IP, Media & Technology

Global Overview

Intellectual capital is increasingly precious in the ever-connected and technology-driven world we live in. Brands seek global renown and the electronic commerce makes the international marketplace all the more accessible. Throughout the lifecycle of innovation and growth, organisations need to have an international strategy to protect and exploit their intellectual property. The technology revolution also comes with regulatory impact, in particular in the area of data protection and privacy. Media expertise in the libel, privacy, disparagement, advertising and entertainment areas is available across our global team.

Organisations need to tackle these cross-border opportunities and challenges in a proactive, cost efficient and cohesive way.

The Multilaw Advantage

The Multilaw Intellectual Property, Media & Technology group comprises of specialist professionals across the globe, who have a long history of close collaboration, synergy, and working for the benefit of common clients. We have helped clients register their brands worldwide, and successfully implement international strategies for cross-border intellectual property litigation, making the best use of local knowledge in each jurisdiction involved. We have also helped clients manage and contain data breaches that have had an impact in several countries, as well as negotiate cross-border contracts and establish ways to take their technology to new markets. Expertise in the libel, privacy, disparagement, advertising and entertainment areas is available across our global team and we  represent clients before alternative forums, such as arbitration or mediation panels. Our cohesive international approach, combined with our on-the-ground local knowledge in each jurisdiction, helps our clients to reach their objectives in a practical, co-ordinated manner.

Multilaw firms in 35 countries are ranked by independent legal directories for their expertise in intellectual property, with many of our professionals personally identified as thought leaders and standout lawyers.

What we do

Our intellectual property, media & technology lawyers cover the whole spectrum of intellectual property, media and technology issues, including litigitious and non-litigious matters. We work with clients of all sizes, from start-up businesses looking to expand internationally for the first time, to long-established multinationals looking for a trustworthy and reliable provider to offer intellectual property, media and technology advice. Media clients, such as radio and television broadcasters, newspaper publishers, magazine publishers, composers, music labels, cinema exhibitors, independent production companies, creative agencies and individual producers, writers and performers are all served by the team. We work closely with the Multilaw Business Transactions team, where corporate, funding & investments and commercial advice is required. Our advice includes:

  • Intellectual Property Protection
    • Trade marks
    • Patents, copyright & trade secrets
    • Database rights
    • Design rights
  • Intellectual Property Licensing
  • Intellectual Property Litigation
  • Data Privacy and Security
    • Data protection audits
    • Data protection policies
    • Data breach management
  • Media
    • Pre-publication and pre-broadcast review
    • Negotiating location deals for feature and television production
    • Negotiating publishing contracts and license agreements
    • Responses to requests for retraction
    • Trials of lawsuits, appeals and other dispute resolution
    • Negotiating management and recording contracts and touring agreements
    • Drafting, reviewing and negotiating advertising service contracts
    • Responses to subpoenas, including motions to quash
    • Advising on policies relating to reader comments on stories, editorials, blogs and other content posted on news websites
    • Advising on the use of social media for the delivery of news and content
    • Drafting and helping clients manage social media policies for their employees
    • Drafting website terms of service and privacy policies
    • Assisting in regulatory compliance and policy development regarding the use of “drone” unmanned aircraft
  • Technology Contracts
    • Software licence agreements
    • Reseller and distribution agreements
    • Consumer-facing contracts

Our Client Work

Brand protection

Member firms in the United Kingdom, United States of America, Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand were all engaged in securing the protection of brands for a well known food retailer.

Data Protection and compliance

Multilaw member firm in the UK and  member firm for Malaysia, have collaborated to provide data protection compliance advice to a Malaysian entity with a UK subsidiary. The work involved close collaboration on a detailed data mapping exercise, client advice on the extra-territorial impact of UK & EU data protection laws, and providing cohesive recommendations to implement a privacy compliance programme.

Coordinated international litigation

A US Multilaw member firm was instructed to manage a global dispute on whether or not a particular product name was generic. The issue spawned trade mark oppositions, revocation proceedings and litigation in numerous jurisdictions, with Multilaw member firms in the United Kingdom, Turkey, Malaysia also involved.

Bringing technology to new markets

Member firms in the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States worked together to develop template software development and licensing agreements to enable a UK business to provide its cloud-based solution to new markets.

Data breach

A corporate client in the United States suffered a data breach. A Multilaw response team covering the jurisdictions of the United Kingdom, Germany and France was quickly assembled. We provided the client with pragmatic and rapid advice to assess the impact of the breach from the perspective of local regulators, to form a data breach mitigation action plan.

Consumer law advice in the automotive sector

A team of Multilaw lawyers from the United Kingdom, Italy, Switzerland and Germany advised a French client on consumer law issues.

Practice Group Contacts

Paul 
Havel

Chair

Miller Nash LLP

Portland, Oregon, USA

Email