Intellectual Property
IP is often the most valuable part of a business. Indeed, intangible assets now represent over 80% of the market capitalisation of the S&P 500, and the government recognises the importance of IP in the creation of a dynamic growing economy.
IBB recognises the importance of protecting and exploiting your brands and products, and can help you with every stage - IP creation, registration and enforcement, helping you to grow the value of your business.
We understand how creators, developers, licensors and licensees of IP work with these rights and have experience of all aspects of IP commercialisation, protection, enforcement and corporate transactions. Our work across many diverse sectors – from fashion to software – gives us the strength and capability to help you practically apply our IP expertise to the direct benefit of your business.
We can also help you ensure you don’t fall into the trap of infringement yourself with our in-house client training and preventive advice. But should the worst happen, our experienced lawyers can defend claims brought against you.
Range of Advice
We handle both non-contentious and contentious IP. On the non-contentious side, we have experience of:
- Assignments of all types of IP
- Data protection
- Design rights
- Domain name registrations
- Franchise agreements, both domestic and international
- Joint venture agreements
- Licensing agreements relating to all types of IP
- Non-disclosure agreements
- Trade mark registrations
On the contentious side, we handle disputes relating to:
- Confidential information
- Copyright
- Design rights
- Domain names
- IP licensing and related contractual disputes
- Passing off
- Patents
- Trade marks
Clients
We advise clients of all sizes, from UK-based headquarters of international firms to start-ups, and everything in between. Our lawyers have acted on IP matters for
- Accenture
- Adventis
- Bear Factory
- BBC
- Cegedim
- Celador
- Choice Hotels
- Dyno-Rod
- Eurosport
- FACT
- Hertz
- JMC Airlines
- Joy
- Patek Philippe
- Renault
- Sony
- Twentieth Century Fox
- Universal
Recent experience
We have recently acted for:
- A major consumer electronics company over the supply of second-hand grey market equipment
- A global automotive manufacturer against trademark and copyright infringers
- An international hotels company in a claim for trade mark infringement
- An automotive dealer group against copyright infringers unlawfully using the company’s logo, signage and creative marketing material on advertising, premises and products
We have advised:
- A distributor of luxury watches over remedies relating to counterfeit product
We have also defended clients against claims of passing off, copyright and trade mark infringement.
Practice area leader, Mark Lewis acted successfully for the BBC in the first case concerning the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, which went to the House of Lords.
