A tomato variety, a rose that holds its colour or a salad leaf that survives a week in a bag is intellectual property, and on the coastal plain south of Chichester it can be worth more than the glasshouse it grows in. Plant breeders' rights, the licences under which protected varieties are propagated, and the royalties that follow them are a specialism that intellectual property solicitors in Chichester see more often than most, alongside the trade marks of the growers, packers and farm shops that sell under their own names.
Goodwood brings a different kind of client. The motoring events draw engineering companies, restorers and parts makers whose designs and brands need protecting; the estate's own events and the businesses that trade around them are built on licensed names and logos; and Rolls-Royce's presence at the top of the local supply chain means confidentiality agreements and strict rules on what suppliers may say.
The city's cultural life adds copyright and performers' rights. The Festival Theatre commissions and co-produces work, and the University of Chichester's music, dance, film and creative writing departments turn out graduates who need to know what they own and what they have signed away. Authors, photographers and artists across the district rely on copyright, which arises automatically but has to be proved, licensed and sometimes enforced.
A Chichester IP solicitor files trade marks and designs at the UK Intellectual Property Office, drafts licences, assignments and non-disclosure agreements, and writes the letter that stops most infringements. Anything that must be litigated usually goes to the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court, with its capped costs and £500,000 ceiling on damages. Patents and plant variety applications are handled with specialist attorneys.
Registrations and agreements are fixed-fee; disputes are hourly.
The IP firms within reach of Chichester appear below, verified ones at the top. For background see what intellectual property law covers; the general IP solicitors guide and the business law solicitors in Chichester page cover the commercial side.
