Copyright

Our team of copyright experts have extensive experience protecting the rights of creators, including licensing and royalty agreements, anti-counterfeiting, and enforcement.

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How we can help with copyright

Managing your copyright can be complicated, and it is important that you seek specialised advice. Our team of copyright experts have extensive experience protecting the rights of creators, including licensing and royalty agreements, anti-counterfeiting, and enforcement.

Copyright exists automatically on the creation of certain original works. It applies to musical, dramatic, artistic or literary works (including models, drawings, sculptures, software, books, advertising copy). It protects the way in which an idea is expressed but not the idea itself. If you’re in the content business (producing music, books, film, software and the like) copyright comes into its own.

Less well known is that copyright can also apply to the shape and configuration of a product or its packaging or promotional materials. As a consequence, there is likely to be copyright in most replicable products you create.

We can assist you with protecting your original works of authorship including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic works, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture.

Talk to our experts today to find out how we can help you manage your copyright.

Meet our copyright experts

Tonia Brugh

Partner

Tonia Brugh

Tonia is a dual qualified trade mark and intellectual property specialist, with over 20 years of domestic and international experience advising clients in this area. Tonia also has significant experience in the entertainment and IT sectors, including drafting, reviewing and…

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Jason Rogers

Partner

Jason Rogers

As Head of the James & Wells Life Sciences team, and with over twenty-five years’ industry experience, Jason’s expertise includes a diverse array of biotechnology fields. Jason’s focus is on high-end intellectual property strategies for patent, design and copyright rights….

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Ceri Wells

Partner

Ceri Wells

Ceri is a founding partner of James & Wells, a past president of the New Zealand Institute of Patent Attorneys, an experienced patent and trade mark attorney, and an outspoken champion of innovation. As an experienced lawyer and patent attorney…

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Tim Walden

Managing Partner

Tim Walden

Tim is the Managing Partner of James & Wells and specialises in trade mark law. Managing large trade mark portfolios, completing clearance investigations for new brands, devising filing strategies, establishing brand ownership, and enforcing trade marks overseas, are all part…

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Carrick Robinson

Partner

Carrick Robinson

Carrick is a trade mark and branding specialist with over 23 years of intellectual property experience in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. He assists businesses with mitigating brand risk and with leveraging their IP and works with brand managers…

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Ben Cain

Partner

Ben Cain

Having spent 14 years as a professional marketer and brand design manager before qualifying as a lawyer, Ben’s passion is resolving disputes concerning registered or common law trade mark rights, domain names, copyright rights, registered designs, fair trading issues and…

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Stephanie Hadley

Associate

Stephanie Hadley

Stephanie is an Associate and Trade Mark Attorney based in our Christchurch office. With a background in marketing, media, and food and beverage law, she delivers quality legal service and brand strategy on trade marks, has specialist knowledge in food…

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Andrew Knowles

Of Counsel

Andrew Knowles

With over 30 years’ experience working in intellectual property, Andrew has been involved in numerous trade mark and design cases both in prosecution and litigation. His current practice includes working with clients on trade marks, copyright, design and patents. Outside…

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Alexia Mayer

Partner

Alexia Mayer

Alexia is an experienced Australian and New Zealand intellectual property (IP) litigator. Alexia’s practice includes patent, trade mark and copyright infringement, patent and trade mark oppositions, breach of confidence, IP ownership disputes, misleading and deceptive conduct,  IP licensing, and pharmaceutical/medical…

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Jason Wach

Partner

Jason Wach

Jason is an experienced intellectual property litigator. He has an extensive background in acting for local and international businesses and assisting them with the enforcement of intellectual property rights. He has appeared as counsel and assisted senior counsel in all…

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Ian Finch

Partner

Ian Finch

Ian is recognised as one of New Zealand’s most influential leaders in intellectual property. He has extensive experience advising clients in the filing, prosecution, and enforcement of their innovation at all levels and across a range of industries, particularly in…

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Gus Hazel

Partner

Gus Hazel

Gus is one of Australasia’s most experienced intellectual property lawyers. His experience includes litigation at all levels of the Australian and New Zealand systems, alternative dispute resolution procedures (mediation and arbitration), commercialisation, regulatory issues and administrative law. In addition to…

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James Rowland

Associate

James Rowland

James is an Associate in our litigation team. James’s practice, while extending across a range of intellectual property rights, is centred predominantly on the obtaining and enforcement of patent rights. Frequently working across teams and in multi-jurisdictional disputes, James has…

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George Jackson

Associate

George Jackson

George is an Associate with the litigation team based out of Tauranga. George’s practice includes dispute and enforcement of a range of intellectual property rights, but with a particular focus on trade mark and Fair Trading Act 1986 matters. George…

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Kathryn McLardy

Associate

Kathryn McLardy

Kathryn is an Associate in the James & Wells Litigation team, based in our Christchurch office. She completed her LLB (Hons) at the University of Canterbury and upon completion she received the University Prize in Law. During her degree, Kathryn…

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Copyright insights & resources

Champions of Innovation®

Since 1979, James & Wells has been at the forefront of innovation in Australasia. We are here to help you grow, leverage and protect your IP. Our depth of experience ranges from managing large IP portfolios for international corporations, right through to protecting the ideas of start-ups, and everything in between. No matter the size of your organisation, James & Wells are here to be your dedicated Champions of Innovation®.

We are a full-service IP firm – that means you will find everything you need to protect your IP just by working with us. We will help you with patents, trade marks, litigation and IP strategy – our people are externally recognised as some of the best in the business, and they work together to bring you custom-built IP solutions that are tailored exactly to your needs. When you work with James & Wells, you know you’re in a safe pair of hands, with a highly experienced team supporting you.

Talk to us today about how we can work together.

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