Briffa is a long-term legal associate of the GCA specialising in intellectual property law. Briffa helps its clients protect and monetise their creative work with straightforward and cost-effective advice.Everyone in the greetings card industry deals with intellectual property rights, and mainly copyright, in some form or other. However, these rights need to be carefully managed in order to ensure that they are not diluted by third party infringers or ineffectively licensed.Briffa can advise on what is and isn’t a copyright infringement (irrespective of which side you’re on), what to do if you receive a cease and desist letter and how to take action if someone is copying your work.Briffa also specialises in a broad range of commercial agreements, particularly licencing agreements, distribution agreements and sales agency agreements. Whether existing drafts need to be reviewed, or new documents prepared, Briffa can offer a comprehensive set of services on a fixed fee basis.Key benefits offered to GCA members include:An initial free consultation and advice note for all new contactsThis will take place at Briffa’s offices in London or via video link and members will meet with one of Briffa’s expert intellectual property solicitors. After the session they will receive a tailored follow-up advice note.DesignProtect: Insuring against the risk of copyright infringementAn innovative service offering cost effective legal insurance for all your designs logged with Briffa.Briffa’s GCA Licence AgreementA licence agreement drafted specifically for GCA members which can used when licensing the copyright in a work for commercial purposes. This document sets out the legal parameters of the licence and ensures that your right to use the work is clearly explained, in plain English.For more information on licencing and copyright, Briffa’s presentation to GCA members can be found in the Members Library.
GCA members have given fantastic feedback to Briffa’s IP services. Most recently, a GCA member gave the following review about Mohammad Khan, solicitor at Briffa: “Mohammed was incredibly helpful. Gave me enough ammunition to tackle a retailer that had copied my work. I was able to resolve it swiftly, and by myself. I wouldn’t hesitate to go back to this company in the future.”