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Copyright and design lawyers
Diverse is the word for Withers' experience in copyright and design.
The variety of the team's work spans from the exploitation of couture collections to a dispute relating to design rights in warheads. We also represent advertising and design agencies, famous individual designers, software companies, banks and financial services providers, manufacturers, charities, museums, artists, sports stars and musicians.Our global presence enables us to advise you on the opportunities to monetize your intellectual property and to protect it robustly if required. We advise on the opportunities for commercial exploitation of copyright works and designs: specifically, we act for a number of leading fashion designers on the commercial exploitation of their collections. We have also been consulted by charities that have been given copyright works as legacies.
We help clients protect and enforce copyright via court proceedings, trading standards and commercial channels. Members of the team have acted extensively in copyright and design right infringement proceedings.
Our team worked on the sale by Natalie Massenet of Net-a-Porter, and is described by the Legal 500 as 'an absolute expert in the luxury goods business'.
Our team spotted the need to protect Issey Miyake's groundbreaking Bao Bao bag, after he noticed that fakes were flooding the market in Milan, where the Japanese brand was opening a flagship store. We immediately began working with them to stop the infringement of Issey Miyake's original design in Europe, the US and Asia.
We acted for 1Malaysia Racing Team in its high-profile £15 million dispute with Force India over allegations of copying, and for the manufacturers of Dr Brown's baby bottles on an infringement action involving their design rights, copyright, patent and trademarks.
Track record
License agreement
Assisted OZ, a long-standing client of the firm and a leading manufacturer of light alloy wheels for multiple sectors, which they sell via a global network of branches and distributors with the drafting of a license agreement for the use of OZ Superturismo WRC rims within a video game.
International beer manufacturer
Advised an international beer manufacturer on trademark infringement in Singapore.
Italian wine manufacturer
Managed the trademark portfolio of a leading Italian wine manufacturer.
Trademark injunction
Obtaining a unique form of injunction in relation to a claim for passing off, whereby the defendant was forbidden from using their own trade name because it had been coupled with our client's well-known brand.
US technology company
Advised in the acquisition by a US technology company of software and intellectual property assets from an embedded software company in Moscow and related technology service agreements with an affiliated entity in British Virgin Islands.
French fashion house
We assisted the Italian subsidiary of a renowned French fashion house in relation to the management of their brand under new Patent Box regulations
LG Electronics Inc
Our Singapore team successfully acted for LG Electronics Inc. in a trade mark opposition filed by headphones manufacturer Beats Electronics, LLC against the registration of the mark 'QuadBeat' before the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, securing a favourable decision.
Licensing of a new pharmaceutical drug product
Acted for an international pharmaceutical company in an evaluation project for the licensing of a new drug product as well as intellectual property litigation matters.
Camera della Moda
Camera della Moda is a non-profit organisation specialising in the promotion and support of the Italian fashion industry and young designers. The organization was challenged about the domain name for their website, and we successfully defended this allowing them to carry on building their online profile. Withers have a long-standing relationship with Camera della Moda, and together we help to support them in brand protection and the IP of the brands they represent.
DieselReboot by Diesel
Withers is proud to have represented global Italian retailer Diesel during the launch of their reinventive new brand DieselReboot. During the launch, Withers worked alongside Diesel's newly appointed artistic director Nicola Formichetti and advised on the brand's new aims to 'rediscover and reactive the DNA of Diesel'.
International beer manufacturer
Advised an international beer manufacturer on trademark infringement in Singapore.
LG Electronics Inc
Our Singapore team successfully acted for LG Electronics Inc. in a trade mark opposition filed by headphones manufacturer Beats Electronics, LLC against the registration of the mark 'QuadBeat' before the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, securing a favourable decision.
Italian wine manufacturer
Managed the trademark portfolio of a leading Italian wine manufacturer.
French fashion house
We assisted the Italian subsidiary of a renowned French fashion house in relation to the management of their brand under new Patent Box regulations
Camera della Moda
Camera della Moda is a non-profit organisation specialising in the promotion and support of the Italian fashion industry and young designers. The organization was challenged about the domain name for their website, and we successfully defended this allowing them to carry on building their online profile. Withers have a long-standing relationship with Camera della Moda, and together we help to support them in brand protection and the IP of the brands they represent.
DieselReboot by Diesel
Withers is proud to have represented global Italian retailer Diesel during the launch of their reinventive new brand DieselReboot. During the launch, Withers worked alongside Diesel's newly appointed artistic director Nicola Formichetti and advised on the brand's new aims to 'rediscover and reactive the DNA of Diesel'.
US technology company
Advised in the acquisition by a US technology company of software and intellectual property assets from an embedded software company in Moscow and related technology service agreements with an affiliated entity in British Virgin Islands.
US technology company
Advised in the acquisition by a US technology company of software and intellectual property assets from an embedded software company in Moscow and related technology service agreements with an affiliated entity in British Virgin Islands.
Our team
Sarah Barker
Partner | Head of art law | London
Michael S. Brophy
Partner | Los Angeles
Jacopo Liguori
Partner | Milan
Ali Woodcock-West
Associate | London
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Luxury brands
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