Our specialist team advises copyright and database rights holders and users, to manage, enforce, protect and exploit rights across a range of creative industries. The team has a specific focus on IP matters in the tech, media and comms, retail, automotive and life sciences sectors. We have specific expertise in digital copyright matters and have acted in several cases involving the communication and distribution rights in the digital sphere.

We act for a broad range of clients, from leading businesses to innovative start-ups, including cutting-edge games developers, price-comparison sites, newspaper publishers, retailers and internet service providers, helping them make the most of their copyright and database rights. We have particular experience in online content distribution, advising on new technologies and the liability and obligations of online intermediaries.

This is an area where international-thinking is vital. The combination of having experts in the key jurisdictions with our enduring focus on digital technology has meant that our lawyers have truly helped shape the application of the law to digital rights.

Experience

Etablissements Coquet

Represented the Limoges, France, high-end porcelain factory Etablissements Coquet in the Paris Court of Appeal against the company NESS in relation to copyright infringement of Coquet's best-selling collection “Hémisphère” The court recognised that the decoration was copyrightable and ordered NESS to pay €1m in damages.

Sony Music

Successfully represented Sony Music Entertainment Italy in an unfair competition case against Universal –IRIS in relation to the publication of a music album containing the same songs as an album published by Sony Music.

Publishing entity

Acted for this publishing entity seeking advice on complex claims for copyright infringement, particularly exhaustion of the distribution right, in relation to the sales of books online.

 

Audible

We reviewed all AUDIBLE’s template agreements related to the development and the distribution of e-books to make them compliant with French law, in particular, with the requirements of the French Intellectual Property Code related to authors.

 

Major Sports Rights Agency

Acting for a major sports rights agency before the Regional Court of Hamburg against a well-known cruise line company who used satellite coverage to make available worldwide sports events to their passengers on the high seas without taking proper copyright and broadcasting rights license from the client who held the exclusive rights for international waters.

Equitable remuneration in the games industry

Defending a well-known online games company against a games author suing for equitable remuneration in a seven digit amount at the Regional Court of Berlin on the basis of the respective games’ alleged success.

Sony Music Entertainment

Assisted on issues concerning the illegal synchronization, by the football club Pescara Calcio (an Italian Football League Championship team), of the phonographic recording of the song "Ricominciamo" by the artist Adriano Pappalardo, with a promotional audio-visual from the annual season ticket campaign 2019-2020.

Gruner + Jahr

Advised market leading magazine publisher Gruner + Jahr in setting up framework agreements with their freelance authors and photographers in order to secure standardized and future-proof copyrights for an international media company and establishing an internal process to cover every assignment from the editorial offices.

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