Copyright, design & brand assets

Explore the rights and evidence associated with creative work, design and the assets used by a brand.

Images, packaging, written content and other creative assets can involve questions about authorship, ownership and permitted use. A brand may need to consider these alongside its trademarks, while keeping the different rights and evidence distinct.

This topic follows copyright and design developments relevant to brand decisions. It does not assume that commissioning a work transfers every right, or that trademark protection answers a copyright question. The scope of any individual service needs to be assessed separately.

Questions to consider

Who created the material, and what agreements or permissions exist?
Which uses, territories and parties are covered by the available records?
Is the question about copyright, design, trademarks, or several different rights?

Related reporting

U.S. Supreme Court Affirms Fifth Circuit: Copyright Termination Can Reach Foreign Rights, but Creates No Nationwide Precedent

On 2026, 10, 19, the U.S. Supreme Court in BMG Rights Management v. Vetter (No. 25-1391) affirmed the judgment of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which held that an author's termination under Section 304(c) of the Copyright Act of a worldwide assignment made before 1978 can recapture the rights to the work abroad. This affirmance, however, is not a ruling on the merits: four Justices did not participate in the consideration, and the remaining five did not constitute a quorum, so the Supreme Court acted under 28 U.S.C. § 2109, with the effect of an "equally divided affirmance," carrying no precedential effect and binding only in the three states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.

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Taiwan region of China passes draft amendments to the "Patent Act": design patent grace period proposed to be extended from 6 months to 12 months

On 2026, 10, 22, the "Executive Yuan" of the Taiwan region of China passed at its 4026th meeting a draft amendment to certain provisions of the "Patent Act", with five key points: computer-generated images and graphical user interfaces may be protected independently as subject matter of design patents; combined filing of similar designs is added; the design patent grace period is extended from 6 months to 12 months; the time limit for filing a divisional application after approval and issuance is relaxed; and the change of the name of the right holder in disputes over ownership of rights is relaxed. The draft will be sent to the legislative body of the Taiwan region for deliberation.

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Practical articles

An Introduction to Intellectual Property for Visual Art Creators: What the Expansion of WIPO's CLIP Program Can Help You With

The World Intellectual Property Organization's CLIP program has expanded from music to the visual arts, offering free educational content on topics such as copyright, attribution, licensing, and commercialization. This article explains what the program covers and does not cover, and sets out what creators and businesses should check before entering into licensing partnerships.

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Trademark and brand services

The team’s published service scope focuses on trademarks and brands. Coverage of patents or copyright does not by itself describe a separate patent or copyright representation service.

Trademark and brand services ↗

Copyright, design & brand assets

Questions to consider

Related reporting

U.S. Supreme Court Affirms Fifth Circuit: Copyright Termination Can Reach Foreign Rights, but Creates No Nationwide Precedent

Taiwan region of China passes draft amendments to the "Patent Act": design patent grace period proposed to be extended from 6 months to 12 months

Practical articles

An Introduction to Intellectual Property for Visual Art Creators: What the Expansion of WIPO's CLIP Program Can Help You With

Trademark and brand services

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