Intellectual Property

If you attended our ADVice seminar in January, you will have heard Zoe Pearman , a Principal Associate in our Intellectual Property and Advertising team, speak about consumer law following the Digital Markets Competition and Consumers Act (DMCCA).    The purpose of this webinar is to highlight some of the key points discussed, including the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)'s new powers, how...

It's not uncommon for design-led businesses to have a rich heritage, but how do you make the most of that legacy while staying relevant to modern consumers?   In this podcast, our Head of Brands and Designs Law John Coldham is joined by a panel of leading designers to explore how businesses can strike the right balance between heritage and innovation.   This episode was recorded as part of the Lon...

Trade secrets help businesses protect valuable information without making it public, unlike patents. But how do they work, and what legal protections are in place across Europe? In this episode in our IP Basics Patent podcast series, Principal Associate Alexis Augustin,   Senior Associate Lucy Singer, and Associate Alessandra Birkendorf, explain what trade secrets are, why they matter, and how bus...

What do you do when someone copies your patented product and starts selling it in the market? In episode three of our IP Basics podcast series, Senior Associate Mathilde Grammont and Senior Associate Felicity Wade-Palmer tackle the fundamentals of patent enforcement.  From the moment an infringement occurs, they walk through the legal process for bringing proceedings, overcoming international diff...

What happens when a business wants to license or transfer a patent? In episode two of our IP Basics podcast series, Principal Associate Christopher Freeth and Associate Hannah Barnett explore the key concepts behind patent agreements and transactions. From licensing deals to strategic collaborations, they discuss what businesses need to consider when working with patents. Whether you're granting o...

What are patents and why do they matter? In the first episode of our IP Basics podcast series, Nick Cunningham, Of Counsel, and Megan Wiggin, Trainee Solicitor, explore the foundational principles of patents, from what they are, to how they protect innovation and support commercial value. If you're new to intellectual property or want a refresher on the basics before our upcoming episodes on paten...

We're surrounded by advertising in our daily lives, whether it be through traditional mediums like TV or radio or digital advertising in online media. All UK advertising needs to comply with advertising laws, codes and regulations. Advertising claims that are untrue or misleading, or that breaches the advertising rules, can risk damaging a brand's reputation and the valuable trust consumers have i...

It is very common in the design world to collaborate with different people, be it working with another brand to launch a new product range, or an external design agency to design or finesse a product. Good collaboration is at the heart of creating a successful design. In this podcast our head of UK Brands and Designs John Coldham, explores the topic of collaboration with experts from world-renowne...

Copyright is an integral part of every business.  It is essential for every business, and in particular creators of original works, to understand this legal right in order to protect their creations. In this latest episode in our IP Basics podcast series, Khemi Salhan, in our Intellectual Property team, provides listeners with an overview of copyright law including: what copyright law is; what and...

Are you aware of the brand and design clearance process? If you're creating a new brand or design you must be familiar with 'clearance', which refers to the checks that a company must run during the stage at which it is creating or establishing its brand or designs. Kate Swaine, co-head of our global IP team, takes you through the clearance process, the dos and don'ts, and the issues businesses sh...

Designs are often overlooked when it comes to intellectual property rights and protection. But now, people are becoming more aware of the breadth of what designs can cover and the new opportunities to enforce designs more cost effectively than before. In this IP Basics podcast, John Coldham provides listeners with an overview of designs, the differences between registered and unregistered designs,...

Trademarks belong to the key assets of any company. They mark the face of your business and are essential for your success. You can register words, designs, logos, letters, numerals, colour shades, symbols and even sounds. In our next IP Basics podcast episode, Charlie Bond provides an overview on: how trademarks are protected in the UK what can and cannot be registered as a trademark; and how tra...

Infringement of intellectual property can take many forms on line including sale of counterfeit products, copying websites, or registering a domain name using an existing brand name. So what can business do to mitigate the risk of infringement and stop the infringement if and when it does occur? In this IP Basics podcast, Zoe Pearman, in our Brands, Advertising and Designs team (which is part of o...

What is passing off? In its simplest form, passing off is when a business misleads customers (whether intentionally or unintentionally) into believing their goods or services were actually those of another business so as to benefit from the reputation another business enjoys. A less familiar form of intellectual property right, passing off right applies to protect unregistered rights associated wi...

In this episode of our "BAD" (Brands, Advertising and Designs) podcast series, we hear from Charlie Bond and Lucy Singer in our Intellectual Property (IP) team as they discuss the topic of the metaverse.  In recent years, the metaverse has gained increasing amounts of awareness and attention. This has led to huge amounts of investment in the metaverse and it's estimated that the market will be wor...

In the second episode of our 'BAD' (Brands, Advertising and Designs) podcast series, we hear from James Stunt, in our EU, Trade and Competition team, as he explores the UK and EU sanctions regimes and their impact on intellectual property, as well as key considerations for IP rights holders. This podcast will provide you with an overview of the key provisions of the UK and EU sanctions regimes and...

In this first episode of our Brands, Advertising and Design podcast series, global IP team member Jasmine Lalli explores national, regional and international exhaustion and the changes in design protection post-Brexit. You can find this episode and the accompanying transcript on our website: https://gowlg.co/3YpYTL5   ... Gowling WLG is an international full-service law firm working across a range...

Almost every designer is now focusing on sustainability as part of their brief. Design influences how we live, work and play, so all designers must ask themselves: How can you make your design more sustainable whilst still bringing joy and excitement? And, sustainable designs can have many faces – ranging from green buildings to upcycling consumer goods to electric vehicles. In this podcast our he...

We conclude Season 1 of our  'In Conversation with Gowling WLG'  podcast series with a special two-part episode, as global intellectual property partner Gordon Harris speaks to Robert MacDonald – a veritable legend of the IP world, a former colleague and long-time friend. We delve deep into IP, hearing Robert's high points and challenges, anecdotes, and advice garnered from an illustrious internat...

How has the intellectual property landscape changed over the last 40 years and how has this impacted IP case law globally? And, what was it really like acting on largescale cases in Soviet Russia? We conclude Season 1 of our 'In Conversation with Gowling WLG' podcast series with a special two-part episode, as global intellectual property partner Gordon Harris speaks to Robert MacDonald – a veritab...

What can designers do to ensure their designs and innovations are a commercial success? For our ninth consecutive year as a London Design Festival partner, UK Head of Brands & Designs, John Coldham, was joined by a panel of leading designers for a webinar discussion on how they've successfully established their businesses and protected their designs: • Martin Darbyshire, CEO and co-founder of tang...

In this episode, we delve deep into the world of patent litigation and dispute resolution, to explore: • litigating with, and against, some of the world's foremost legal minds, on some of the largest scale and most impactful, important, and controversial IP cases of recent times; • the evolution of patent litigators over five decades, from the smaller Bar of the 80's to the booming, big business l...

From an illustrious, longstanding career as a patent attorney, and becoming President of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys in the UK, to now leading the charge for stronger diversity and inclusion in IP. In the latest podcast in our 'In Conversation with Gowling WLG' series, global IP partner Gordon Harris speaks with Andrea Brewster OBE, founder and lead executive officer of IP Inclusiv...

In the latest podcast in our 'In Conversation with Gowling WLG' series, global IP partner Ryan Steeves speaks with Patrick Rogers, CEO of Music Canada, and the trade association for Canada's major record labels: Sony Music Entertainment Canada, Universal Music Canada and Warner Music Canada. In their discussion, Patrick and Ryan explore the music ecosystem and the significance of helping to protec...

In this episode, we explore rapid technology acceleration and its influence on the IP world, discussing how intellectual property is managing to stay ahead of the curve and navigate this ever-evolving landscape? Also discussing: balancing a hybrid role as in-house counsel whilst working on IP policy issues as President of the IP Federation; programming influences in IP problem solving, and how a g...