Protecting and enforcing intellectual property rights
Our experienced team of intellectual-property solicitors advises and supports community organisations with all aspects of intellectual property including audits, branding advice, protection of ideas and dispute resolution.
Intellectual Property, such as brand names, product names or designs, are more important than ever to organisations and it is imperative that they are protected to prevent people stealing or copying them. We work in partnership with community organisations to ensure their intellectual property is protected and to support them through disputes.
The first step we take is to identify the core intellectual property and to understand how it is used within your community organisation. Once the core pieces of intellectual property have been identified, we can advise you on best-practice strategies to protect, manage, develop and commercially exploit your intellectual-property rights.
Intellectual property refers to creations of the mind, such as literary and artistic works, designs, names and images used in commerce. While some types of intellectual property are automatically protected by law under copyright, patents, designs and trademarks, you must apply for more complex types of protection.
It is imperative that you ensure all of your intellectual property is protected and do not assume it is covered automatically. Having the right type of intellectual-property protection helps you to stop people from stealing or copying your intellectual property, such as:
- The names of products or brands.
- Inventions.
- The design or look of products.
- Things your organisation writes, makes or produces.
Our intellectual-property (IP) service
At Anthony Collins Solicitors, we work in partnership with you to ensure that your IP has the appropriate protection and to assist you in developing strategies to minimise the risk of future disputes. Our intellectual-property services include:
- Protecting brand assets – including a charity’s name and research property, advising on copyright and licensing laws and ensuring protection of brand assets and other IP.
- IP audits – identifying your rights, how these are used and how they might be at risk.
- Technology supplier advice – finalising the standard terms and conditions you offer to customers or resellers, advising on negotiated contracts, and wider business advice such as finance, joint ventures and business sales, purchases and mergers.
- Advice for buyers of ICT – working with your team to negotiate contracts for business-critical systems or services. Contracts could include server hosting and other outsourcings, buying a new ecommerce website, service level agreements, change controls, and buying business management software.
- ICT risk and compliance advice – helping you build compliance and risk management into your business, with advice on website regulations, defamation, confidentiality, discrimination, consumer law, data protection and your contractual obligations.
- Branding advice – providing guidance on trademark or domain-name registrations, brand launches or re-branding exercises and preparing comprehensive enforcement strategies, including action against spite sites and internal education policies.
- Protection of ideas – advising on confidentiality agreements, registration of rights such as patents, designs and trademarks, and how to protect your unregistered rights such as copyright and database rights.
- Exploitation of your rights – preparing licences, assignments and distribution agreements of your IP rights, and recommending ways to increase royalty or other revenue streams.
- Development of your IP – advising on internal R&D, collaboration agreements and joint ventures with third parties to develop and expand your rights.
- Enforcement of your IP – preventing the infringement of your rights or resolving ownership disputes, whether by negotiation or through formal proceedings
We have been recognised for the work we do
ADA: National College for Digital Skills
We supported ADA, a social enterprise, with education issues, and law advice on procurement, construction, property and funding.
