NIPC Law

Crying mask Melpomene and laughing mask Thalia Author Tim Green   Licence CC BY-SA 2.0   Source Wikimedia Commons   Jane Lambert Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (Recorder Amanda Michaels) Rinkoff v Baby Cow Productions Ltd [2025] EWHC 39 (IPEC) (17 Jan 2025) This was a claim for copyright infringement. The work in which copyright was alleged to subsist as an original dramatic work was the format of two series of comedy shows called "Shambles ". The individual who devised that format was the writer and comedian Joshua Rinkoff ("Mr Rinkoff") who performs under the name  Harry Deansway.   Mr Rinkoff alleged that Baby Cow Productions Ltd . ("Baby Cow") had copied his format to make a series called "Live at the Moth Club".  The action came on for trial before Recorder Amanda Michaels on 4 and 5 Nov 2024.  By her judgment of 17 Jan 2025, the recorder dismissed Mr Rinkoff's claim (see Rinkoff v Baby Cow Productions Ltd [2025] EWHC 39 (IP...

Author Satoshi Nakamoto Copyright released   Jane Lambert Court of Appeal (Lady Justice Asplin and Lord Justices Arnold and Warby)  Wright and others v BTC Core and others (Rev1) [2023] EWCA Civ 868 (20 July 2023) This was an appeal against Mr Justice Mellor's refusal in   Wright and others v BTC Core and others  [2023] EWHC 222 (Ch) (7 Feb 2023 to permit service outside England and Wales of claim forms alleging copyright infringement.  The claimants were Craig Steven Wright who claims to have created  Bitcoin  and two of Dr Wright's companies.  Bitcoin is a  cryptocurrency  that is attributed to one  Satoshi Nakamoto .  Dr Wright claims to be Mr Nakamoto.  The defendants are companies and individuals from around the world who are accused of copying matter known as "the Bitcoin File Format."  Dr Wright and his companies say that copyright subsists in the Bitcoin File Format and claim ownership on ...

Intellectual Property Office Author IPO Crown Copyright Licence:    Jane Lambert For many years the Chief Executive of the Intellectual Property Office ("IPO") who is also known as "the Comptroller" for patent and unregistered design right matters and "the Registrar" for trade marks and registered designs, has referred disputes that have been brought before him or her to officials known as "hearing officers".  Until 19 April 2000, those hearing officers conducted their proceedings very differently from the courts. There was nothing that resembled statements of case in civil litigation and evidence was filed in statutory declarations. As a result, many of those proceedings were slower and more expensive than they should have been. A great change occurred on 26 April 2000 when Tribunal Practice Notice (TPN 1/2000)  came into force. It addressed the following matters: "The Office and parties should endeavour to com...

Author Hydragyrum Reproduced with kind permission of the copyright owner Source Wikipedia Jane Lambert Chancery Division (Mr Justice Snowden)  Banner Universal Motion Pictures Ltd v Endemol Shine Group Ltd and others   [2017] EWHC 2600 (Ch) In Denmark there was once a game show called "Minute Winner" which was devised by a Mr Derek Banner. Mr Banner claimed to have assigned his rights in the format for the game show to a company that he had set up called Banner Universal Motion Pictures Ltd. ( "BUMP" ). The rights  that BUMP claims to have acquired were essentially copyright in a document entitled "MINUTE WINNER Mini-format Game show Daily or weekly show. Or short one minute between main programs. Morning, Evening or Afternoon program. One minute, or 30 minutes with several winnings" and the benefit of an obligation of confidence under Swedish and English trade secrecy laws. The obligation of confidence is s...