Leading Copyright Lawyers

Our team of expert copyright lawyers help those in the creative industries and beyond protect and monetise their original work. This includes protection in relation to software code, music, literature, film, graphics, art and design.

Furthermore, with offices in London and the EU, and associates all over the world, our team can address issues of copyright infringement wherever they take place.

Our Copyright Services

We are a highly regarded intellectual property law firm that specialises in copyright protection services. We help those in the creative industries and beyond protect their work from copying, whether wholly or substantially. Our recent copyright cases include music-related disputes, book publishing contracts, computer game publishing agreements and artist’s resale rights. Whatever your requirements for copyright assistance, we can help.

If you believe your copyright has been infringed, experienced legal advice ought to be taken at an early stage. This is especially the case when significant sums are at stake. Briffa has been helping individuals, organisations and personalities protect their work for over twenty-five years. We have dealt with many cases involving infringement of copyright, so we can offer useful advice and support to allow you to take action and protect your work.

If you need industry-recognised copyright lawyers, get in touch below to book a free consultation.

Client Testimonial

“My experience with Briffa has been brilliant. I approached Tom Synott about some copyright and intellectual property help.

The advice I received from the get-go was superb. Tom’s response time has always been incredible and he has really gone above and beyond to help me with any queries I had, both by phone and email. He really helped me sort out the problem I had with excellent knowledge and efficiency.”

– Anya Angert, Copyright Services Client

How Can We Help?

Copyright Protection

Copyright arises automatically on creation and does not need to be specifically registered in the UK or Europe.

There is a common misapprehension that including the copyright symbol on an item has some legal significance. It doesn’t except to the extent that it puts the viewer or reader on notice that copyright is being asserted. To that extent, it is useful and worth including in most cases.

Copyright confers the right of the owner to prevent others from copying their work. It does not stifle the independent creation of works.

It is vital to keep records of your creative process when undertaking or creating new works in case of theft or copying. In software, you should include “footprints”, such as a deliberate mistake that can uniquely identify you as the author. Electronic imagery and videos should have watermarks or comments to assert ownership. When working on any new work you should keep a full dated record of all your background work from the first scribbles on the back of an envelope to the finished piece.

All of the above will help protect your rights in the case of an infringement, which is where our specialist copyright protection solicitors can step in to help…

Copyright Infringement Services

As copyright arises automatically on the creation of a piece of work, i.e. without any formal registration process, a person or organisation infringes copyright if they copy your work wholly or substantially.

In some cases, copying is obvious, but most cases that end up in court are not so clear. There is no hard and fast rule to proving copyright infringement; that’s why it’s vital to seek experienced legal advice as soon as possible when you suspect that your work has been copied.

Our copyright infringement lawyers have dealt with many cases of both clear and unclear copying. We can offer a useful insight into the court process, assess the opponent and the potential loss, and then recommend the right enforcement action to protect your brand.

Alternatively, if you’ve received a copyright infringement letter, i.e. another party believes you have infringed their copyright, then we can review and advise on your case. If you have a good legal case for defending the claim, we can lead that process for you.

Why choose Briffa?

We have been providing copyright services since 1995

We offer a free consultation to discuss your copyright protection needs before any fixed fee quotes are given

We have offices in the UK, the Republic of Ireland and Malta

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Copyright is the legal right automatically given to a creator of an original work to exclusively use and reproduce that work. Copyright protects the owner from their work being duplicated or used with their permission.

The owner of copyright may not always be clear cut. For example, when a business’ employees create work, the copyright owner is (usually) the business and not the employee. Meanwhile, if the business instructs a third-party to create a piece of work on their behalf (e.g. a design), the third-party will be the copyright owner without an explicit transfer of rights.

Trade marks protect brand names, logos and slogans. A trade mark is a registered right meaning that you need to go through an application process in order to get one. Conversely, copyright protects different works such as longer pieces of text, graphic works, illustrations, photographs, software code, music, sculptures and film. Copyright, at least in the UK and EU, isn’t a registered right and instead it exists as soon as an original work is created.

Both trade marks and copyright are forms of intellectual property.

Subject to some exceptions, copyright normally lasts for 70 years from the death of the author. This is much longer than some other IP rights such as designs and patents and it means that there is a significant amount of time to monetise your copyright work with, for example, a licence agreement.

If you believe another individual or company is infringing your copyright then you should collect evidence, with screenshots and website links being best. Next, you should speak to an expert on intellectual property law. If that’s us, then we will assess the details of the case and advise on the best course of action. The aim always should be to bring about an end to infringement in the quickest and most cost-effective way possible.

Copyright Cases

We have helped clients from a wide variety of sectors enforce their copyright claims. For example:

We have acted on the behalf of music industry professionals to address disputes over the copying of music between artists and managers/publishers
We have aided book publishers with contracts and disputes
We have drawn up publishing agreements and licenses for computer games
We have aided artists with resale rights
We have protected graphic designers from the copying of designs
We have, on several occasions, addressed issues of employee copyright breach where former employees seek to set up in competition

Meet Our Team

Meet some of our specialist copyright solicitors who can assess your legal matters and advise on the best solution for you.

William Miles

Partner

Éamon Chawke

Partner

Ramsay Monime

Associate

Joshua Schuermann

Associate

Latest Blog Posts

The Briffa Blog is your go-to resource for advice on intellectual property law, the legal implications of Brexit and all kinds of legal issues that can affect businesses like yours.

The good, the bad and the infringement risks associated with upcycling branded goods

As I was scrolling through Instagram (as you do), I came across a fascinating video of a lady who turned a disposable shopping bag from…

Burberry v Baneberry

The world-renowned British fashion chain Burberry has recently secured a rarely granted injunction in China restraining a competitor from using similar trade marks to its…

Help! I’ve received a Notice of Threatened Opposition, what do I do now?

Well let’s start by explaining what a Notice of Threatened Opposition actually is… essentially it’s a form (called a TM7A if you’re interested) that potential…

What Our Clients Say

Briffa has served hundreds of satisfied clients across a broad range of sectors since our creation in 1995. We’re proud to be leading intellectual property solicitors, but don’t just take our word for it
— here’s what our clients have to say.

“Having Briffa on my side and fighting my case really did fill me with confidence. Every step of the way they guided me and kept me informed. My lawyer Thomas Synott is amazing and comes highly recommended. As a creative and small business owner I would advise the services of Briffa and and there excellent staff.”

Anthony McEwan

“Alex Fewtrell and the team at Briffa were very generous with time and knowledge in aiding me to achieve my desired goal. I felt supported and understood, paramount in legal disputes. I would highly recommend for those in the creative sector.”

Masha Karpushina

“Extremely helpful and really great advice. Hasnath listened to my concerns and gave me some strong advice which has made a huge difference to my small business! Thank you so much.”

Lauren Wood

“ My experience with Briffa has been brilliant. I approached Tom Synott about some copyright and IP help and the advice I received from the get go was superb. Tom’s response time has always been incredible and he has really gone above and beyond to hep me with any queries I had, both by phone and email. He really helped me sort out the problem I had with excellent knowledge and efficiency. Thank you!! ”

Anya Angert

“ Working with Briffa and the IP team has been a fabulous experience and I will be calling on them again should the need arise for expert advise. HIGHLY recommended. ”

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“ Briffa, and William in particular, came highly recommended. William was responsive, straight forward and helped me think through all the possible avenues which lay ahead. He made a process which could have been complicated feel incredibly straight forward. I am very grateful. ”

Poppy Mardall

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