Patents Act 1977: Key legislation governing patent rights, registration, and enforcement in the UK. Essential for protecting and licensing patented innovations.
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988: Fundamental legislation protecting creative works, designs, and related rights. Critical for licensing of copyright-protected materials.
Trade Marks Act 1994: Primary legislation governing trademark protection and licensing in the UK. Important for brand-related licensing.
Common Law - Trade Secrets: Legal principles protecting confidential information and trade secrets, essential for protecting proprietary information in licensing agreements.
Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977: Regulates unfair terms in contracts, including limitations on liability and reasonableness of contractual terms.
Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999: Governs how third parties may enforce terms of a contract, relevant for sub-licensing and assignment provisions.
Competition Act 1998: Ensures licensing agreements don't violate competition law, particularly regarding market restrictions and anti-competitive practices.
Enterprise Act 2002: Provides framework for market regulation and competition law enforcement, impacting licensing restrictions and terms.
Technology Transfer Block Exemption Regulation: Provides safe harbor for certain technology transfer agreements under competition law, particularly relevant for technical licensing.
UK GDPR: Regulates processing and transfer of personal data, important when licensing involves data transfer or processing.
Data Protection Act 2018: UK's implementation of data protection requirements, complementing UK GDPR in data-related aspects of licensing.
Corporation Tax Act 2009: Governs taxation of corporate entities, including treatment of royalties and licensing income.
Employment Rights Act 1996: Relevant when licensing involves transfer of employees or knowledge transfer provisions.
