Intellectual property

Intellectual Property Lawyers.

Your innovative business ideas and the brand you build around them are inherently unique. Intellectual Property is the legal framework that supports these distinctive business assets, whose value may be overlooked as it doesn’t make a direct contribution to the balance sheet.

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Make an enquiry Proactive and commercially focused guidance to grow your business

It is vital in today’s competitive market to establish, protect and exploit these rights in ways that contribute to growing your business and driving it forward. To support you in this process, you should be working closely with a legal team which can provide you with proactive and commercially focused guidance.

Our Intellectual property team advises businesses across a wide range of industries on the commercial elements of intellectual property. Our expertise covers every angle of buying and selling IP rights, brand licensing, franchising agreements, sponsorship, joint ventures and research and development agreements, to name but a few.

We invest time in gaining a thorough understanding of the specifics of your business and your overarching strategy. We can then provide you with uniquely tailored and creative advice which achieves your objectives and ensures the full potential of your IP assets is both protected and realised.

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Services

We support our clients with individually tailored legal advice, in areas such as:

Click an area of focus above for more information.

Make an enquiry IP rights health check

Are you certain your business’ IP rights are protected?

The Collyer Bristow IPR health check is a short test designed to focus on the way you currently manage your IPR and highlight potential risks and opportunities.

Start the test.

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Make an enquiry Confidential information

Every business will create or hold information that is private and/or commercially sensitive. It is important to take steps to protect the confidentiality of that information to avoid it becoming public knowledge or ending up in the hands of a competitor. Collyer Bristow can advise on practical steps to protect confidentiality, as well as legal remedies if you discover or suspect that such information has been or may be misused.

Find out more

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Make an enquiry Copyright

Copyright protects original material from being copied, which is essential if you want to commercialise your creations or defend them against infringement.

Find out more

 

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Make an enquiry Database Rights

Databases are becoming increasingly important and valuable assets for business. Steps should be taken to protect what you have compiled and prevent unauthorised copying and misuse.

Find out more

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Make an enquiry Design Rights

In the UK, protecting your design rights is a complex and multi-layered process. There are both registered design rights and unregistered design rights to consider, and it can be difficult to determine whether a product’s novel features are capable of design rights protection or whether patent protection may be the more appropriate option. Our specialist lawyers can help you cut through the confusion. We specialise in protecting and commercialising design rights, including taking swift action to resolve disputes, and advising on exploitation licences and agreements.

Find out more

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Make an enquiry Patents

Our patent lawyers have years of specialist patent experience. We can help you ensure your inventions are not used without your permission – and defend you if someone accuses you of infringing their rights.

Find out more

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Make an enquiry Performers' Rights

Alongside copyright, performers have several rights in relation to their performances, known collectively as ‘performers’ rights.’ The rights make it possible for performers to control and be compensated for the commercial exploitation of their performances and take action against bootlegging.

Find out more

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Make an enquiry Trademarks

Ensuring your trademarks are registered and protected prevents others from exploiting your most critical assets, such as your brand name, logo, goodwill and reputation.

Find out more

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Make an enquiry Brand protection

Brand Protection

A brand is a valuable asset to any business and always worth protecting. Our expert team can help ensure that your company’s name, logo, trademarks and other brand assets are ring-fenced, registered, protected and not infringed upon by another business.

Our brand protection services

We help businesses of all sizes and maturity identify the distinguishing characteristics of their company and take steps to strengthen, protect and enforce them. Our services include:

  • Brand audits – a thorough examination of your company’s IP assets, including those you own, use or licence, to assess risk while helping business leaders make informed brand strategy decisions.
  • Brand creation – ensuring that the names, logos, slogans and mascots you are creating are protectable and registrable.
  • IP rights clearance – our specialist business IP lawyers will make the appropriate searches to uncover any third-party rights that may restrict the use of your chosen brand marks either now or in the future.
  • Brand protections – we look at your business as a whole to identify which potential rights and trade marks you should register to stop your brand from being used by others without your permission.
  • Brand ownership structures – sometimes, it is helpful to ring-fence brand assets and place ownership in a different company, to ensure you retain control of the brand if the trading company gets into financial difficulty. We provide guidance on this.
  • Enforcement – our dedicated intellectual property litigators can help enforce your IP rights in a variety of ways and where necessary through the courts, both inside and outside of the UK.

Why work with Collyer Bristow?

We have a strong reputation in the field of intellectual property and an even stronger reputation for creative problem solving, dealing with brand protection issues efficiently before they snowball into bigger problems. We work hard to get under the bonnet of your business. This tells us what’s important to your company, so we can develop strategies that protect you from copycat competitors.

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    Intellectual property key contacts

    Latest content and downloads

    Check out our latest content and downloads View all our downloads

    Uncover areas of concern in one short test

    Your IP Rights Health Check

    Are you certain your business’ IP rights are protected?

    The Collyer Bristow IPR health check is a short test designed to focus on the way you currently manage your IPR and highlight potential risks and opportunities. Get an immediate diagnosis on the health your businesses IP rights.

    Optimising your key business documentation, policies & procedures.

    CB Checkpoint

    There are a number of key policies, procedures and documents your business should keep up to date, to be both legally protected and in preparation for investment or exit.

    Collyer Bristow’s ‘CB Checkpoint’ team will give your business a full check-over, reviewing your key documentation and advising on any changes that are suggested or required.

    Recent experience

    • We advised on aspects of marketing and advertising for various mobile and console games (from a UK perspective).

      DIGITAL & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

      Advising on marketing and advertising for games

      Nikhil VyasAssociate

      Case study

      We advised on aspects of marketing and advertising for various mobile and console games (from a UK perspective).

      Read more

    • We advised on development agreements between publishers and developers tasked with porting a game from console to mobile.

      DIGITAL & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

      Advising on development agreements from console to mobile

      Nikhil VyasAssociate

      Case study

      We advised on development agreements between publishers and developers tasked with porting a game from console to mobile.

      Read more

    • We negotiated and drafted NDAs to be used with alpha and closed-beta testers.

      DIGITAL & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DISPUTES

      Negotiating NDAs for game testers

      Nikhil VyasAssociate

      Case study

      We negotiated and drafted NDAs to be used with alpha and closed-beta testers.

      Read more

    • We drafted End User Licence Agreements for publishers pre-release.

      DIGITAL & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

      Drafting End User Licence Agreements

      Nikhil VyasAssociate

      Case study

      We drafted End User Licence Agreements for publishers pre-release.

      Read more

    • We advised various publishers on lootboxes/gacha mechanics and their legality in the UK.

      DIGITAL & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

      Advising publishers on lootboxes/gacha mechanics

      Nikhil VyasAssociate

      Case study

      We advised various publishers on lootboxes/gacha mechanics and their legality in the UK.

      Read more

    • We advised various game development companies (from indies to large multinational studios) on ownership of IP and drafted suitable provisions in employment agreements.

      DIGITAL & EMPLOYMENT LAW FOR EMPLOYERS & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

      Advising game development companies from an IP and employment perspective

      Nikhil VyasAssociate

      Case study

      We advised various game development companies (from indies to large multinational studios) on ownership of IP and drafted suitable provisions in employment agreements.

      Read more

    • We drafted various sponsorship agreements for both game publishers and advertising space owners/content creators and influencers.

      COMMERCIAL & DIGITAL & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

      Drafting sponsorship agreements

      Nikhil VyasAssociate

      Case study

      We drafted various sponsorship agreements for both game publishers and advertising space owners/content creators and influencers.

      Read more

    • We advised investors on acquiring game development studios, both from a commercial and intellectual property perspective.

      COMMERCIAL & DIGITAL & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

      Acquisition of game development studios

      Nikhil VyasAssociate

      Case study

      We advised investors on acquiring game development studios, both from a commercial and intellectual property perspective.

      Read more

    • We advised an indie development company on the merits and process for open-source development of their mobile game.

      DIGITAL & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

      Advising a development company

      Nikhil VyasAssociate

      Case study

      We advised an indie development company on the merits and process for open-source development of their mobile game.

      Read more

    • We advised developers on self-publishing and app store terms and agreements.

      DIGITAL & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

      Advising developers on self-publishing

      Nikhil VyasAssociate

      Case study

      We advised developers on self-publishing and app store terms and agreements.

      Read more

    • We advised a US gaming corporation on establishing a UK business and obtaining the necessary gaming licenses from the Gambling Commission.

      DIGITAL & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY & INTERNATIONAL

      Advising a US gaming corporation on gaming licences

      Case study

      We advised a US gaming corporation on establishing a UK business and obtaining the necessary gaming licenses from the Gambling Commission.

      Read more

    • We prepared and negotiated a complex software development agreement between a disruptor developing an AI-powered platform aiming to provide predictions on financial and cryptoasset markets for use by traders, and advised on related intellectual property issues.

      DIGITAL & FINTECH & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

      Negotiation for an AI software development agreement

      Case study

      We prepared and negotiated a complex software development agreement between a disruptor developing an AI-powered platform aiming to provide predictions on financial and cryptoasset markets for use by traders, and advised on related intellectual property issues.

      Read more

    • We advised our clients who administer the IP rights relating to the works of well-known author on all IP aspects, including copyright and trade mark assignments and licensing, both intragroup and externally.

      INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

      IP for works of well known author

      Case study

      We advised our clients who administer the IP rights relating to the works of well-known author on all IP aspects, including copyright and trade mark assignments and licensing, both intragroup and externally.

      Read more

    • We advised our client, a newly launched crypto currency exchange, on the negotiation and drafting for its Europe-wide contracts in relation to all intellectual property and IT aspects of it operation, including all Blockchain aspects.

      INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

      IP for crypto currency exchange

      Case study

      We advised our client, a newly launched crypto currency exchange, on the negotiation and drafting for its Europe-wide contracts in relation to all intellectual property and IT aspects of it operation, including all Blockchain aspects.

      Read more

    Intellectual property latest updates
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    Related content

    Intellectual property

    Intellectual property

    Intellectual Property Lawyers.

    Your innovative business ideas and the brand you build around them are inherently unique. Intellectual Property is the legal framework that supports these distinctive business assets, whose value may be overlooked as it doesn’t make a direct contribution to the balance sheet.

    Read more

    It is vital in today’s competitive market to establish, protect and exploit these rights in ways that contribute to growing your business and driving it forward. To support you in this process, you should be working closely with a legal team which can provide you with proactive and commercially focused guidance.

    Our Intellectual property team advises businesses across a wide range of industries on the commercial elements of intellectual property. Our expertise covers every angle of buying and selling IP rights, brand licensing, franchising agreements, sponsorship, joint ventures and research and development agreements, to name but a few.

    We invest time in gaining a thorough understanding of the specifics of your business and your overarching strategy. We can then provide you with uniquely tailored and creative advice which achieves your objectives and ensures the full potential of your IP assets is both protected and realised.

    Make an enquiry

    Key Contacts

    Want to connect? Select someone below to view their profile.

    View the team

    We support our clients with individually tailored legal advice, in areas such as:

    IP rights health check

    Are you certain your business’ IP rights are protected?

    The Collyer Bristow IPR health check is a short test designed to focus on the way you currently manage your IPR and highlight potential risks and opportunities.

    Start the test.

    Confidential information

    Every business will create or hold information that is private and/or commercially sensitive. It is important to take steps to protect the confidentiality of that information to avoid it becoming public knowledge or ending up in the hands of a competitor. Collyer Bristow can advise on practical steps to protect confidentiality, as well as legal remedies if you discover or suspect that such information has been or may be misused.

    Find out more

    Copyright

    Copyright protects original material from being copied, which is essential if you want to commercialise your creations or defend them against infringement.

    Find out more

     

    Database Rights

    Databases are becoming increasingly important and valuable assets for business. Steps should be taken to protect what you have compiled and prevent unauthorised copying and misuse.

    Find out more

    Design Rights

    In the UK, protecting your design rights is a complex and multi-layered process. There are both registered design rights and unregistered design rights to consider, and it can be difficult to determine whether a product’s novel features are capable of design rights protection or whether patent protection may be the more appropriate option. Our specialist lawyers can help you cut through the confusion. We specialise in protecting and commercialising design rights, including taking swift action to resolve disputes, and advising on exploitation licences and agreements.

    Find out more

    Patents

    Our patent lawyers have years of specialist patent experience. We can help you ensure your inventions are not used without your permission – and defend you if someone accuses you of infringing their rights.

    Find out more

    Performers' Rights

    Alongside copyright, performers have several rights in relation to their performances, known collectively as ‘performers’ rights.’ The rights make it possible for performers to control and be compensated for the commercial exploitation of their performances and take action against bootlegging.

    Find out more

    Trademarks

    Ensuring your trademarks are registered and protected prevents others from exploiting your most critical assets, such as your brand name, logo, goodwill and reputation.

    Find out more

    Brand protection

    Brand Protection

    A brand is a valuable asset to any business and always worth protecting. Our expert team can help ensure that your company’s name, logo, trademarks and other brand assets are ring-fenced, registered, protected and not infringed upon by another business.

    Our brand protection services

    We help businesses of all sizes and maturity identify the distinguishing characteristics of their company and take steps to strengthen, protect and enforce them. Our services include:

    • Brand audits – a thorough examination of your company’s IP assets, including those you own, use or licence, to assess risk while helping business leaders make informed brand strategy decisions.
    • Brand creation – ensuring that the names, logos, slogans and mascots you are creating are protectable and registrable.
    • IP rights clearance – our specialist business IP lawyers will make the appropriate searches to uncover any third-party rights that may restrict the use of your chosen brand marks either now or in the future.
    • Brand protections – we look at your business as a whole to identify which potential rights and trade marks you should register to stop your brand from being used by others without your permission.
    • Brand ownership structures – sometimes, it is helpful to ring-fence brand assets and place ownership in a different company, to ensure you retain control of the brand if the trading company gets into financial difficulty. We provide guidance on this.
    • Enforcement – our dedicated intellectual property litigators can help enforce your IP rights in a variety of ways and where necessary through the courts, both inside and outside of the UK.

    Why work with Collyer Bristow?

    We have a strong reputation in the field of intellectual property and an even stronger reputation for creative problem solving, dealing with brand protection issues efficiently before they snowball into bigger problems. We work hard to get under the bonnet of your business. This tells us what’s important to your company, so we can develop strategies that protect you from copycat competitors.

    Make an enquiry

    Recent experience

    • nintendo-games-case

      Case study

      Advising on marketing and advertising for games

      We advised on aspects of marketing and advertising for various mobile and console games (from a UK perspective).

    • mobile and computer games

      Case study

      Advising on development agreements from console to mobile

      We advised on development agreements between publishers and developers tasked with porting a game from console to mobile.

    • video games players

      Case study

      Negotiating NDAs for game testers

      We negotiated and drafted NDAs to be used with alpha and closed-beta testers.

    • Good faith's relationship with the relational contract - new guidance

      Case study

      Drafting End User Licence Agreements

      We drafted End User Licence Agreements for publishers pre-release.

    • woman playing nintendo switch

      Case study

      Advising publishers on lootboxes/gacha mechanics

      We advised various publishers on lootboxes/gacha mechanics and their legality in the UK.

    • mario-figurine

      Case study

      Advising game development companies from an IP and employment perspective

      We advised various game development companies (from indies to large multinational studios) on ownership of IP and drafted suitable provisions in employment agreements.

    • content creators

      Case study

      Drafting sponsorship agreements

      We drafted various sponsorship agreements for both game publishers and advertising space owners/content creators and influencers.

    • Case study

      Acquisition of game development studios

      We advised investors on acquiring game development studios, both from a commercial and intellectual property perspective.

    • couple-playing-on-phone

      Case study

      Advising a development company

      We advised an indie development company on the merits and process for open-source development of their mobile game.

    • iPhone-app-store

      Case study

      Advising developers on self-publishing

      We advised developers on self-publishing and app store terms and agreements.

    • Case study

      Advising a US gaming corporation on gaming licences

      We advised a US gaming corporation on establishing a UK business and obtaining the necessary gaming licenses from the Gambling Commission.

    • bitcoin

      Case study

      Negotiation for an AI software development agreement

      We prepared and negotiated a complex software development agreement between a disruptor developing an AI-powered platform aiming to provide predictions on financial and cryptoasset markets for use by traders, and advised on related intellectual property issues.

    • Typewriter

      Case study

      IP for works of well known author

      We advised our clients who administer the IP rights relating to the works of well-known author on all IP aspects, including copyright and trade mark assignments and licensing, both intragroup and externally.

    • cryptocurrency coins

      Case study

      IP for crypto currency exchange

      We advised our client, a newly launched crypto currency exchange, on the negotiation and drafting for its Europe-wide contracts in relation to all intellectual property and IT aspects of it operation, including all Blockchain aspects.

    View all insights

    PREV NEXT

    Need some more information? Make an enquiry below.

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