Technology

Sound advice when you need it most

“IBB consistently performs to a high standard and offers good value. Mark Lewis and his team have represented Sony for a number of years and they have always been creative, commercial, completely on top of the detail, insightful and a pleasure to work with.”
Phil Crowhurst, Sony Europe Limited

More »

Challenges facing the technology sector

There are many challenges facing the technology sector today, including carbon-reduction, cloud-computing, data storage, network performance, open-source, outsourcing, privacy and security. Undoubtedly the most important challenge is cash and the impact of the recession on consumer and business spending. Particularly, for a sector which has thrived on major government projects, the impact of public sector cuts. We have already seen job losses and an increasing number of acquisitions in this technology sector and further consolidation is likely. Disputes concerning the mis-selling of IT products and the ownership of copyright in software providing the same or similar functionality to other software have been prominent.

How we can help

IBB has a dedicated technology team who have more than 20 years' experience working with both suppliers and users.  The insight this brings enables us to ensure that your commercial objectives are met. We represent both national and multinational companies and can help you with:

• bespoke software development agreements
• outsourcing agreements
• web design, hosting and development contracts
• software licensing agreements
• IT support and maintenance agreements
• software escrow agreements
• e-commerce agreements/terms of business
• e-commerce and distance selling regulations
• email usage/policies
• data protection issues
• commercial contracts for IT businesses
• systems integration disputes
• copyright disputes
• licensing disputes
• protection of trade secrets
• e-commerce consumer law/disputes

Experience of the team

• Acting for the licensee on the grant of an exclusive software licence for £6.5m for a pharmacy management system
• Advising a national car dealership on the terms of a dealer management system
• Defending a claim for £800,000 for work done on an EPOS system prior to the parties concluding a contract. Claim settled on satisfactory terms at mediation

More »

• Advising a multi-national company on a claim against a provider of IT equipment arising from the supply of second-hand grey market goods for use in connection with a major project
• Advising a national construction company on its right to terminate, without liability, a contract for the provision of MPLS Networks (a private wide area network)
• Acting for the licensor on the grant of a software licence in connection with a £1.1 billion infrastructure project
• Advising on a joint venture with a major competitor to establish a portal that would allow health professionals to access records held in GP's practice management systems
• Advising a joint venture company in the utilities sector regarding the failure by a software developer to develop software on time and a subsequent claim for damages
• Advising a software developer who was threatened with termination for material breach of a contract to develop a secure electronic messaging system for a government organisation
• Advising a IT supplier regarding claims arising out of the sub-contracting of various IT services and helpdesk functions
• Advising one of Europe’s largest barrier control technology firms on a range of documents relating to parking management and other solutions
• Advising a leading group of companies providing software related solutions to the public sector on a range of commercial agreements
• Advising a fully listed event management group of companies on a range of ticketing and other system related agreements
• Advising a global IT consultancy on its dispute with a government department concerning alleged faults with a major computer system it designed
• Acted for an airline company in defending High Court proceedings, claiming infringement of copyright and breach of confidence in relation to the software controlling its flight scheduling system. Action struck out
• Advised a global IT consultancy on a dispute concerning alleged under licensing in respect of software used in a major outsourcing project
• Acted for a hospital in a dispute concerning the alleged unlawful termination of an IT contract; the dispute being settled at mediation
• Advising a government department in connection with the termination of an IT contract and numerous issues arising under the contract

Technology interest

Lead partner, Mark Lewis, has an interest in technology outside IBB and is a non-executive director of a data transfer and communications company.

Funke Abimbola is a board director of Luton City Growth which represents four industry cluster groups in the Luton area, one of which is the Information and Communications Technology group.

Meet the team