Chris Fotheringham

Biography

Chris assists the team in both contentious and non-contentious commercial and intellectual property matters including copyright, designs, trade mark law and the law relating to passing off.

Chris’ contentious work includes advising clients on a range of commercial disputes from breach of contract to infringement of intellectual property rights. Chris has experience from smaller disputes in the Small Claims Court to large disputes in the High Court.

Prior to qualifying, Chris previously worked at Ashfords LLP as a Paralegal in the Real Estate department, where he assisted on Landlord and Tenant matters as well as assisting in residential development work, before going on to assist in the Risk & Compliance department.

Having trained with the firm, Chris undertook seats in Corporate, Commercial/Intellectual Property and Commercial Litigation prior to qualifying.

Prior to joining Ashfords, Chris studied a BA in History and an MA in Medieval Studies. Chris converted to law having studied the Graduate Diploma in Law at the University of Law, Exeter. Chris then went on to complete his LPC MSc in Law, Business and Management with the same institute.

Relevant experience

Equisafety Ltd -v- Woof Wear Limited – successfully acting for Defendant against allegations of copyright infringement for equestrian his-vis products. We successfully argued that the products in question were not ‘works of artistic craftsmanship’ under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Private companies – currently acting for Defendants in High Court litigation for allegations of trade mark infringement and breach of contract.
Shazam Productions Limited -v- Only Fools The Dining Experience Ltd and Ors – assisted in acting for the Claimant, Shazam Productions Limited (owner of the copyright in the scripts for Only Fools & Horses), in a claim for copyright infringement and passing off against the creators of the ‘Only Fools (Cushty) Dining Experience’. The case set precedent law as it was the first time in the English and Welsh Courts that a character (Del Boy) was determined to be a protected by copyright.
Private and corporate clients – assisting in drafting cease and desist letters for copyright and trade mark infringement for clients in various sectors, ranging from the entertainment and media to hardware goods.
Private company – assisting in the handling of a global trade mark portfolio in over 100 jurisdictions.
Private companies and individuals – acting for various companies or individuals in trade mark disputes in the UK Intellectual Property Office. Disputes consist of oppositions and/or invalidation proceedings.