Ownership & Exploitation of Employee-Created IP - Who Does it Belong to?

Introduction

Many employers believe that any IP created by their employees will belong to the employer either automatically or by virtue of their employment contract.

Often, this will be the case but in a significant number of situations it will not be.

Furthermore, the ownership position may be different depending upon the IP right in issue and, even if the employer owns the IP, the employee may have a right to compensation.

A thorough understanding of the law in this complex area is vital for any solicitor advising her or his client on the protection or exploitation of employee-generated IP or, indeed, on the drafting of the IP provisions of employment contracts or IP warranties in a commercial or corporate transaction.

This new webinar will help you ensure that your clients do not spend thousands of pounds protecting IP that they do not own or make themselves vulnerable to substantial claims for compensation or breach of warranty.

What You Will Learn

This webinar will cover the following:

• What the law provides in terms of the initial ownership, as between employer and employee, of employee-generated IP
• The specific statutory regime relating to the ownership of employee inventions and why this can be a significant concern for employers
• How, considering the statutory regime, employee inventions can be safely secured, where desired, in the ownership of the employer
• The right of an employee to compensation for some inventions that belong to the employer, with reference to the Supreme Court decision in the case of Shanks v Unilever
• How these matters impact upon the drafting of the IP provisions of employment contracts and corporate IP policies

This webinar was recorded on 8th March 2022