Copyright law and related rights lawyer services
Getting copyright protection and licensing right is critical for the creative industries and digital services sector, but every business, charity and public body creates and uses copyright content. This automatic and unregistered right and its related rights can cover everything from advertising copy and images to logos, product packing designs, databases, sound recordings and software.
The digital revolution, new channels for instantly sharing materials, the growth of user-generated content and the ever-increasing importance of social media, means that understanding the opportunities and risks these rights present has never mattered more.
Our experienced, tech-savvy and award-winning team across the UK and Ireland assist some of the world’s leading brands and challengers to thrive in the digital landscape. We help you navigate around the rights of others and assist you to maximise the value of your own by ensuring they are adequately protected and by getting you the best deal in IP transactions and licensing arrangements.
Should anyone infringe your copyright, design right or database right, our experts in enforcement strategies will work with you to deal quickly and efficiently with the infringers, ensuring minimum disruption to your operations.
Copyright content, particularly in the digital space, isn’t easily confined to geographical borders. We’re well equipped to handle the international aspects of these rights. We can quickly and cost effectively instruct and co-ordinate foreign lawyers and IP attorneys through Pangea Net, a non-exclusive, international network of independent law firms of which we are a founding member, and via our long established relationships with other specialist international lawyers and attorneys.
What we do
- Advise on copyright strategy, protection and clearance - we help you to protect your investment and to secure or maintain a competitive advantage by advising on the identification, capturing, clearance and protection of your copyright and database rights.
- Transactions and licensing – we assist you to maximise the value of your copyright assets through licensing and other IP agreements and ensure you get the best deal by guiding you through the negotiation of agreements that ensure you have the rights you need to use the works of others.
- Dispute resolution - we help you to enforce and defend your copyright, database and other IP rights through a range of services including infringement proceedings and interim injunction proceedings, mediation and alternative dispute resolution and opinion work.
Featured experience
British Airways
Nicola has previously worked in intellectual property in-house at British Airways and global gaming organisation Aristocrat Technologies, gaining invaluable corporate experience.
Copyright clearance advise
Providing copyright clearance advise to a game design team in Sydney, Australia, ensuring their international casino products did not infringe third party rights.
Copyright infringement case
Acting as lead fee earner on a copyright infringement case which went to Court of Appeal. Nicola was responsible for the day-to-day running of the case, preparing statements of case, instructing counsel, disclosure, obtaining witness and expert evidence and preparing for and attending trial.
Rights-holders - rights in copyright
Advising rights-holders with regard to the extent of their rights in copyright, address issues of ownership, consider exploitation through licensing and recommendations for enforcement.
Related expertise
Key contacts
Bonita Trimmer
Consultant
Declan Cushley
Partner
Giles Parsons
Partner
Mark Daniels
Partner
Testimonials
"Client focused, client driven. The Browne Jacobson team do not think twice about going the extra mile to make matters work for the client and to embed their approach and team in the best way possible to make the client’s life easier."
The staff are approachable and give good advice.
Browne Jacobson’s approach to working in partnership and as an extension of the in-house team is their USP. I’ve seen other firms attempt this, but ultimately fail. They are always prepared to work flexibly and hand-in-glove with the in house team and will say ‘yes’ to novel and challenging proposals or ideas. They truly add value and offer more than just the role of a panel lawyer.
"The team is very commercially focused. The lawyers are good at strategising and pay good attention to detail."
You may be interested in...
Legal Update
Trade mark strategy in a global market
Legal Update
Key copyright and AI ruling with broad implications for UK lawyers and beyond
Legal Update
UK court clarifies copyright protection for "works of artistic craftsmanship"
Press Release
Intellectual property (IP) predictions for 2025
Legal Update
CJEU confirms that copyright law is the same for all claimants
On-Demand
Copyright issues with AI webinar
Press Release
Browne Jacobson’s intellectual property lawyers ranked experts in World Trademark Review guide 2023
Published Article
Bruce Willis AI and the problem with deepfakes
A deepfake of Bruce Willis is advertising Russian mobile phones. Many great artistic and metaphysical questions are raised by this performance. However, this article is going to look at the intellectual property law implications, from a UK perspective.
Legal Update
DSA approved: Targeted Advertising Rules explained
Legal Update
Digital Markets Act and Data Platforms - FRANDs for life?
The Digital Markets Act (the “DMA”) joins the dots between competition law and data protection law and actively targets data-driven platforms. It is also a comprehensive regulation to take note of, with familiar GDPR-style fines tied to turnover.
Legal Update
When embedding audio-visual content in web pages is copyright infringement
If you publish website content then you need to be careful before embedding third party images. The rights of a copyright owner are infringed if their work is communicated to the public without their permission.
Press Release
Browne Jacobson’s half year deals activity exceeds £500m
Browne Jacobson’s Manchester office has seen the value of deals which its corporate, banking and real estate teams have advised on exceed an aggregate of £500m in the first half of its financial year, a major milestone for the firm which has grown its transactions offering considerably over the same period.
On-Demand
How to commercialise your IP: licensing, spin outs and JVs
Our expert panel, comprised of IP and corporate law specialists, will be discussing IP commercialisation strategies, their benefits and pitfalls, drawing on experience across the private, public and higher education sectors.
Press Release
Browne Jacobson scores victory for Wolverhampton Wanderers over badge copyright claim
Browne Jacobson is delighted to have assisted Wolverhampton Wanders Football Club to successfully defend a copyright infringement claim made against it which relates to the club’s iconic wolf head design. The club has used this design as an element of its badge since 1979.
Press Release
Browne Jacobson's trade mark team recognised in latest WTR 1000 rankings
Legal Update
Are you compliant with AIM Rule 26?
From 28 September 2018, all AIM companies are required to adopt a recognised corporate governance code such as the UK Corporate Governance Code or the QCA Corporate Governance Code and comply with that corporate governance code on a 'comply or explain' basis.
Legal Update
Action for breach of the AIM Rules
As well as adapting to changes to governance requirements, recent disciplinary action by the London Stock Exchange highlights the importance of regular discussion with Nominated Advisers to mitigate the risk of inadvertent breach of the AIM Rules.