This edition of the Intellectual Property Law Handbook provides an authoritative overview of intellectual property issues facing commercial lawyers. It sets out the principles behind the various IP rights, showing clearly how to apply the law in practice.

The book explores the main types of IP right encountered in commercial practice including:

• Copyright
• Trade marks
• Patents
• Design rights
• Confidential information.

This edition’s coverage includes:

• Patent tax regime - the ‘Patent Box’, effective from April 2013
• Unified Patents system - a synopsis of the EU agreed system
• Trade marks - several major decisions from the CJEU on the use of trade marks on the internet, key for any company operating a website
• Designs - decisions from the CJEU on the interpretation of the 2001 designs law and how it works in practice
• Copyright - CJEU decisions on how much copying constitutes infringement, and copyright in computer software
• Copyright in 3D objects - the UK Supreme Court Stormtroopers decision
• ISPs' liability and the blocking of pirate websites
• CJEU decisions on broadcasting - when does a re-transmission infringe?
• Commercial confidential information - how to assess damages.

Further chapters deal with licensing and assignment in the context of transactions, competition and taxation aspects of IP, and digital media and the internet.

Each chapter includes an overview and sets out the relevant law showing how it applies to the most common commercial transactions. The handbook also includes flowcharts to explain complex procedures.

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Contents

1. 1. Overview: what is IP about anyway?
2. 2. Copyright
3. 3. Trade marks
4. 4. Patents
5. 5. Design rights
6. 6. Confidential information
7. 7. IP in commercial and corporate transactions
8. 8. IP and competition law
9. 9. IP and taxation
10. 10. Digital media and the internet.

About the Author

Lorna Brazell is a partner at Osborne Clarke specialising in patent and copyright issues.