NIPC News

Author Rob984 Licence Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International Source Wikipedia Jane Lambert Last week I answered the following question from Will Roebuck , one of my readers: "What do start-up entrepreneurs need to look for in a good IP lawyer?"  I replied: "Probably the most useful professional adviser will be one who can help you to use IP to meet your business objectives. That is known as " IP strategy" which the American lawyer Jackie Hutter described as the combination of business acumen with IP knowledge to provide business focused advice (see Hutter What is an IP Strategist? IP Asset Maximizer Blog)." My article elicited a number of comments including this one from Julian Potter of WP Thomson: "hi Jane, I am interested in the idea that IP strategists are a new type of adviser. It is certainly the case that in recent years one has seen a number of individuals and organisations refers to themse...

I presented the final talk in my introduction to IP on Wednesday.  Like the Introduction  and the talks on  Branding and Creative Output  I focussed on the different ways the law can protect investment in an intellectual asset. Until recently technology was connected with manufacturing which probably explains why patents protect new products and processes. The European Patent Convention , which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, specifically excludes from the definition of patentable inventions programs for computers, methods of doing business and the presentation of information. Yet much of the British economy is now based on those activities.   For that reason I discussed not simply patents and trade secrets but also the different legal tools for protecting investment in software, data analysis, web 2.0 services and so on such as copyright, database right, design right and plant breeders' rights. You will find my slides here: : How the...

Gray's Inn Square Source Wikipedia Building on our Introduction to IP  seminar on the 26 June 2013 we are holding workshops on: Branding Law  - that is to say trade marks, passing off, geographical indications, domain names on 25 Sept 2013; Creative Output - that is to say copyrights, rights in performances, moral rights and related rights on 30 Oct 2013; and Technology Law - patents, trade secrets, unregistered designs rights (including semiconductor topographies) and plant varieties on 27 Nov 2013. Each of these workshops will last 90 minutes plus breaks on the last Wednesday of each month between 16:00 and 18:00.   If you attend, you will qualify for CPD points from the SRA or BSB.   These talks will lay a foundation for more advanced workshops on the substantive law, licensing and litigation.   Best of all they will provide an opportunity to meet out new IP, technology and media law team who will attend as many of the talks a...