Briffa are highly regarded intellectual property solicitors who specialise in copyright protection and infringement. We help those in the creative industries to protect their work from copying, whether wholly or substantially. Our recent copyright cases include music industry copyright disputes, book publishing contracts, computer game publishing agreements and artist’s resale rights. Whatever your requirements for copyright law 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 copyrighted work for over twenty-five years. We have dealt with many cases involving infringement of copyright and can offer useful advice and support and help you to take action to strategically protect your brand.
If you need industry-recognised lawyers for copyright advice, get in touch below to book a free consultation.
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.
A person infringes your 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. Briffa has dealt with many cases involving this issue. 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.
Briffa has assisted clients from a wide variety of sectors with enforcing their copyright claims. Recently, we have acted on 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 and drawn up publishing agreements and licenses for computer games. Our expert team of copyright solicitors has also aided artists with resale rights, protected graphic designers from the copying of designs and, on several occasions, addressed issues of employee copyright breach where former employees seek to set up in competition.
Browse our case studies to discover more about Briffa’s most recent work, from drafting the contracts for a games development publishing deal to managing employee breach of contract.
Briffa is a firm of leading intellectual property solicitors based in London. We’re creative, transparent and competitively priced — our highly skilled team provides the level of expertise and quick turnaround times you need to ensure your intellectual property and business interests remain protected.
We help clients across a broad range of sectors and we’re experts in brand strategy and IP portfolio management — our team can help your business grow, giving you a competitive edge that increases the value of your business for either investment or eventual sale.
If you would like some FREE advice on protecting your intellectual property and increasing your market share just request a FREE legal assessment with one of our intellectual property solicitors today.
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
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.
