Year round learning for product, design and engineering professionals

Scott Buchanan and Ben Maguire

Wig meets Web (2.0): harnessing the law to commercialise and protect your IP

Session description

Innovation and development in web 2.0 moves ever faster, the law as slow as always. So how can you best harness the law in commercializing and protecting your intellectual property? Scott tackles some of the thorny issues web content creators face in commercializing and protecting the IP in their content and ventures into the controversial territory of accessing the creative power of customers through user-generated content. Ben draws on his experience advising Virgin companies in a range of industries and countries to explore the practical issues facing businesses trying to protect their IP. He also looks at some of the dilemmas – and possible solutions – for businesses using user-generated content. Both promise not to wear a tie.

About Scott Buchanan and Ben Maguire

Scott Buchanan PortraitScott Buchanan is the passionate founder of Buchanan Law and experienced IP, IT and telecommunications lawyer. Scott’s client base spans innovative operators across such sectors as telecommunications, federal government, new and traditional media, pay TV, biotechnology and a diverse range of players in the web services sphere. He regularly advises IT start-ups on the interaction of IP rights in the on-line environment, privacy, telco regulation, e-commerce and is especially interested in working with clients to develop and implement clever IP commercialisation strategies. Scott is also registered by the Australian Institute of Patent & Trade Marks Attorneys to practise as a registered Trade Marks Attorney.

When not running cutting edge legal arguments Scott enjoys running after his two little kids and long distance running generally.

Ben McGuire PortraitBen McGuire is Regional General Counsel for Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Management Asia Pacific. He takes care of the legal aspects of the Virgin group’s regional investments and establishes new Virgin businesses inAustralia and Asia Pacific. One of his more challenging tasks is dealing with the intellectual property issues arising in protecting one of the world’s most respected brands.

Ben apologises, but he is a notorious Luddite: he is not on Facebook, does not write a blog, has no idea how a style sheet works, and only recently learned what itunes does. Instead, he swims. He clearly spends too much time face down in cold water, having recently swum the English Channel.

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