IP Contracts

Entering competitions and the issues surrounding copyright

Businesses, charities and other entities can find great benefit in running competitions requiring entrants to submit work that they have created specifically for that competition. That work may be in…

Why are licence agreements so important to get right?

The publisher behind the latest Cooking Mama game has found themselves in hot water with IP owner Office Create. There appears to be a resolution to an ongoing dispute between…

Crypto conundrums

In what is surely a first for English law, the High Court in England and Wales recently approved service of pleadings via a so called non-fungible token or ‘NFT’. In…

Intellectual property and internships

As the heatwaves hit, so did the wave of interns applying for roles in businesses. Whether interns are with you for a few weeks during the summer or on a…

Calling All My Creatives – Put Your Best Foot Forward In Contract Negotiations!

We’ve seen it happen much too frequently. Photographers, filmmakers, musicians, designers, and social content creators see the fees for their work listed in the contracts they sign, but they disregard…

Can You Transfer Ownership Of A Trade Mark?

A trade mark gives the owner an exclusive right to use the registered brand name and/or logo for a period of 10 years, renewable for subsequent 10-year periods without a…

IP Clauses In Employment Contracts And Assignments

If you have a contract of employment, there’s a good chance it includes a section that deals with intellectual property (IP) rights. The IP clause will likely state that all…

Pandemic start-ups… what you need to know about IP

One of the few positives that we can take from the pandemic is that it seemed to act as a catalyst for new businesses. If the world turning upside down…

Check the signature block before you sign that contract!

When signing a contract on behalf of a client (as an agent) or on behalf of your business or an employer, it is important to check that the signature block…

Deliberate breaches are still caught by exclusion clauses and cap on liability clauses

Most commercial contracts (such as distribution and manufacturing contracts) have exclusion clauses.  These clauses exclude the contracting parties’ liability in the event of certain breaches (e.g., liability for loss of…

Classic Copyright Cases – The Beach Boys

I can remember hearing The Beach Boys way back when I was but a youngster. It was long before the days of Coronavirus and being equipped with a mask whenever…

Black Hole Sum – the disputed valuation of Chris Cornell’s share of Soundgarden rights

If ever a reminder was needed that uncertainty breeds conflict, the latest dispute between the widow of singer and songwriter Chris Cornell and his band Soundgarden is a prime example.…

Taylor Swift to re-record her hits – creative spark or act of spite?

Taylor Swift decides to re-record her five first albums entirely, thereby creating new Masters which she owns, and not Big Machine/Scooter Braun.

Trade secrets – the black sheep in the IP family

The best way to exercise control over trade secrets and confidential information is to ensure that robust contracts are in place with all stakeholders who are involved in the creation, development or use of such information

Mon Dieu, Dior!

The luxury fashion house Dior has recently come in to the spot light for allegedly infringing the copyright of a popular Instagram influencer, ‘SwedishandStylish’.

Don’t terminate on the basis of your counterparty entering into an insolvency procedure

Commercial contracts usually have written terms that allow a party to immediately terminate the contract in the event of the counterparty becoming insolvent.  Summary of CIGA As from 26 June…

Importance of a shareholders agreement

We all find ourselves trying to embrace this new normal during this pandemic and for some, this break has allowed your business plans to come to fruition. Due to the…

Confidential Information – who do you trust to keep your secret recipe?

During this unknown time of being in lockdown in the UK, you only have to go on Instagram to find that many of us are trying to recreate our favourite…

TikTok, the new Napster?

A reminder that the music industry is constantly evolving, and that you need to keep up! Remember House Party, the app which was supposed to be the ultimate lockdown app?…

Briefing note: What can I do if Covid-19 is causing problems to my company’s commercial contracts?

As Covid-19 continues to have an impact on the global supply chain, we consider how it may affect clients’ commercial contracts and which contractual provisions they can rely on to…

IP Rights and Contracts after 1 January 2021. Time to Prepare

The UK left the EU on 31st January 2020. We are now in a transition period and for most businesses things will look and be the same as they have…

No contract no liability?

If someone does work for you, but you have yet to sign a written contract (or even orally agree to a contract), can you still be held liable to pay…

Music – What Is A Distribution Deal And Do I Need One?

As a musician or producer, once you have finished your latest track or EP, the next step is to push your music for release. For signed artists, this is usually…

Shhhh… don’t mention the patent

When people think of intellectual property protection often the first thing that pops into their mind is a patent (and then the question of how it’s pronounced). But patents can…