Protecting and enforcing intellectual property rights
Our specialist intellectual property solicitors advise and support social enterprises with all aspects of intellectual property including audits, branding advice, protection of ideas and dispute resolution.
Intellectual property refers to creations of the mind, such as literary and artistic works, designs, names and images used in commerce and is a valuable asset for any social enterprise. We have extensive sector experience and knowledge of supporting and advising social enterprises on all aspects of intellectual property law.
At Anthony Collins Solicitors, we work in partnership with social enterprises who are facing intellectual property disputes. We support them through the legal process of ensuring their intellectual property is protected and work towards resolving the dispute quickly and efficiently.
To ensure that appropriate protection is in place we will conduct an audit of your core intellectual property and work with you to understand how it is used within the organisation. Following the initial audit, we can then advise you on strategies to protect, manage, develop and commercially exploit your intellectual property rights.
Intellectual property is protected by law under copyright, patents, designs and trademarks, but while some types of protection apply automatically, you will have to apply for other more complex types of protection. Our experienced team can work with you to ensure that your intellectual property has the correct protection and is safeguarded against the risk of copyright.
It is important that you ensure all your intellectual property is protected and do not assume it is covered automatically. Having the right type of intellectual property protection helps you to prevent 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 regularly work with social enterprises to help them protect their intellectual property and to support them to implement strategies to minimise the risk of future disputes. Our intellectual property services include:
- Protecting brand assets – including a charity’s name and research property. Advice on copyright and licensing laws and ensure 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 sale, purchase and merger.
- 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 e-commerce 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 research and development, 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.
