6 March 2009
Solicitors get creative with new specialism

Champagne and creative juices were flowing at My Hotel in Brighton this week with the launch of Mayo Wynne Baxter’s ‘Media & Creative Industries’ specialist legal team.

Over 50 of Sussex’s most influential people in the creative industries attended the evening reception, including representatives from broadcast, theatre, arts, film and music.

Mayo Wynne Baxter has launched the specialist division to help protect and promote intellectual property (IP) in the Sussex region. IP is made up of copyrights in music, art, drama, literature and the allied disciplines of performing, publishing, online activity and radio and television. It also includes design rights, trademarks and brands – all of importance to the individuals and companies in the creative and cultural industries. The new specialist team serving this dynamic sector was formed in response to Government policy highlighting the importance of businesses’ intangible assets.

The 2006 Gowers Review of Intellectual Property proposed changes in the law to accommodate new media, piracy, and to rebalance consumers’ rights. The report also recommended that better IP-related information be provided to businesses. Initiatives from Department of Culture Media and Sport built on the Gowers Review and include a commitment to local economies driven by creativity, support for clear routes into creative careers from local schools and colleges and even the introduction of IP into the school curriculum.

Dean Orgill, who is heading up the firm’s new Media & Creative Industries (MACI) team, said: “Intellectual property is an important and valuable economic asset. The UK’s creative industry sector is the largest of any EU member state and in 2007 constituted 7.5% of the UK’s GDP.

“To put it into a local context, more than 16,000 people in Brighton & Hove work in a creative industry - that’s nearly 11% of the workforce. With Government policies backing the growth of the industries by way of education and funding, it is vital that the industry gets the support it needs in terms of legal protection and advice, as so often these rights are violated.”

“Our new MACI team will be acting for individuals and businesses; the creators and users of IP, on many issues including securing protection for IP rights, maximising the revenue that IP rights generate, licensing, infringement and the protection of brands.”

The launch event was attended by Peter Lane from the Sussex Innovation Centre. Peter said: “Sussex is brimming with innovation and creativity, which indeed should be acknowledged, celebrated, and wholly supported. Right owners and creators can be misguided or exploited as they build their businesses and ideas, and need sound legal guidance from experts, such as this new creative industries team.

“Sussex has a lot of exciting things to offer this increasingly lucrative industry, but likewise has a lot to lose if creators and entrepreneurs in this sector are not properly advised and protected.”

Mayo Wynne Baxter’s MACI team is formed of six specialists, with extensive expertise in intellectual property, dispute resolution and commercial matters, and will be operating from the firm’s Brighton, Eastbourne and Lewes offices. For further information, please email the team at maci@mayowynnebaxter.co.uk or visit www.mayowynnebaxter.co.uk