A single wedding in Redbridge can involve a dozen small businesses: caterers, decorators, photographers and videographers, jewellers and boutiques on Ilford Lane, DJs and a venue. Each trades on a name, a style and a portfolio that a competitor would happily borrow, and intellectual property solicitors in Redbridge see the results: a caterer whose name has been copied by a cousin, a photographer who discovers that a client has handed the wedding album to a magazine, a jeweller whose designs reappear in another window a few doors away.
The law gives each of them a remedy, but only if the groundwork is done. A registered trade mark, filed at the UK Intellectual Property Office for a modest fee, is far easier to enforce than an unregistered name, which has to be protected through a passing off claim with evidence of reputation. Photographers own the copyright in their images unless they sign it away, and a short clause in the booking terms avoids most later arguments. Jewellery and clothing designs are protected by design right, registered or unregistered, and copyright protects patterns, logos and marketing material.
Redbridge's other intellectual property comes from its home-based and online businesses, the offices around Ilford station and the software and consultancy firms run by the borough's many professionals. Licensing, confidentiality agreements and the ownership of work done by freelancers are the usual questions. A trader accused of selling counterfeit goods needs advice too, because Trading Standards prosecutions carry criminal penalties.
Disputes that cannot be settled by letter can be taken to the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court, where costs are capped and damages are limited to £500,000. Registrations and standard agreements are usually fixed-fee; disputes are charged by the hour.
Firms offering intellectual property advice in Redbridge are listed below, verified firms first. See what intellectual property law covers, the general IP solicitors page and the wider intellectual property solicitors in London listing; for partnerships and leases see business law solicitors in Redbridge.
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