Specialist Technology IP Lawyers

Airbnb is one of the world’s largest accommodation providers but owns no properties. Uber is one of the world’s largest taxi companies but owns no vehicles. Facebook is one of the world’s largest media owners but creates no user content. A substantial part of the value of these companies resides in their intellectual property assets.

We have been advising clients in the technology and software sectors for over 25 years, and technological solutions to our problems are now more critical than ever. Whether you’re a software start-up wanting to register your trade marks, a multinational gaming organisation looking to patent your AI algorithms, or somewhere in-between, we recognise the importance of your intellectual property assets. We offer various services to protect, commercialise and enforce your rights.

In one case, our solicitors successfully secured a games developer the ownership of all IP rights for their commercial project, allowing them to protect this work through patents and trade marks, which they could monetise further through licensing on different platforms.

Read more for an outline of the services we provide for software and technology companies, or fill in the contact form to discuss your business with one of our team.

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How Can We Help?

Trade Marks

In the technology industry your reputation is the key to making sure your cutting edge products are trusted and adopted by as many people as possible.

A trade mark gives you the exclusive right to use your brand in relation to what you do. Your brand is your identity, a sign of quality and usually a major driving force behind a consumer purchase. We can advise you on your brand strategy and make sure it’s registered and properly protected anywhere in the world.

Data Protection

Technology companies must rely heavily on data to make the right call while developing new products, often in uncertain conditions.

Since the introduction of GDPR, the use and processing of personal data has been under the spotlight. With substantial fines for companies that breach the complex regulatory framework, you don’t want to find yourself at odds with data protection laws.

We can help you navigate the legal landscape and ensure that you have the correct policies and procedures to keep your company and the data it handles GDPR compliant.

Copyright

Copyright automatically arises when creating certain types of work to keep your efforts protected, but sometimes you may need a hand enforcing your rights.

Software code makes up a substantial percentage of copyright works. Our team can advise on monetising and licensing these works and what to do if they are copied.

Confidential information

Your technology organisation’s competitive edge relies on numerous people working harmoniously across several fields, whether it be coding and web development, researchers or logistics. These components are vital to your technology company’s success, so it is critical that the sensitive information they handle is appropriately managed and kept secure.

To keep one of your most valuable assets safe, we can help to protect your proprietary information with non-disclosure agreements and advice on confidentiality.

Patents

A patent can be one of the most powerful tools you have for keeping your inventions safe. From complex software code to technological advances, we can advise you on patent protection and guide you through the application process.

Why Choose Briffa?

We’ve provided legal support for the technology industry since 1995.

We offer a free initial consultation before providing a fixed-fee quote for our services.

We have offices in the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

We offer an industry-leading service with short turnaround times and business-focused advice.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of a patent for companies in the technology industry?

Few other industries provide the world with as many new and exciting developments as the technology industry. However, naturally with this comes the threat of having your inventions stolen by malicious companies looking to profit from your hard work. This is where patents come in.

Although the process can be expensive, but not as expensive as the potential losses from not having a patent, and take a long time, a few months to even years, a patent protects you from others copying, manufacturing, selling or importing your product without permission. it is essential therefore that you begin the process of patenting your inventions as soon as possible.

This protection also facilitates the monetisation of your product in a number of ways to best suit your needs, such as licensing and joint ventures.

My technology company is in the research and development stage of a new project, what do we need to be aware of?

Developing a new product or service can be an exciting time, and you’ll want to make sure your hard work puts you ahead of the competition by the time it comes to launch day.

Amongst your legal considerations during the R&D phase, you will want to ensure the information you gather is in line with GDPR regulations, you will want to keep commercially sensitive developments confidential and a strong patent strategy and filing along with a thorough trade mark registration will go a long way to making that all-important launch go as smooth as possible.

What’s the difference between a trade mark, patent, design rights and copyright? And which do I need?

Bringing new and innovative products to the market is central to what the technology industry is about, keeping your inventions and ideas safe and profitable is the job of a number of facets of intellectual property law.

The main differences are that patents protect original inventions, design rights are for the physical appearance of a product, copyright protects original expressions (such as art or music) and trade marks protect elements of branding (brand name, logos, slogans etc).

The protections you or your organisation may need will vary depending on your circumstances and what you are wanting to protect. Thankfully that’s where our expert team can assist and guide you through the process.

Meet the Team

Our specialist solicitors have advised on intellectual property law in the UK and Europe for over twenty-five years. Meet our team and see the faces behind our success stories.

Book a free consultation

We’ll start with a no-obligation chat where we’ll get to know you and understand your current challenges.

Submit your details below and we’ll be in touch.

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