One of the main purposes of obtaining intellectual property rights is to establish a monopoly over a product or process (in the case of a patent or design registration) or the identity of a business (in the case of a trade mark). For certain sorts of...

The recent news about funding the new Sizewell C reactors has raised lots of concerns and questions. Here’s an overview of what’s being proposed, particularly in terms of its impact on local businesses. What is Sizewell C? Sizewell C...

At Birkett Long, we are lucky enough to be able to work with some very well-known brands. Some of them are almost as old as the firm itself, while others are recognised in households across the world.  Yet the fortunes of a given brand can ebb and...

Readers with IP portfolios are advised to check with us whether Brexit affects the rights afforded to them by their IP registrations. The end of the transition period brings with it some changes as to the scope of protection afforded to holders by their...

Extraordinary times often call for extraordinary measures, and there is no more extraordinary time than that of the present. COVID-19 is leading to shortages of all manner of products, not least consumer articles such as hand sanitiser, pasta and toilet...

Many online business owners ask me about the significance of “cookies”. They question the need for a Cookies Policy for their website. If you are one of them, the following might provide some assistance. Cookies are text files which contain...

The number of online businesses is growing at an ever-increasing pace. This has led to a multitude of legal, regulatory and transparency requirements. I am often asked to review commercial contracts and notices for online businesses. Mostly, information...

Jonathan Perlmutter has recently joined Birkett Long as Head of Intellectual Property, having spent nearly 13 years at a firm of patent and trade mark attorneys, latterly heading up their London operations. Jonathan and his team provide us with the ability...

Whether you are considering building a new extension, a single house or developing a large site for multiple properties, best practice is to first check the deeds of the property for restrictive covenants.  Restrictive covenants may appear on the legal...

Whilst the government has suffered the recent set back of loosing a court case requiring parliament to vote on the triggering of Article 50 it remains committed to starting the process of leaving the EU by no later than the 31 March 2017. But what does this...

We often find that clients are confused about what constitutes an agent. Essentially, an agent is an intermediary involved in the making of a contract between one party, known as the principal and that principal's customer. Under English law, an agent...

In today’s electronic age the vast majority of businesses have a website. Some trade using it while others just use it as a means of advertising (a “brochure” site). What many businesses do not do have is a website that is fully compliant...

On 27 March 2012, the Health and Social Care Bill 2010-12 received Royal Assent to become the Health and Social Care Act 2012 (“Act”). Key reforms under the Act include the introduction of clinical commissioning groups with responsibility for...

David Rayner, partner from Birkett Long’s Commercial Property Team discusses the “big themes” that are likely to affect commercial premises during 2012. From the perspective of both landlords/investors on the one hand and tenants/occupiers...

Many of us using email as a regular means of correspondence are aware of just how easy it is to send an email to the wrong person, particularly where we have a number of contacts with the same or similar names. Whether on a professional or personal level,...