Hamlins Legal Secrets

Trade marks are relevant to all business types and without them, your business could be restricted from operating and growing under its current identity. In this episode, Katie from our Commercial and Tech team explains how investing in trade marks now can save you time and money in the future and increase the value of your business by protecting key assets which identify your business from others.

A Statement in Open Court (“SIOC”) is a public apology read out in court once a case has settled. They are an important remedy in reputational disputes, most notably in defamation claims, but recently they have also come to be used increasingly in claims for misuse of private information. We reveal the value of SIOC for claimants.

If you want to make the most out of the mediation process to ensure disputes are settled in your favour, then this episode is for you! Our dispute resolution team teach you the art of a successful mediation to help you settle disputes at an early stage so as to avoid costly court actions.

Registering a Trade Mark is one of the most effective ways to protect your brand and making the application is actually something you can do yourself. However, many people struggle with the process and their applications are refused, leaving them with wasted time and money. In this episode, Razzak takes you behind the scenes of a Trade Mark application so you can learn from some of the most common mistakes.

This episode gives you three key tips to keep in mind when trying to implement brand extension. What is brand extension? This is where you launch a product through leveraging an established brand. This model for business growth has been adopted by a plethora of leading brands. For example, easyGroup leveraged its success in the airline industry with easyJet to accelerate their entrance into other industries like easyHotel, easyCar and easyCoffee. Despite the attractiveness of this strategy there are still risks to keep in mind.

Applying for a Trade Mark is a nuanced process. You can do it yourself, but those that do often find themselves frustrated because their applications get rejected or don't give them the protection they imagined.   In this episode, Razzak gives you two reasons businesses don't get the Trade Marks they desire so you can learn from these mistakes yourself.

The ability to remain anonymous on the internet has brought some complexity to enforcing your legal rights against those people you cant identify. Perhaps you are being defamed by an anonymous blogger, harassed by an unknown user or you have found your confidential information leaked online but you are not sure who is responsible. We provide an insight into how we unmask the identities of online individuals through a 'Norwich Pharmacal Order' (NPO).

Disputes with builders are an unfortunately common occurrence but with some smart moves you can ensure things keep running smoothly. In this episode, we walk you through 4 top tips on how to keep your builders happy and on track.

Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) can form a crucial level of protection for your business by protecting private + confidential information such as trade secrets, business plans or even deals that are in the stage of negotiation. This episode gives you a quick 101 of NDAs and how they can benefit your business.

Why are Terms and Conditions of business so important? What should a good set of Terms cover? What happens when things go wrong? Head of Commercial at Hamlins Matthew Pryke sheds some light on these questions in this episode.

Ever wondered what value a registered trade mark will bring to your business? In this episode, we give you two quickfire ways a trade mark will enhance your business.

What is IR35 and why should you care? This audio accompanies our FREE IR35 Cheat Sheet which can be downloaded from hamlins.com/legalsecrets/.   Read the cheat sheet or listen to this audio to find out: (1) if IR35 applies to your business, (2) what key factors determine the status of your contractors, and (3) how we can help your business be IR35 compliant.

Not sure whether the terms of a lease are fair? What should you be looking for when negotiating? In part 2 of our Complete Guide to Leases series, Real Estate Partner John Leasure outlines the negotiation phase of a lease transaction and the key terms you should be looking for.

Are you sure your website is compliant? Most website owners falsely believe their website is legally compliant. Don't make the same mistake by listening to this 3 minute Quick Guide to Website Compliance as Partner Matthew Pryke walks you through the key documentation required to ensure your website is legally compliant.

In this episode, Stephen walks you through the biggest IP mistake we see all businesses making. Whether you are a start-up or a larger organisation, this episode will be relevant to you. Crucially, Stephen provides you with practical advice on how you can get started with fixing this mistake for free and completely by yourself.

Guilty of letting those unpaid invoices stack up? Tired of chasing clients for payment? Not sure what to do next? We have the answers to all of these questions as we reveal 4 surefire ways to get all your invoices paid.

In this episode, Real Estate Partner John Leasure breaks down the fundamentals of leases and gives us an overview of what we should be thinking about right from the start of a lease transaction. What even is a lease and why are the heads of terms so important? What terms should be included? How can a landlord or a tenant be sure the terms they are agreeing are suitable? All will be revealed in this series. Let's start from the beginning! This is part one of our Complete Guide to Leases where Real Estate Partner John Leasure reveals all you need to know about leases.

The brand chosen by a company can make or break its future success. Adopting a brand which is the same as, or similar to, an existing brand carries legal and commercial risks. In the early stages of launching a new company or brand, it is essential to check whether the proposed company name and logo are already in use in the market. The earlier the presence of a similar brand is identified the easier it will be to pivot the proposed company name and protect yourself. There are several ways to check whether brands are already in use and Matthew has summarised 5 of the most straightforward ways for you to start this process yourself.

Just because you paid for something, it doesn't mean you own it. Most website owners are unaware that the graphic designer may own the intellectual property in the digital assets on their website. The answer? It all lies in the agreement.

The Brexit transition period ends on 31 December 2020 and with it comes sweeping changes to the ways you must protect your brand. The current EU trade mark registration system gives protection in all 28 member states of the EU. When the United Kingdom exits the EU on 31 December 2020 it will no longer benefit from protection from EU trade mark registrations. So what are the implications for your brand and what steps should you take?

Both Conor McGregor and Lewis Hamilton have been in the news recently for failing in disputes surrounding trademarking their own name. This is a useful reminder to never to assume you can automatically register one's own name as a trade mark. It further highlights the importance of receiving commercially-astute legal advice on the best approach for the protection of your personal brand. 

It's time to go to court! Sometimes alternative dispute resolution is unsuccessful and we have to go through the formal court procedure - litigation. We walk you through the process to give you an insight into what to expect. Introduction to Dispute Resolution - this series will allow you to increase the chances of disputes being resolved in your favour and ultimately allow you to resolve issues at a much lower cost.

Have a construction dispute or want to keep a dispute private? We walk you through the most appropriate dispute resolution procedures - adjudication and arbitration. Introduction to Dispute Resolution - this series will allow you to increase the chances of disputes being resolved in your favour and ultimately allow you to resolve issues at a much lower cost.

Clients missing invoices? Disgruntled employee? Project deadline missed? Our disputes resolution team walk you through some ways to resolve these disputes with methods such as negotiation, mediation and third party determination. Introduction to Dispute Resolution - this series will allow you to increase the chances of disputes being resolved in your favour and ultimately allow you to resolve issues at a much lower cost.

Listen to find out how Hamlins Legal Secrets will help enhance your business.