Software, IT systems and data form the basis for many of the business and knowledge systems in use in commerce and education but how to protect and manage these assets with IP is often poorly understood.
Dai Davis is a Chartered Engineer and a Solicitor who holds Masters degrees in both Physics and Computer Sciences. His knowledge therefore covers both the technical and legal aspects required to address and bring understanding to “how to protect IT and data assets with IP”. He is a member of the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists and a non-executive director of The Federation Against Software Theft. In his professional practice, he advises clients on non-contentious Intellectual Property and Information Technology law matters.
His talk examined :
- The Intellectual Property rights that can be used to protect Information Technology. This will include a brief discussion of copyright, “software” patents, trade secrets and confidentiality agreements, trade marks, design rights, semi-conductor topography rights and data base rights in Information Technology systems.
- The particular technological and societal aspects of IT and data systems including arguments for and against greater protection.
- How Intellectual Property rights are used in practice to protect Information Technology systems and shared data bases through licensing and technology transfer agreements.
- “Special” software related agreements such as open source software, “Escrow” agreements and Information Technology disaster recovery contracts.
- The interaction of data protection rights with Information Technology systems and the effect of changes in data protection legislation arising from the new General Data Protection Regulation.
- Dai will develop these themes using a United Kingdom international dimension. Dai will also refer to a couple of law cases and explain the implications for some of these laws as a result of Brexit.
The presentation took place on Wednesday, 27 September 2017 from 3-5pm at CIPA. Please find a copy of the presentation here.
Photograph: Tau Zero, Prism (some rights reserved)