IT Law

IT is far too broad a subject to cover from a legal perspective on a single page, and you will find many references to IT law on other pages on our website. In brief, the main issues which may affect your business are the following:

• Copyright is the primary means by which the law protects software, as it prevents others from reproducing your work. However, copyright alone might not be enough to prevent a competitor replicating functionality in computer software.
• Intellectual property rights exist in information created, stored, and distributed through IT systems. Various IP rights may be affected through general use of IT systems and appropriate consents and licences should be obtained
• Data protection issues arise in relation to personal data stored in IT systems, and it is important to ensure any use of personal data is within the law.
• New IT technological inventions and innovations may be eligible for patent protection. Although patents in respect of computer programs are restricted in the UK and Europe, computer software may in certain circumstances form part of a patentable invention.
• The internet brings with it countless risks and opportunities, and intellectual property, online defamation, domain names, and ecommerce as discussed below are just a handful of the IT law issues which are relevant when using the internet.
• When developing a new computer software it is crucial to keep your ideas confidential to avoid others profiting from them.

Please do follow the links on this page to find out more about the different ways in which IT law impacts upon your business.

We have broad, and deep expertise of the issues discussed above, and can help you to make the most of information technology.