Introduction - Background and basic principles - Subsistence of copyright - Authorship and ownership of copyright - Authors' rights - Rights, infringement and remedies - Defences to copyright infringement and the permitted acts - Copyright and computer software - Rights in performances - Law of breach of confidence - Patent law : background, basic principles and practical aspects - Requirements for patentability - Ownership, dealing with patents, safety and security, and Crown use - Patents : infringement, remedies and criminal offences - Patents : defences, groundless threats and revocation - What is a design? - Community design and the UK registered design - The UK unregistered design right - Trade marks : introduction and background - The UK trade mark : registrability, surrender, revocation and invalidity, property rights and registration - The UK trade mark : rights, infringement, limitations and defences, remedies and criminal offences - Community trade mark and the Madrid system - Passing off and malicious falsehood - Freedom of movement of goods and EC competition law - IPR and conflict of laws