Alastair Cotton is particularly effective at understanding the scale and scope of a project.
Legal 500, 2009
Alastair specialises in providing contentious and non-contentious IP advice to a broad range of clients, primarily involving registered trade marks, copyright, database rights and passing off.
Alastair also advises clients on general contractual issues and the drafting of commercial agreements. These range from sponsorship, product licences, franchising and contractual joint ventures and the exploitation of knowledge and expertise through consultancy type arrangements. Predominantly he advises clients operating in “IP and knowledge-rich” sectors such as charities, media, culture and sport.
Recent examples of Alastair's work include:
- advising the leading charity in its sector on restructuring its constitutional and operational arrangements and the commercial licenses with its partners which underpin the delivery of the charity's objectives throughout the UK;
- assisting a sports organisation with the licensing of its brand to an Indian property developer and its contribution to the development of sporting and leisure facilities in that country; and
- working with a national museum on the exploitation of its knowledge and expertise in the establishment and development of visitor attractions and cultural institutions in the Middle and Far East.
Lectures and seminars
Alastair gives regular lectures for the Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS) and is a regular speaker at Think!Sponsorship (the leading sponsorship conference) and commentator on sponsorship issues. He spoke at the 2011 Think! Sponsorship conference on how sponsors and rights holders can continue to practise sponsorship within the confines of the Bribery Act and also at the PPA's Business Media Group on social media law at the first of The BMG Sessions last year.
Who we help
Alastair provides contentious and non-contentious IP advice to our sports clients on how to protect and prevent authorised use of their brand and assets.
Alastair also advises on commercial contracts in relation to a wide range of projects, membership services and events. He specialises in assisting clients in the exploitation and development of their IP and "sporting brands", including through sponsorship, product licences and contractual joint ventures.
Recent examples of Alastair's work include:
- assisting a sports organisation on the licensing of its brand to an Indian property developer and its contribution to the development of sporting and leisure facilities in that country;
- working with a national governing body on the delivery of its membership services; and
- advising the British Olympic Association and other members of the Olympic family on brand protection. Alastair has particular knowledge of the Olympic legislation, and regularly speaks on that topic. This was developed during his secondment at the British Olympic Association and working with the Government and other key stakeholders in passing the 2006 Act through Parliament.
He also speaks at industry conferences including UK Sport and the Sport and Recreation Alliance programmes and is a regular contributor to sponsorship conferences, including Think!Sponsorship.
Go to Sports organisations Alastair assists clients with the exploitation and development of their IP rights and brand, including through sponsorship, product licences, franchising and contractual joint ventures. He also advises on all aspects of staging and managing events.
Recent experience involves advising:
- event organisers (Henley Royal Regatta and WorldSkills London 2011),
- sports bodies (BOA, LTA and MCC), and
- cultural institutions (Somerset House, Natural History Museum, Science Museum and the National Maritime Museum).
More broadly Alastair provides contentious and non-contentious IP advice to clients on how to protect and prevent authorised use of their brand. Alastair advises on the Olympic legislation, and regularly speaks on that topic. He also gives regular lectures for the Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS) and is a regular speaker at Think!Sponsorship (the leading sponsorship conference).
Go to Sports & leisure businesses