A domain name dispute arises when someone has a domain name incorporating your company’s brand name. For example, if someone registers Googlesucks.com then Google could object to that registration because the domain name us...

If you have developed a successful business model and brand it may be appropriate to consider expanding through licensing or franchising.

• Franchising involves achieving a successful business model that is profitable, so tha...

Adequate hosting is crucial to maintaining an effective online presence. If a website buckles under the pressure of millions of visitors just as a critical marketing campaign comes to a head, the repercussions will be felt by ...

Intellectual property is a valuable asset which will be key to your business. It must therefore be effectively managed. It is important to have appropriate legal agreements in place to ensure that your IP is adequately protect...

IP infringement occurs when someone does something which is the exclusive right of the owner of an intellectual property right to do. For example:

• a copyright holder has the exclusive right to control who copies and uses th...

Intellectual property can account for a significant proportion of a company’s value. An intellectual property valuation may be required in the following circumstances:

• for accounting or tax purposes
• for use in litigation

Know how tends to be information that is valuable to a business even if just covers very basic information generated in your business. Examples of know how include:

• pricing;
• your insights into how to sell your products and...

Sending a letter before action can be a useful way to open up negotiations without going to the expense of starting legal proceedings.

• In general, when a dispute arises, court pro...

The law as it applies to marketing is a vast, and complex subject, because marketing can take many forms, including digital, and involves a wide range of considerations. In particular:

• The content of marketing materials can...

Online defamation is an important consideration not only for businesses who operate their own websites, but also for businesses generally, who will be concerned about the risk that online defamation poses to their reputation.

Freely available libraries of open source software now contribute to rapid application development on all popular platforms, from programmable hardware, to PCs and mobile devices. However, the fact that open source software is...