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Tom RedfernLLB (Hons)
Head of LegalFitzgerald & Law
Professional Advisory Services
Rachel Lockwood BSc (Hons), ACA, CTA
PartnerOury Clark
Chartered Accountants
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GLOBAL READYInternational Growth Strategies for SMEs: The Legal Aspects of Setting up in the UK
January 25, 2012, Charlotte NC Session 2
Tom Redfern, Head of F&L Legal LLP
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www.fitzgeraldandlaw.com
London San Francisco
Agenda
Independent Contractor v
Employee
UK Employment Law Update
How to protect IP in
the UK
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www.fitzgeraldandlaw.com
London San Francisco
Independent Contractor v Employee
Both sides may be drawn to the Independent Contractor route because:
Cheaper:
No employer tax to pay
No holiday pay
No employee benefits
No tax deducted at source
More flexible:
Rights of termination
Ability to work for others
No specific working hours
No visibility for the principal:
No payroll registration
Engagement can be via US entity
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www.fitzgeraldandlaw.com
London San Francisco
Independent Contractor v Employee
• Similar rules to the US
• Whatever the language of the contract, the UK tax authorities will look at the circumstances, such as…
Is the contractor providing services for more than one client?
Is there a right of substitution?Are there variable fees?
Can the contractor hire someone else to do the work?
Is the contractor provided with tools/equipment for the work?
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www.fitzgeraldandlaw.com
London San Francisco
Independent Contractor v Employee
Dangers of Contractor Route
• IP vests in the contractor unless stated in the contract
• No duty of trust/good faith exists
• Contractor will usually have no PI insurance
• Tax liability if authorities determine it is an employer/employee relationship and cannot collect tax from the employee
• Contractor can seek clearance from authorities to determine the status of the relationship but this is not customary and puts the relationship on their radar
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www.fitzgeraldandlaw.com
London San Francisco
Independent Contractor v Employee
Governing Law and Jurisdiction
• Employee relationship: must be governed by English law
• Contractor relationship: can choose a US State’s law andlikewise jurisdiction venue is a matter of choice
• If you want to bring a claim: better to choose English law andthe English courts
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UK Employment Law
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www.fitzgeraldandlaw.com
London San Francisco
UK Employment Law
• Written contract
• Under English Law
• No employment ‘at will’
• No PTO days
• Minimum paid holiday entitlement
• No Maximum working hours
• Sick pay rules
• Restrictive covenants
• Protection against dismissal after 12 months service
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www.fitzgeraldandlaw.com
London San Francisco
UK Employment Law
Simplest way to dismiss an employee:
• Give notice before 12 months service expires
• Comply with the terms of the employment contract
OTHERWISE you won’t be able to enforce post-terminationrestrictions in the contract
• From April 2012, the ‘12 months’ rulewill change to 2 years (better for employers)
Compromise Agreement
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Intellectual Property: Protecting IP in the UK
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www.fitzgeraldandlaw.com
London San Francisco
How to Protect IP in the UK Intellectual Property Update
Different types of IP
• Patent: registered
• Trademark: registered/unregistered
• Design: registered/unregistered
• Copyright: unregistered
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www.fitzgeraldandlaw.com
London San Francisco
PatentsIntellectual Property Update
Patents
• Limited life span
• Can be EU or UK wide
• Annually renewable
• Expensive
Trademarks
• Valid so long as registration renewed
• Can be EU or UK wide
• Renewable every 10 years
• Covers the 45 different classes of goods or services required
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www.fitzgeraldandlaw.com
London San Francisco
DesignIntellectual Property Update
Design
• Valid for 25 years
• Can be EU or UK wide
• Renewable every 5 years
Copyright
• Cannot register
• Valid for the creator’s life + 70 years (except songs, which is 50 years)
• Software and databases can be protected as literary works
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The End
Thank you for listening
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London Office8 Lincoln’s Inn Fields London WC2A 3BP
+44 20 7404 [email protected]
North America Office 388 Market Street, Suite 1300, San Francisco CA94111
+1 415 [email protected]
www.fitzgeralandlaw.com
Tom Redfern+44 20 7430 5886