WHAT STEPS CAN BUSINESSES TAKE TO PROTECT THEIR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY?
Simon Barker, IP expert at Freeth Cartwright’s Birmingham office, has the answers.
Intellectual property - innovation and ideas - is the lifeblood of any business. And, like any valuable corporate asset, it should always be protected. So, what steps should you take to protect your IP from unscrupulous employees and competitors?
One of the last Acts of Parliament to be passed by the Labour Government was the Bribery Act 2010. It has recently been announced that implementation of the Act has been delayed to April 2011. When it is brought into force, the Act will repeal the common law offence of bribery as well as various statutory offences dating as far back as 1889. Although a relatively short piece of legislation by recent standards, it may have long reaching implications for businesses.
The Act creates four key offences: bribing another person, receiving a bribe, bribing a foreign public official, or (for commercial organisations) failing to prevent bribery.
This bulletin will give you an overview of the offences, the possible implications for your business, and what action you should consider taking.
BOOST FOR MIDLANDS MANUFACTURING AS RICAL GROUP EXPANDS
Renowned local businessman Byron Head, owner of the Smethwick-headquartered Rical Group of engineering companies, has teamed up with the Birmingham office of lawyers Freeth Cartwright to acquire Rochdale-based Kenwell Precision Diecastings Limited for an undisclosed sum.
FREETH CARTWRIGHT SUCCESS IS ACADEMIC
Following a joint procurement exercise, leading law firm Freeth Cartwright has been appointed to a panel of solicitors to provide legal services for both Nottingham Trent University (NTU) and the University of Nottingham.
Summary: On July 1 2010 Freeth Cartwright successfully defended a judicial review action bought against Nottingham City Council (the “Council”). The case concerned two appellants (“X and Y”) who went all the way to the Court of Appeal to seek a review of the Council’s refusal to treat them as “relevant children” for the purposes of the Children (Leaving Care) (England) Regulations 2001 (the “Regulations”).
EMPLOYMENT TRIBUNAL STATISTICS RELEASED
The Employment Tribunal and Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) 2009-10 statistics have recently been published.
Julian Middleton, Employment and Managing Partner at the Leicester office of law firm Freeth Cartwright said: “The statistics bear out what we have anecdotally known for some time - the number of claims is on the increase despite the Government’s efforts to reduce them - and that there are more unfair dismissal and redundancy related claims, generally as a result of the economic downturn.”
GET IN THE RUNNING FOR CORPORATE RELAY CHALLENGE
For the third year in succession, regional law firm Freeth Cartwright is inviting runners from the business world to take part in the Freeth Cartwright Corporate Relay Challenge, part of this year’s Leicester Marathon.
