Introduction
A Briefest of Histories

Further Information:

• The legal issues affecting a new brand name
• The legal issues affecting a new logo
• The legal issues affecting a new design
• Protecting a new brand name or new logo
• Protecting new designs
• Protecting ideas
• A Trade Mark Attorney
• Enforcement
• Defending a trade mark
• Defending other IP rights
• Delimitation of rights
• Licensing
• Franchising
• Exploitation of IP rights
• Exploitation of Intellectual Property rights: raising funds and securitisation. Businesses and
investors are becoming increasingly attracted to the opportunities presented by Intellectual Property
rights in raising funds on the markets in addition to other routes of raising finance. Securitisation of IP
is not new and has previously been used in obtaining finance by technology, entertainment and
franchise businesses. Past examples include Marvel and Dunkin’ Donuts. The recent announcement
by Morgan Stanley of the US$250 million IP securitisation for the Bio-Tech company Vertex suggests
renewed interest and the return of a measure of economic confidence. However, Vertex is not a
reversion to the recklessness and excess associated with the discredited instruments that led to the
recent credit crunch and current recession; for the right businesses the opportunities are there.
Securitisation is not the only way IP can be used to raise cash though; IP rights can make a big
difference in attracting venture capital, or even in getting government funding. After all, we often see a
panel member in Dragons’ Den ask whether the candidate has protected his or her IP, or a candidate
volunteering that information to the panel.
• Intellectual Property Rights as investments
• Acquisition and transfer
• Registration of transactions
• E-commerce and the internet
• Trade Marks and the internet/e-commerce
• Domain names, “ownership” of a name and cyber-squatting
• Disputing domain names
• Websites and e-commerce – legal issues
• Contractual issues in e-commerce
• The legal issues affecting advertising
• Intellectual Property and Insurance
• Intellectual Property and Insolvency

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