NIPC News

By Aurelien Guichard from London, United Kingdom - Royal Courts of Justice, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curi d=62065074 Jane Lambert We should like to congratulate Mr Justice Birss and Mr Justice Nugee on their elevation to the Court of Appeal (see Courts and Tribunal Judiciary Appointment of Lord and Lady Justices of Appeal   31 July 2020).  Since Lord Justice Arnold's elevation, Mr Justice Birss has been the presiding judge of the Patents Court. We can expect a new appointment to replace him.  I have no inside information but I have a shrewd idea who that is likely to be. If I am right it will come as a surprise to many people. But I'm not saying. Mr Justice Nugee also sits in the Patents Court from time to time.   The last time I mentioned him was in my article on freezing injunctions (see Jane Lambert  Freezing Injunctions - Organic Grape Spirit Ltd v Nueva IQT, SL   29 July 2020 NIPC Law).  T...

Author Copyleft Licence AIGA Source Wikipedia Jane Lambert In her speech on  National and International-level concerns and developments regarding the IP landscape   which she delivered on 29 June 2016 to the British group of European Practitioners in Intellectual Property, Lady Neville-Rolfe, the Minister for Intellectual Property said: "The UK has one of the world’s best intellectual property environments. The changes that will be triggered by the outcome of last Thursday’s vote will not alter that. You can continue to expect outstanding, professionally delivered rights granting services including design rights; and copyright owners can expect that the framework will support creativity. The UK will continue to be envied around the world for the quality of its enforcement environment. We will continue to lead in international IP discussions. We will continue our work to build an environment that allows innovative and creative businesses across the U...

Jane Lambert Not long ago most commercial practitioners spent a lifetime in the law without ever having to advise on an intellectual property matter or coming anywhere near the Patents Court. It was a specialist field with its own court having its own rules, the judges and practitioners of which spoke an almost impenetrable argot. Most law schools ignored IP except as a specialist option with the result that many practitioners did not have a clue what it was all about. There were horror stories of solicitors receiving writs for writing the same sort of letter before action as they would write in any other case and it was all horribly expensive. Best left to specialist law firms like Bird & Bird and Bristows and the handful of specialist counsel who knew what they were doing. The internet and programmes like Dragons' Den    have changed all that. Clients often with quite small businesses are now coming to you with questions about software licensing and doma...