Intellectual Property

4 Pump Court has a team of barristers with extensive experience in intellectual property (IP) disputes, with members of chambers regularly instructed in high-profile, complex cases. Our barristers have experience across a wide range of intellectual property rights including copyright, trade marks and passing off, design rights, database rights, breach of confidence, trade secrets, patent licensing, and semiconductor topography rights.

4 Pump Court  has received numerous  IP/IT set of the year awards and is consistently ranked as the pre-eminent chambers for IT work. Members of chambers have an in-depth knowledge of the technologies and commercial considerations underlying disputes, as well as particular experience in licensing and franchising disputes involving the interaction between IP and contract law. Chambers’ expertise in both IT and IP disputes means that our members are uniquely placed to advise in relation to rights in emerging technologies, such as AI. Several members of chambers are contributors to the leading practitioner text on AI, Hervey & Lavy, The Law of Artificial Intelligence, (Sweet & Maxwell 2020; 2^nd ed 2024).

Members of chambers are instructed by some of the world’s biggest technology, outsourcing and telecommunications companies, organisations and governments. We also regularly assist instructing solicitors with disputes from their SME clients. 4 Pump Court’s barristers have experience representing clients in IP disputes in the High Court (including IPEC), Court of Appeal as well as in international arbitration forums.

The following are examples of recent IP matters in which 4 Pump Court’s barristers have advised and appeared:

Copyright: Members of our team have acted in a wide range of copyright disputes, with particular experience in software copyright and rights under the Software Directive.

Database Right: Our team has a wealth of experience of disputes involving database rights, including involvement in important litigation in the gaming and sporting industries.

Trade Marks and Passing Off: 4 Pump Court’s barristers have experience of a range of trade mark disputes, including issues that arise in domain name disputes and use of trade marks online in keywords and adwords.

Breach of Confidence: Our barristers are regularly instructed on some of the largest breach of confidence/misuse of confidential arbitration disputes across a wide range of industries. This includes disputes arising out of NDA breaches, team moves, conflicts of interest, hacking, phishing, and other theft and loss of information.

Patents (including SEPs and FRAND terms): Members of our team are regularly instructed by global telecom companies, in relation to patent licensing disputes in the telecoms and technology sector.