellectual property rights and registering security at an intellectual property registryIntroductionOnce security is...
Intellectual property (IP)—new starter guideThis new starter guide provides an introduction to IP law. It is aimed at trainee solicitors and those who...
Declaration of a director's interests—articles of associationA director who is in any way, directly or indirectly, interested in:•a proposed...
Declaration of a director's interests—the statutory provisionsA director who is in any way, directly or indirectly, interested in:•a proposed...
Execution formalities—individualsThis Practice Note provides guidance on the proper execution of simple contracts and deeds for individuals. It covers...
Latest IP Precedents
Confidentiality agreement—mutualThis Agreement is made on [date]Parties1[insert name of party] [of [insert details ] OR a company incorporated in...
Confidentiality agreement—one-way—pro-recipientThis Agreement is made on [date].Parties1[Insert name of party] [of [insert address] OR a company...
Confidentiality agreement—one-way—pro-discloserThis Agreement is made on [date]Parties1[Insert name of party][ of [insert details] OR a company...
Claim form (copyright infringement)—the contentsThe purpose of the claim formA claim form is a type of statement of case. It is the document used to...
Claim form (database right infringement)—the contentsThe purpose of the claim formA claim form is a type of statement of case. It is the document used...
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
Derogatory treatment
The author of a copyright literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work, and the director of a copyright film, has the right not to have the work subjected to derogatory treatment.
Invention
An invention, in the context of patent law, is something which has technical character, solves a technical problem and has technical features.
Nuclear site
(1) A nuclear site is not land in a contaminated state or land in a derelict state for the purposes of this Part. (2) “Nuclear site” means— (a) any site in respect of which a nuclear site licence is for the time being in force, or (b) any site in respect of which, after the revocation or surrender of a nuclear site licence, the period of responsibility of the licensee has not yet come to an end.
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