Patents Act 1977: Primary UK legislation governing patent rights, including provisions for patent licensing, infringement, and enforcement. Defines the scope of patentable inventions and rights of patent holders.
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988: Comprehensive legislation covering copyright protection, design rights, and licensing provisions. Includes regulations on moral rights and enforcement of intellectual property rights.
Trade Marks Act 1994: Key legislation governing trademark registration, protection, licensing, and enforcement in the UK. Defines what constitutes trademark infringement and available remedies.
Competition Act 1998: Ensures licensing agreements comply with competition law, prevents anti-competitive practices, and abuse of market dominance in licensing arrangements.
Contracts Act 1999: Fundamental legislation governing contract formation, enforcement, consideration, and capacity of parties in English law.
EU Retained Law: Relevant European Union regulations that have been retained in UK law post-Brexit, including the Technology Transfer Block Exemption Regulation.
Common Law Principles: Established case law principles governing contract formation, interpretation, breach, and remedies in English law.
International Treaties: Key international agreements including the Paris Convention, TRIPS Agreement, and Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) that impact cross-licensing.
CMA Guidelines: Competition and Markets Authority guidelines governing competition aspects of licensing agreements.
IPO Requirements: Intellectual Property Office requirements and procedures for recording and managing intellectual property licenses.
UK GDPR: Data protection requirements that may apply if the licensed technology involves processing of personal data.
