Ownership :

IP rights, by their very nature as property rights, can be licensed, bought and sold. It is therefore critical to define and establish ownership in order to prevent IP disputes and infringements during the IP life cycle.

Defining ownership of intellectual property rights, such as patents, trade marks, designs and copyright can be complex and can vary on a case by case basis and on jurisdictional differences. There may also be the possibility of moral rights: separate legal rights which occur automatically in favour of the author(s) of the work. The question is – who is the author.

It is important to get the right answer and our team of attorneys can help shed light on the question of intellectual property ownership. Our patent attorneys provide advice on IP agreements, prosecution, ownership, entitlement and the background/foreground division of IP.

Licensing :

Licensing agreements grant permission to another party to do something that would otherwise be an infringement on the rights of the IP rights owner. As such, they are extremely important. Whether licensing in or licensing out – our attorneys have extensive experience advising on IP licensing negotiations, most notably between companies SMEs and larger entities, including Tier 1 Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) and automotive customers.

With many of our attorneys taking part in advanced level IP licence drafting workshops, we are constantly honing our licensing skill-sets. This ongoing development, combined with our in-house technical experience and expertise, means we draft commercially-minded licences and licensing strategies for our clients. If you would like to know more about establishing a licensing agreement, IP licensing benefits or ‘licences of right’.