IP for Commercial Lawyers – An Advanced Programme

A Live Two-Hour Live Online Course presented by Iain Connor from Michelmores

An advanced, practical examination of the more complex intellectual property issues encountered by experienced commercial solicitors and in-house lawyers. Practical examples, relevant case law and common pitfalls will be considered throughout.

Intellectual property issues arise across a wide range of commercial work, from acquisitions and restructuring to technology arrangements, consultancy agreements, licensing and collaborative projects.

For experienced commercial lawyers, the difficulty is often not recognising that IP is involved, but understanding who owns it, how the relevant rights interact, what restrictions apply and how those risks should be dealt with contractually.

This advanced two-hour course is designed for practitioners who already understand the basic framework of intellectual property law and want to examine the more difficult issues that arise in commercial practice.

The emphasis throughout will be on practical application, with real-world examples, relevant case law and common drafting and advisory pitfalls considered throughout.

Price and Booking

Price: £199 + VAT per organisation.

This is a per-organisation price, allowing up to an additional 10 colleagues to attend at no additional charge, wherever they are located

For organisations with four or fewer partners, a single delegate place is available for £99 + VAT.

All delegates receive:

• Full recording of the session
• Downloadable slides
• Full course materials
• Certificate of attendance (on request)

To book, simply click the booking button at the top right of this page.

What will the course cover?

1. IP Rights – context for commercial lawyers

• IP rights, how they overlap and how they arise
• Differentiating confidential information, know-how and trade secrets

This opening section will place the principal IP rights in their commercial context and help delegates identify how different forms of protection may interact in practice.

2. Complex IP Ownership Issues

• Employee, consultant and contractor-created IP
• Joint ownership and collaborative development arrangements
• Resolving competing ownership claims

Ownership questions can become particularly difficult where work has been created by employees, consultants, contractors or multiple parties working together.

This section will focus on identifying ownership risks and understanding how competing claims can arise in commercial relationships.

3. IP in Commercial and Corporate Transactions

• Identifying IP risks in acquisitions and business transfers
• IP due diligence: what commercial lawyers should investigate
• Third-party rights, restrictions and encumbrances
• Managing IP risks in corporate restructurings

This section will examine the role of IP in wider commercial and corporate transactions and the issues that lawyers should investigate before completion.

4. Advanced Licensing and Assignment issues

• Structuring and negotiating sophisticated IP licences
• Exclusive, sole and non-exclusive licensing arrangements
• Territorial restrictions, field-of-use limitations and sublicensing
• Licensing confidential information, know-how and goodwill
• Termination, insolvency and continuing licence rights

Licensing arrangements can create substantial long-term commercial consequences.

This section will examine some of the more difficult issues that arise when negotiating and documenting sophisticated licence arrangements.

5. IP Risk and Contractual Protection

• Identifying and managing infringement risks
• IP warranties, indemnities and limitations of liability
• Control of IP rights - supplier, customer and commercial partner considerations
• Common licensing pitfalls and problematic provisions

The final section will focus on contractual risk allocation and the provisions that commercial lawyers need to scrutinise carefully when IP rights are central to a transaction or ongoing commercial relationship.

What will you take away?

By the end of the course, participants should be better able to:

• Identify more complex IP issues arising in commercial transactions
• Recognise ownership problems involving employees, consultants, contractors and collaborative arrangements
• Conduct more effective IP due diligence
• Analyse sophisticated licensing and assignment arrangements
• Recognise important infringement and contractual risks
• Deal more confidently with IP warranties, indemnities and limitations of liability
• Identify problematic provisions before they lead to disputes

Who should attend?

This course is particularly suitable for:

• Experienced commercial solicitors
• In-house lawyers
• Corporate lawyers
• Technology lawyers
• Lawyers involved in acquisitions and business transfers
• Lawyers negotiating licensing and collaboration arrangements
• Senior associates and partners dealing with IP as part of wider commercial work

It is intended for practitioners who already have a basic understanding of intellectual property law and want to develop a more advanced and commercially focused approach.

Can't attend live?

Every booking includes the full recording and course materials, so you and your colleagues can watch the course afterwards at a time that suits you.

If you would like several colleagues to attend but do not yet know all their names, simply book those you know will be attending and add the others later.

Presented by Iain Connor. Iain  is a Partner at Michelmores and one of the UK's leading intellectual property litigators. With more than 25 years' experience, he has acted in many of the country's most significant IP disputes, including landmark cases before the UK courts and the Court of Justice of the European Union. He advises businesses on protecting, exploiting and enforcing intellectual property rights, with particular expertise in complex commercial disputes involving confidential information, trade marks, copyright and technology. His practical, engaging training style combines technical expertise with real-world litigation experience.

Important Notes about Booking

• Please ensure that, when booking, you enter colleagues' email addresses correctly, as failure to do so may mean they do not receive joining instructions.
• Payment can be made by credit or debit card or alternatively by invoice. The option to pay by invoice appears below the pay-by-card option in the booking form.
• If you do not yet know the complete list of delegates, you can book for those you know will be attending and add further delegates at a later date.

The Legal Training Consultancy

The Legal Training Consultancy is a full-service training consultancy with a large portfolio of conferences, courses and trainers.

Over the years, we have organised well over 2,200 law, tax and management conferences, webinars, seminars, videos and e-learning modules for legal and professional advisers.