The IBIL (Institute of Brand and Innovation Law) Annual Brands Lecture that takes place this month will be, “Trade Marks and Designs: the Designers’ Perspective”. Participants include Matthew Cockerill (Seymour Powell), Chris Griffin (pi global and the Museum of Brands), Alexander Carter-Silk (Speechly Bircham) and Simon Malynicz (3 New Square). In the chair is The Honourable Mr Justice Birss.

An introduction to the participants and speakers:
Matthew Cockerill, Associate Design Director at Seymour Powell, has a varied background in mechanical engineering and industrial design, having worked with some of the UK’s leading design consultancies. From Scalextric controllers and dental laboratory equipment to Air France’s first class airline seat and the passenger experience at Heathrow Terminal 5, he has designed just about everything. In 2003, Matthew moved to Seoul, South Korea in order to work with Samsung Electronics. Since returning to the UK, he has been part of Seymour Powell, identifying consumer insights, creating compelling product propositions and delivering business and consumer-friendly products that function superbly on a variety of levels.

According to the organisers:
“Trade mark and design law make many assumptions about how designers design things and use those assumptions are the basis of tests which shape the scope of legal protection for designs. Furthermore, design-related questions underlie the tests for protectablity. These include distinctiveness, novelty, individual character, design freedom and different overall impression and functionality. In this seminar, a product and a packaging designer will explain the design process and how they make design choices. Experienced lawyers will then consider the extent to which the legal tests inherent in trade mark and design regulation reflect the realities of the design process”.

This lecture is accredited for 1.5 CPD hours.

For further details click here and for registration, click here.

The IBIL lecture will take place on Wednesday 26 February 2014, from 6 – 7.30pm in the UCL Cruciform Lecture Theatre, University College London.