Intellectual Property
The work undertaken by St Philips IP practitioners is mainly concerned with the enforcement and exploitation of UK domestic and European Community intellectual property rights and their compatibility with UK and European Community competition law.
One member of Chambers who is US qualified and experienced also acts and advises in relation to such issues in relation to the United States. The subject matter areas include:
Registered trade marks, passing off: Work in this area covers registered trade and service marks, passing off, domain names, sports and character merchandising, corporate sponsorship, franchising, unfair competition, and trade libel as well as counterfeiting and criminal remedies. St Philips IP practitioners also conduct opposition and revocation proceedings before the Registrar of Trade Marks in the UK in relation to UK registered trade marks.
Copyright: The IP group’s work in this area extends over the whole range of works entitled to copyright protection including literary, musical and artistic works, computer software and semiconductor topography, and also covering particular works such as photographs, films, television programmes, video games and the internet.
Design rights: Members of chambers are regularly involved in advising upon and in litigating disputes relating to rights in designs, both registered and unregistered and at both the UK national and European Community level
Database rights: Database right is the most recently created of the intellectual property rights and members of chambers advise on the applicability of the EC Database Directive and the corresponding UK regulations across a wide range of commercial and industrial activity.
Confidential information and Trade Secrets. All members of the St Philip’s Intellectual Property Group advise and litigate in the area of breach of confidence and trade secrets. Typical actions involve subject matter ranging from secret industrial processes to customer/supplier databases, price lists and business plans.
Patents: The work of Chambers’ IP group in relation to Patents is centred around entitlement, ownership, infringement and revocation disputes, both in litigation before the civil courts and proceedings before the UK Patent Office. Members of chambers are regularly involved in patent litigation embracing a number of major areas of technology including, electrical and mechanical engineering, computer software and information technology.
Other Areas: In addition, work carried out in chambers can involve information technology, computer contracts, media and entertainment law, performance rights, semi-conductor topography rights, moral rights, franchising, and interrelated areas of European and UK competition and trade practices law.
St Philip’s IP group also presents seminars on current IP issues for small and large groups both in our own facilities and at client’s premises. We are always willing to produce seminars to meet a client’s particular requirements.
