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Albright IP Limited
4.9
Based on 90 reviews
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Emily Warwick
Emily Warwick
14:56 27 Jul 22
My experience with Albright IP has been flawless from start to finish. I... have never filed a patent before so I was learning everything as I went along. They have been helpful in every way possible and gone the extra mile to ensure I was kept in the loop and happy as everything was going through each step of the way. I cannot express enough how pleased I am with their service. I had the pleasure of working with Will, Abigail, and Adrian. I would recommend Albright IP to anyone looking to file a patent application.read more
Simon Mills
Simon Mills
13:22 06 Jul 22
Super helpful advice, and really friendly service. Highly recommend... Albright for IP advice and services.read more
Luke D.
Luke D.
11:25 23 May 22
Was a pleasure to work with Will and Melissa on a patent draft and filing.... Will took the time to understand both my software product and the commercial motivations behind the patent filing. They were extremely responsive to questions and clarifications throughout the process (availability isn't everything, but it certainly helps!).They were also very clear regarding fees, and set out a very helpful visual timeline and cost breakdown on the whole patent application process at the pre-sales stage. This emphasis on making sure I understood all aspects of the work, and having documentation to help with that, is something I didn't see with any of the other patent services I was talking to at the time. This clear communication continued throughout our interactions.Would recommend Albright IP to anyone looking to patent an invention. The patent they filed for me was for a software invention.read more
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Orphan works – who owns the copyright? No excuse for infringement

by | Mar 15, 2017

infringementA work doesn’t have to be marked with a © to be a copyright work. Copyright originates automatically in any original literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work. Accidentally infringing copyright is therefore easier than you might think! To avoid infringement, you must seek permission from the author of a work before using it. But what happens if you don’t know who the author is?

If the author of a work cannot be found (or one of the authors in the case of a work of multiple authorship), the work is known, rather whimsically, as an ‘orphan work’. Orphan works can be a thorn in the side of all manner of creative professionals, and can be particularly troublesome when attempting to reproduce historical photographs.

However, it is possible to use these works without fear of ending up on the receiving end of a lawsuit with an orphan works license. Orphan works licenses can be obtained from the government on payment of a small fee. If the author does later come to light, they can reclaim the fee you paid from the government. This is intended to encourage creativity and innovation by allowing orphan works to be used in new ways.

No excuse for copyright infringement

To obtain an orphan works license you must perform a ‘diligent search’ to make sure you have made a fair effort to identify the author. This has different implications for different types of works, and the UK Intellectual Property Office publishes checklists that give an idea of what a diligent search is expected to involve.

The downside of the orphan works licensing system is that there is really no excuse for copyright infringement! If in doubt, it is worth consulting an attorney.

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