IP is the foundation of every creative industry business, whether you're designing, advertising, marketing, publishing, broadcasting, writing, producing, directing, making, or manufacturing. Our IP & brand protection legal and strategic advisory services tailored for your creative business include:

• Worldwide patent protection, patent manufacturing rights and licensing
• Trade mark registration, prosecution, opposition, dispute resolution, and related advice
• Copyright including a specialisation in software, circuit layouts, compilations, and other tech-relevant applications
• APIs, open-source licensing, AI, computer-generated works, joint-ownership, outsourced/commissioned works, and other issues arising in relation to the use of technology in creation
• Performer's rights
• IP in data and metadata, ownership/rights management strategies
• Parody and satire, news reporting, and other fair dealing defences + international copyright exceptions including fair use
• Personality rights, defamation and privacy
• Registered designs
• Trade secret/confidential information protection
• Franchising, IP licensing and sale transactions
• International IP portfolio management
• Business structuring for IP asset protection
• Marketing (local and international) strategy
• Brand strategy, design, and creative services support

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Our legal, financial, and strategic advisory experts provide commercialisation support services tailored for your creative business, including:

• New product development and design support services
• Software as a services (SaaS) contracting and commercial strategy
• Franchising, IP licensing and sale transactions
• International IP portfolio management
• Business structuring for IP asset protection
• Marketing (local and international) strategy
• Brand strategy, design, and creative services support
• Supplier, manufacturer, and logistics partner selection/connections
• Supplier/manufacturer contracting
• Local and export market intelligence
• Customer contracting & negotiation
• Tenders - preparation, conduct, response, and negotiation support
• Supply chain disruption risk management
• Import/export pathways to market
• Competition law compliance, including resale price maintenance, price-fixing, misuse of market power, and exclusive dealing
• Consumer law compliance, including consumer guarantees, unfair contract terms, product safety and information standards, and misleading/deceptive conduct
• Terms with suppliers and customers
• Distribution, reseller, and referrer arrangements
• Online sales strategy and direct to consumer terms

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Our risk & compliance legal and technical expert services tailored for your creative business include:

• Product safety and recall policy, procedure, compliance and crisis-management
• OH&S compliance, reporting, auditing, investigations, and claims
• Serious injury reporting and liability management
• Export market compliance (global)
• Customs compliance and negotiations
• Insurance coverage reviews and risk audits
• Advertising and collateral review, including CAD and Ad Standards voluntary code compliance
• Alternative paths to market and strategic advice
• Competition law compliance, including resale price maintenance, price-fixing, misuse of market power, and exclusive dealing
• Consumer law compliance, including consumer guarantees, unfair contract terms, product safety and information standards, and misleading/deceptive conduct
• Business succession planning and transition management
• Business structuring for risk mitigation and asset protection
• Debtor and creditor management support, including debt collection and contractual drafting for risk mitigation
• Negotiation, mediation, arbitration, and litigation end-to-end support for effective dispute resolution
• Discovery, deposition, subpoenas, expert evidence, and other court and civil procedure matters
• Key man/business lead insurance protection, wills & estates, family law support

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Our legal, financial, and strategic advisory experts can provide finance, accounting, and tax services tailored for your creative business, including:

• Research & Development (R&D) grants and tax treatment
• Day-to-day accounts and book-keeping support Strategic tax structuring advice
• Tax regulatory compliance and dispute resolution support
• Import/export taxation compliance, including GST and withholding
• Director's guarantees, liability, and personal asset protection strategy as part of business structuring
• Restructuring, debt management, insolvency, administration and receiverships, statutory demands, arrangements with creditors
• Debtor management, debt recovery, credit applications and contractual debt management, and disputes
• Loans and finance risk management
• Transactional structuring for capital gains optimisation Stamp duty and state tax compliance
• Strategy and support around applications for and use of public funds and grants programs, including via industry-specific funding bodies

*Note that Universal Counsel does not itself provide financial products, services, or advice but that the UC Network Model allows us to connect our clients with licensed and qualified advisors and agents in this space for combined expertise solutions designed to make your life easier.

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Our operations support legal, financial, and strategic advisory services tailored for your creative business include:

• Employee recruitment and management, employment contracting, complaints, investigations, redundancy, termination, and disputes
• Strategic business planning and management support, including business mentoring, business plan development, and leadership coaching
• Contract manufacturer engagement and management
• Supplier contracting and management
• Logistics (warehousing, shipping, packing, etc) strategy and contracting
• Export market intelligence and distribution/manufacturing/ customer connections
• Commercial property leasing & acquisitions
• Physical asset and inventory management support, including insurance and PPSR security interest management
• Business succession planning and transition management
• Key man/business lead insurance protection, wills & estates, family law support

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Our privacy, data, and confidential information experts provide services tailored for creative industries businesses including the following:

• Tracking and targeting web and social media marketing strategy and compliance
• Privacy policies, data breach policy and procedure,
• Collection statements, mailing lists, eDMs, phone and SMS marketing, and CRM management SPAM Act compliance
• Complete compliance advice and audits (including re systems and programs)
• Data breach crisis management, communications and PR support as well as regulatory investigations
• Data and metadata use, collection, and sale
• Confidential information and trade secret protection (including NDA templates, confidentiality notices, and other tools)
• IT and data security systems audits, compliance and risk management advice
• AWS and cloud storage risk and compliance, including cross-border disclosure
• Data and IT services-specific insurance policy connections
• Privacy complaints, non-compliance, and investigations handling

Our structuring and investment legal, financial, and professional advisory services tailored for your creative industries business include:

• Effective business structuring for asset and risk protection
• Transaction support for sale of business/assets, private capital raising, and M&A
• Initial public offering (IPO) and publicly-traded company corporate compliance
• Support in identifying and connecting with potential investors and purchasers
• Connections with accelerator and incubator programs specialising in creative, entertainment, and media businesses
• Strategy and support around applications for and use of public funds and grants programs, including via industry-specific funding bodies

*Note that Universal Counsel does not itself provide financial products, services, or advice but that the UC Network Model allows us to connect our clients with licensed and qualified advisors and agents in this space for combined expertise solutions designed to make your life easier.

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