England - South East • TMT (technology, media and telecoms)
Howes Percival LLP
Howes Percival LLP, which gained the practice from Maier Blackburn LLP in early 2024, is principally focused on the creative industries and possesses thorough expertise in media law in addition to film, TV, videogames as well as merchandising. Steven Maier and Cathleen Blackburn are both based in Oxford, the former is knowledgeable of domain names and trade marks, while the latter is strong in cross-border copyright and in trade and academic publishing. James Howarth in Milton Keynes frequently acts for high-tech manufacturers and co-leads the team alongside Matthew Talbot in Leicester. Kavita Raikundalia is also based in Milton Keynes and is adept in design filings and trade mark strategy.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Key clients
- The Tolkien Estate
- Agatha Christie Limited
- Magda Archer
- Cochrane Collaboration
- European Association of Archaeologists
- M C Beaton Literary Estate
- David Shrigley
- Estate of Peter Mayle
Work highlights
- Advised the Tolkien Estate in connection with the repeated infringement of its intellectual property rights concerning The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings on the merchandising platform Etsy.com
- Advised Escargot Copyright Limited, the Estate of Peter Mayle on a dispute over the use of the well-known book title “A Year in Provence” in connection with an unrelated television programme.
- Advised a well-known British “pop” artist, Magda Archer on a dispute with the fashion house Gucci over the use of certain images in their clothing range.
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Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Steven Maier, Cathleen Blackburn, Matthew Talbot, James Howarth