Cooper Grace Ward has a specialist intellectual property (IP) team which advises on IP protection strategies and disputes. Members of our team have founded, managed and operated e-commerce and IT businesses and as a result, have an appreciation for the commercial and IP issues faced by organisations.

Our services in this area include:

Trade marks

• assisting clients in securing registered trade marks in Australia and overseas ranging from word and logo marks to the emerging marks of smell, colour and shape marks
• advising clients in responding to adverse reports issued by IP Australia to secure trade marks which are integral assets of their business
• advising clients in relation to trade mark management and creative protection strategies
• preparing agreements, including licences to use, manufacture, develop and market trade marks and brands 
• instituting and defending trade mark opposition proceedings
• advising and representing trademark holders seeking to enforce trademark rights.
• advising and representing businesses against accusations of trademark infringement.

Copyright

• advising clients on innovative online copyright protection strategies which affect their business in this rapidly evolving and challenging digital environment
• assisting clients, including publishers, songwriters, composers and artists successfully commercialise their rights to copyrighted materials 
• assisting clients to enforce copyright.
• representing clients against accusations of copyright infringement.

Patents

• creating novel patenting and protection strategies and liaising with other professionals such as patent attorneys
• advising and representing clients in relation to patent infringement proceedings

Registered designs

Assisting clients on filing strategies to register designs in Australia and overseas

• advising clients in relation to issues of copyright and design overlap

Plant breeder's rights

• assisting clients in relation to registration of new plant varieties
• assisting clients in successfully commercialising their plant breeders rights

Domain names

Assisting clients in relation to applying for domain name registrations of generic top-level domains (.com, .net, .biz  or .info) or the country code top level domains (com.au or co.nz)

• advising clients on strategies in relation to obtaining domain names from cybersquatters, including preparation of arbitration submissions
• preparing agreements to transfer domain names

Confidentiality

• assisting clients in implementing strategies to protect confidential information
• acting for corporate clients seeking to recover and/or destroy copies of commercially sensitive data, particularly from former employees engaged by competitors and from sub-contractors.
• representing corporate clients and individuals accused of misuse of confidential information.

Cooper Grace Ward was lauded by both national and international clients for being able to "advise excellently on the intersection between commercial and IP law".