The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has launched a consultation on a new statutory code of practice on the sharing of personal data. The draft code sets out a model of good practice for public, private and third sector organisations,…
A recent trade mark case confirms that first impressions matter. It dealt with a dispute over a trade mark application made by a firm which had a similar name to another and which was in a similar line of…
This checklist sets out the practical steps that will help your business protect, use and exploit any brands that it owns. What is a brand? A strong brand helps distinguish your products from your competitors’. It adds value to…
MCE Insurance Wins Rights to Domain Name MCE Insurance has won a legal battle to have a domain name registered in Australia, transferred to them. MCE have been in business since 1975, they have used the MCE Insurance brand name…
Copyright - Get it Right First Time Yet another case highlights the need to make the ownership of intellectual property (IP) clear when negotiating contracts where the IP is in point. In the case concerned, a company was retained…
Beware of IP scams! If you seek to protect your intellectual property by the use of a trade mark or other means, you may well find that there are a number of organisations which will (ostensibly) seek to help…
The law relating to the fiduciary duties of directors is stricter than many company directors might think, as a recent case illustrates. The director of a company was given the loan of ‘a second-hand excavator and dumper’ for his personal…
Copyright is a right that exists as soon as you create the copyright material. You do not have to apply for it. There are some exceptions to copyright, but unless one of these applies, anyone else using your material…
When a claim for damages is made on the basis of ‘loss of a chance’, having good quality expert evidence is essential. Most people know that it is possible to claim damages, where appropriate, for the loss of future…
One of the more frequent problems faced by charity trustees is that of balancing the need for charity investments to produce financial benefits with the desire for them to also produce social benefits. Fortunately, the Charity Commission has now updated…
