CMS CMNO Panel on IP in Design

CMS Design Team Panel: What’s law got to do with it? Design rights – top tips for protecting your IP

Thursday 6 July

11:00 - 11:45

Panel

Jeremy Wright, Design Wright

James Wood, Studio Wood

Andrew Tanner, Habitat

Simon Wells, SharkNinja

The design law experts at leading international law firm CMS host a panel discussion on Intellectual Property (IP) in Design, with insights from leading product and furniture designers Jeremy Wright (Design Wright) and James Wood (Studio Wood), Andrew Tanner of Habitat, and Lauren McMullan of SharkNinja Our speakers will share first-hand experiences and advice for emerging designers on how best to protect their designs and IP when starting their careers – and how to avoid some of the most common pitfalls.

All talks and workshops are free to attend with a valid ticket to New Designers. To attend a talk or workshop please book your ticket to New Designers, making sure to book on the corresponding day. You may then reserve your place to attend the talk or workshop using the link below.

Andrew Tanner graduated in Craft, Specialising in Ceramics from the University of Brighton.

Andrew started his own practice in 1999 to create a new partnership between manufacturers, retailers and authentic design. Andrew has been an industry consultant, designer, mentor and author over the last 26 years, with a passion and empathy for combining original design for retail whilst exploring different craft and manufacturing processes.

In 2005 he was awarded the Young Designer of the Year and in 2010, was awarded the Young Entrepreneur in Design Award by the British Council. Andrew’s private collections have been sold in many design retailers both in the UK and worldwide and through galleries, fashion design houses, department stores and museums of modern art.

Andrew is also the Industry Brand Ambassador for the organization Design Nation; the UK’s largest support portfolio for both established and new emerging designers. In 2014 Andrew joined Sainsburys Home as their Design Manager across Home and Furniture and in 2019 joined Habitat as their Head of Design.

As Head of Design for Habitat Andrew leads a dedicated team of 29 global product developers and designers who create furniture, accessories and product.

James Wood is the founder of Studio Wood, an Industrial Design agency recognised with prestigious awards such as the Red Dot Design and IF Design awards for their products designed for the likes of Chilly’s, Joseph Joseph, Tesco, Kingfisher and Beko. James, originally from Bournemouth, studied Industrial Design locally before working at numerous design studios across Europe, returning to set up the studio in 2015. 

Jeremy Wright is an award winning product designer with a proven record of creating innovative, human-centred design solutions for a broad range of international clients.

Through his London-based studio (DesignWright) he has worked with some of the world’s leading electronics and design brands, winning seven Red Dot awards along the way. His experience spans furniture, lighting, consumer electronics and medical products for household names such as Joseph Joseph, Lexon, Magis, Menu, Normann Copenhagen, Panasonic and Philips.

Simon Wells is the Vice President of Engineering at SharkNinja. Simon leads the creation and delivery of 5-star consumer satisfying products in the Floorcare category and has 25 years’ experience of working in global corporate, technology start up and innovation consultancy environments. Simon remains a creative, hands-on and passionate leader of innovation which at its core relies on the protection of IP rights to secure the value of designs to individuals and organisations.

Sarah Wright leads the IP team at CMS and has built her leading IP practice advising companies on how to protect, monetise and enforce their brands and designs. Sarah advises clients across a wide range of sectors including technology, consumer products including fashion and retail. Sarah has experience of a broad range of IP work from devising trade mark filing strategies, conducting clearances searches prior to new product launches, through to dealing with disputes relating to copycat products and branding. In addition, Sarah has also helped clients to negotiate all types of commercial agreements including trade mark and design licences. Sarah also happens to be married to a product and furniture designer, Adrian Wright. Indeed Sarah’s passion for IP law stems from helping Adrian to protect his creative efforts during his MA at Royal College of Art.