Intellectual Property and Media

Intellectual Property and Media
Business Legal Services
I want to ensure that I am covered by trade
mark and intellectual property law; can Irwin
Mitchell advise the best practice?
With previous industry experience working with trade marks
and intellectual property, our specialist team of solicitors can
guide you through the process of intellectual property rights
whatever the size of your company.
The Irwin Mitchell Intellectual Property
and Media Team advises clients
from global corporations through
to investors and start-up companies
across the UK and internationally.
This well established and recognised team advises
on a full range of intellectual property rights,
both contentious and non-contentious, covering
the management, protection, exploitation and
enforcement of IP. Two members of our team are
also former senior in-house trade mark attorneys
who can offer clients a strategic in-house approach
with unrivalled expertise. The team acts for clients
across a number of sectors including:
• Technology, media and
telecommunications
• Retail, hospitality and leisure
• Sports and entertainment
•Engineering
•Healthcare
• Energy, renewables and cleantech
•Manufacturing
• Financial services.
Our services
The team’s services include:
• Clearance, freedom to use and operate searches
• Watching, protection and registration strategies
for trade marks, patents and designs
• Portfolio management of trade marks and designs
• Advising on the validity and registrability of IP
rights
• Due diligence and advice relating to corporate
transactions
• Technology transfer, licensing and collaboration
• Joint ventures, collaborations and partnering
alliances including competition and anti-trust
issues
• Advising on employment and consultancy terms
relating to the ownership of IP rights
• Litigation, mediation and arbitration in all areas
of IP
• Developing and advising on multi-jurisdictional
litigation and defence strategies
• Advising and acting on ‘freezing’ and ‘search and
seizure’ orders and injunctions
• Advising on anti-counterfeiting strategies
involving working with customs and excise in
relation to the seizure and release of goods
• Domain name protection and UDRP/nominet
proceedings.
Advantages of working with us
In addition to advising a range of funds and
private equity providers, management teams
and corporates, we have also acted for, and on,
transactions involving regional government backed
and public sector focussed equity funds including
Finance Yorkshire, the NW Fund and South Yorkshire
Investment Fund. We have also advised on many
University spinouts, both for investor and investee.
Previous work of this nature gives us an
understanding of the key drivers and the constraints
that the Funds are working to. This, together with our
experience of early stage investments and growth
companies, gives us a unique ability to facilitate an
accelerated, smoother transaction process to deliver
best advice and best value to investee clients. This,
in turn, ensures that the investment process achieves
a balance between the interests of the investor
and the investee company, without squandering
investment funds on professional advisers.
Key facts
Over
100
years old
Top
20UK
Competitive
cost structure
Law Firm
Over
2,200
people
Our expertise
• Acting for Capita PLC in relation to the protection,
maintenance and enforcement of its worldwide
trade mark portfolio
• Acting for Toni & Guy on the sale of the global
retail products business of Toni & Guy in
conjunction with corporate colleagues in London
• Advising Sir Stelios Hajiloannou and the
easyGroup of companies on various IP issues and
managing their international trade mark portfolio
• Advising FxPro on its international trade mark
portfolio and implementing an intra-group
licensing arrangement for its worldwide IP assets
• Advising a global restaurant chain on a copyright
infringement claim relating to artwork in its
restaurants
• Obtaining urgent injunctive relief summary
judgment and winning at trial in various
proceedings concerning the misuse of proprietary
information including confidential client lists and
database rights
• Advising the Law Society on various trade mark
and copyright infringement matters, website
take down and broader issues of reputation
management
• Acting for an international textile corporation in
multi jurisdictional litigation concerning copyright,
designs and agency regulations in the UK and
Turkey
• Successfully defending an interim injunction
and subsequent Court of Appeal proceedings in
relation to medication dispensing equipment
• Advising an alcoholic drinks manufacturer and
distributor on its worldwide trade mark portfolio
• Advising Team 17 Software LTD, the games
developer of the well known Worms game where
we advised upon and devised a worldwide
branding strategy in light of merchandise
arrangements and sales.
Focus areas
Our team has expertise in all IP and media related rights, including:
Patents
Advertising
and marketing
Anticounterfeiting
and piracy
Privacy
Confidential
information,
know how and
trade secrets
Franchising,
licensing,
merchandising
and sponsorship
Personality
and image
rights
Copyright
and databases
Domain
names
Litigation
and dispute
resolution
Trade marks
and designs
Credited by sources as an “incredibly thorough”
practitioner who has “endless patience.”
- Chambers & Partners, 2014
Follow our team on Twitter @IMmediaAndIP
0370 1500 100
www.irwinmitchell.com
@irwinmitchell
For a list of our offices visit our website
Irwin Mitchell LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England & Wales, with number OC343897, and is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
All Scottish cases will be handled by a separate Scottish legal practice, Irwin Mitchell Scotland LLP, which is regulated by the Law Society of Scotland.
BLS-IP-0001-FS