UK Intellectual Property Office approves software patent

We have seen substantial shifts in market practice in risk allocation between service providers and their customers. Data protection expert Peter Wainman reviews the state of play, and considers how far contracting parties can go in allocating risk between them.

In today's fast-moving and fluid labour market, it can be difficult to pin down when and how an invention is made. This is of crucial importance though. It is likely to make the difference between ownership by the employer or the individual inventors. If the employer owns the invention, it can file patents and stop inventing employees from using the technology if they set up on their own later on.