• The British Literary and

    Artistic Copyright Association

     

    The British Literary & Artistic Copyright Association, BLACA,

    is the UK national group of the International Literary and Artistic Association (ALAI)

    founded in Paris in 1878 under the Presidency of Victor Hugo.

     

    It provides a forum for discussion of matters affecting the rights of authors and other copyright owners.

  • The absence of sunset: The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill and its effect on copyright (and other) law

     

    13th July 2023, 6.15pm

    Bristows LLP

    100 Victoria Embankment

    London EC4Y 0DH

    (In person)

     

    The proposed ‘sunsetting’ of EU-derived legislation in the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill) has been much curtailed, but the Bill remains significant as a further repainting of the post-Brexit landscape. Professor Johnson will discuss how the legislation, including the end of “retained” EU supremacy, may work in the future and how it fits with the general implementation of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement and other UK Free Trade Agreements.

     

    Speaker: 

    Professor Phillip Johnson

    Professor Johnson is a barrister and professor of commercial law at Cardiff Law School. As well as intellectual property and related areas of law, he has research interests in legal and parliamentary history, public law and private international law (the subject of his doctoral thesis). He was formerly a lawyer in the Government legal service, advising the Intellectual Property Office. He is a qualified arbitrator and sits as an Appointed Person to hear trade mark and design appeals from the Office. Since 2022, he has been editor of Intellectual Property Quarterly.

     

    Chair: Alison Firth (Chairman, BLACA)

     

    Reflections on copyright in shrubberies and on garden designers who say ‘Ni’

     

    To celebrate the arrival of spring, our May meeting will be devoted to copyright aspects of garden architecture and similar outdoor spaces.


    11th May 2023, 6.15pm

    Bristows LLP

    100 Victoria Embankment

    London EC4Y 0DH

    (In person)

     

    Speakers:

    Dr Martin Schaefer, Partner, Boehmert & Boehmert, Berlin

    Martin is a practising copyright lawyer, specialising in music and media, a proficient author and a member of several
    distinguished associations, including the Board of ALAI Germany. His passion for gardens led him to write his doctoral thesis on the ‘copyrightability of works of garden architecture’ and to embark on the process of publishing a comprehensive guidebook on the gardens of Sanssouci in Potsdam.
     

    Simon Clark, Honorary Secretary,BLACA

    Chair:

    Brigitte Lindner

    Vice-Chairman, BLACA

    The key differences between IP Litigation in Scotland and England 

     

    2nd March 2023, 6.15pm

    Bristows LLP

    100 Victoria Embankment

    London EC4Y 0DH

    (In person)

     

    Speaker:

    Colin Hulme (Partner, Burness Paull LLP)

     

    Colin leads Burness Paull’s IP team which has won the Managing IP Contentious Firm of
    the Year (Scotland) award in 2020, 2021 and 2022. The team is top
    Ranked in Chambers UK, Legal 500, World Trade Mark Review, IAM Patent 1000 and
    IP Stars. In recent year’s Burness Paull’s IP team have been involved in
    more than half of all IP actions in the Scottish IP Court.

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  • Membership

    The annual subscription is £50. This covers attendance at all the regular meetings and entitles members to a substantial discount on the fee for joint BLACA seminars. BLACA members are automatically members of ALAI with entitlement to discounted fees to attend its international Congresses and Study Days each year and to receive free copies of the proceedings (A special registration fee is available for registered students). Enquiries to Simon Clark.

  • Contact us

    Professor Alison Firth, Chairman:
    alison.firth@newcastle.ac.uk

     

    Vice Chairmen:

    Stephen Edwards

    Brigitte Lindner

     

    Simon Clark, Secretary:
    Bristows
    simon.clark@bristows.com
    tel: 020 7400 8000

     

    Dr Maria Mercedes Frabboni, Honorary Treasurer:
    m.m.frabboni@sussex.ac.uk

     

  • Directions

    Seminars in presence will be held at Bristows,
    100 Victoria, Embankment, EC4Y 0DH