Intellectual Property defines the modern era. Without protecting it we don’t move ahead as a technological society.
It is the Intellectual Property which usually underpins a technology application. It’s where the value is.
Intellectual Property Rights grant their owner exclusive rights to do certain things and prohibits others from doing those same acts.
No development has had more impact on Intellectual Property than the Internet. Whilst the Internet has disrupted aspects of Intellectual Property Rights – at the same time those rights form an essential component of most innovations.
We advise upon and negotiate commercial contracts which relate to Technology, Internet, and IT – and one issue common to all of these contracts is identifying, protecting and commercialising the Intellectual Property Rights.
We understand what rights attach and how to configure the contract to ensure the rights are clear and their potential preserved.
We advise on legal protection – and the contracts which relate to Copyright ownership, exploitation and rights; Trade Marks and how they can be justified and exploited; Breach of Confidence; Patents – the inventive steps necessary and their technology and industrial application; and Database Right.
We draft Licence Agreements, Assignments and advise on infringements of Intellectual Property Rights.
The development of Artificial Intelligence and machine learning in addition to requiring sophisticated software development invokes intellectual property and data legal issues. AI also raises questions of legal responsibility when a self-aware digital intelligent being resides on a distributed computing network. How do you regulate an AI machine when it is acting on its own, outside the control of humans? If an AI being has legal responsibility for its actions, does it then require a physical, legal and digital identity?
The design of a learning machine requires legal guidance at each step of its development because its creators need to understand how they both protect the product of their work and what legal responsibilities it might bring.