Trade Marks and Branding
Advice on trade mark availability, applications, examination issues, oppositions, ownership and the protection of names, logos and other brand elements.
Expertise
Intellectual Property
Legal advice for identifying, protecting, using and enforcing the intellectual property that supports your brand, products and business.
Intellectual Property Services
Protecting the rights behind the business
Intellectual property may arise through a brand, product, design, creative work, technology or confidential business process. We help clients identify the relevant rights, clarify ownership and determine how those rights should be protected or used.
Copyright and Creative Works
Advice on copyright ownership, assignment, licensing, moral rights, infringement and the use of written, artistic, digital and software-based material.
Patents and Inventions
Legal advice concerning invention ownership, confidentiality, commercial arrangements and patent strategy, with registered patent attorneys engaged where specialised patent filing or prosecution work is required.
Registered Designs
Advice on protecting the visual appearance of products through registered designs, including ownership, applications, commercial use and potential infringement.
Licensing and Commercialisation
Preparation and negotiation of licences, assignments, technology agreements, development arrangements and other documents governing the commercial use of intellectual property.
IP Disputes and Enforcement
Advice where intellectual property rights are alleged to have been infringed, misused or wrongly claimed, including correspondence, negotiation, takedown processes and formal proceedings where appropriate.
Across the IP Lifecycle
From identifying the right to putting it to use
The appropriate legal strategy depends on what has been created, who owns it, how it will be used and whether another party is already asserting competing rights.
01
Identify
We examine the brand, work, product, invention or information involved and identify the intellectual property rights and contractual interests that may apply.
02
Secure
We help clarify ownership, preserve confidentiality and pursue suitable registration or contractual protection where available.
03
Commercialise
We prepare and negotiate the agreements through which intellectual property is licensed, transferred, developed, distributed or used with other parties.
04
Enforce
Where rights are challenged or infringed, we assess the evidence, available remedies and commercial objectives before recommending a response.
Ownership and Protection
Registration is only part of the position
A registration may be important, but intellectual property rights can also depend on authorship, employment arrangements, contracts, confidentiality and how the asset has already been used or disclosed.
Ownership
The person who created an asset is not always the person or business that ultimately owns it. Employment, contractor, shareholder and development agreements may affect the position.
Timing and disclosure
Public use or disclosure may affect whether some rights remain available. Confidentiality should be considered before an invention, design or commercial concept is shared.
Scope of protection
A registration does not necessarily protect every use of a name, product or work. The scope of the right depends on the registration, underlying law and relevant factual context.
Commercial objective
The appropriate strategy depends on whether the client intends to use the intellectual property internally, licence it, sell it, attract investment or prevent use by another party.
Connected Commercial Advice
Intellectual property does not operate in isolation
Questions of intellectual property often arise within employment arrangements, commercial contracts, business sales, joint ventures, software projects, franchising and disputes. We consider the intellectual property position together with the broader transaction or relationship in which it operates.
Additional IP Matters
Rights, agreements and disputes
Trade mark searches and applications
Trade mark examination responses
Trade mark oppositions and removal applications
Copyright ownership and assignments
Software and technology agreements
IP clauses in employment and contractor agreements
Confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements
Trade secrets and commercial know-how
Domain name disputes
Online marketplace and platform takedowns
IP due diligence in business transactions
Co-development and joint ownership arrangements
Franchise and distribution-related IP issues
Allegations of infringement or unauthorised use
Your Intellectual Property Team
Start with the right being created or used
Tell us what has been developed, who was involved and how the intellectual property is currently being used or proposed to be used. We will help identify the legal issues and determine the appropriate next step.
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