NIPC Law

  Jane Lambert Chancery Division (Mr Justice Rajah)   Illiquidx Ltd v Altana Wealth Ltd and others [2025] EWHC 299 (Ch) (13 Feb 2025) This was a claim for breach of contract and confidence and trade secrets and copyright infringement,    The Parties The claimant was Illiquidx Ltd, ("IX")  a company that describes itself as "an innovative independent financial services boutique specialised in illiquid markets, which caters to institutional, professional and high net worth investors."  Its activities focus on sales, trading and advice,  One of the markets in which it claims expertise is the sovereign debt of Venezuela , a country that has laboured under international sanctions for many years and has recently defaulted on its debt. The first and second defendants are Altana Wealth Ltd ("Altana") and Lee Robinson ("Mr Robinson") Altana's founder, controlling shareholder and chief investment officer. According to its website, Altana seeks uni...

Author  Satoshi Nakamoto  Source  Wikimedia Jane Lambert Chancery Division  (Mr Justice Mellor)  Crypto Open Patent Alliance v Wright   [2024] EWHC 3315 (Ch) (19 Dec 2024) and  [2024] EWHC 3316 (Ch) (20 Dec 2024) This was an application by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance ("COPA") for the committal of Craig Steven Wright ("Dr Wright") for contempt of court.  COPA alleged that Dr Wright had breached various anti-suit and anti-threat injunctions that Mr Justice Mellor had granted on 16 July 2024 by issuing proceedings against BTC Core and SquareUP Europe Ltd.  Mr Justice Mellor heard the application on 18 Dec 2024 and delivered judgment on 19 Dec 2024 (see Crypto Open Patent Alliance v Wright [2024] EWHC 3315 (Ch)).  At para [136] of that judgment he found Dr Wright to be in contempt of court.  At paras [2] and [79] of  Crypto Open Patent Alliance v Wright (Re Sentencing)  [2024] EWHC 3316 (Ch) which he handed down on...

Author Rob Farrow   Licence CC BY-SA 2.0 Deed   Source Wikimedia Commons Jane Lambert Business and Property Courts, Intellectual Property (Chancery) Mr Justice Zacaroli PG Systems Europe Ltd. and another v Aughton and another   [2023] EWHC 581 (22 March 2023) This was an action for copyright infringement and breach of confidence. It was brought by a software house against its former director and programmer. The claimants were a US company called Productivity-Quality Systems, Inc. ("PQS") and an English company called PQ Systems Europe Ltd. ("PQE").  The transcript refers to them collectively as "PQ".  PQE was not a subsidiary of PQS but it was founded, owned and run by the same person. When that founder died both companies passed into the hands of his successor.    The first defendant, Jeff Aughton ("Mr Aughton"), worked for PQE from 1989 to 2015  On leaving that company, Mr Aughton developed software packages that were similar to PQE's....

Author  dozenist   Licence CC BY-SA 2,5   Source Wikimedia Jane Lambert Chancery Division (Mr James Mellor QC)  C.T. Dent Ltd v Atias and another [2020] EWHC 2720 (Ch) (14 Oct  2020)   This was an application for interim injunctive relief in an action for breach of fiduciary duty, wrongful interference with property, infringement of copyright, infringement of the sui generis database right and misuse of confidential information. The claimant was CT Dent Ltd  ("Dent"), a dental scanning company. The defendants were Kfir Yizhaq Atias ("Mr Atias") a former director of Dent and Dental Scan Ltd ("Scan"), a company that Mr Atias founded on 9 Sept 2020. The application came on before Mr James Mellor QC sitting as a judge of the High Court on 2 Oct 2020, He granted injunctions on 5 Oct 2020 and gave his reasons in  C.T. Dent Ltd v Atias and another [2020] EWHC 2720 (Ch)  on14 Oct 2020. The Facts Until 2 Sept 2020, Mr Atias was one of three directo...