A dedicated intellectual property law practice, supporting innovation and creativity.

We offer focused, timely and commercially realistic advice to major brands, multi-national companies and small and medium-sized businesses.
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ALIGNED WITH YOUR GOALS

We invest time to understand our clients’ priorities and the regulatory environment they operate in. Working with decision makers, our advice takes into account our clients’ internal procedures and commercial objectives.  We have worked with clients from a wide range of sectors including fashion, retail, advertising, technology, and arts & heritage.

SERVICES

Trade Marks

A business’ brand name and logo whether registered or unregistered, are the outward-facing means by which it is recognised. These are marks of excellence, guaranteeing to customers the quality of products or services and notifying competitors of a business’ presence. 
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Data Law

The phrase “data is the new oil” is not new, however, in the age of AI and tailored algorithms, it has never been truer. 
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Litigation

We specialise in advising clients involved in claims concerning intellectual property rights whether these arise in relation to a dispute over copied software, the unauthorised use of images, misuse of a trade mark or the appropriation of a design. The infringement can be deliberate such as in the case of counterfeiting, or unintentional. 
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Copyright

In the sphere of digital services and products, the protection and value of copyright has come under intense scrutiny by copyright creators and users alike.
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IP Transactions and Contracts

Contracts are an essential part of any business and they are an important tool in the protection and exploitation of intellectual property, whether trade marks, copyright, designs, confidential information or know-how.
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Design Rights

Open Plan Law has particular knowledge of High Street retail, advising clients leading the market in fashion, homewares, toys and consumables.
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Confidential Information and Trade Secrets

Confidentiality agreements, or NDAs, are commonplace in business. Often, however, they are signed without due consideration or under pressure to secure a client or a job. 
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Innovation

We help clients to identify and protect their assets within the established framework of IP rights. Where the law lags behind innovation, contract and wider commercial law may step in. We also advise on risk management strategies for pioneers in their fields.
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Complex and Multi-Stakeholder Projects

We have in-depth expertise in complex transactions involving multiple stakeholders, with our assistance encompassing evaluating multiple positions through the lens of our client’s objectives. 
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Cutting through the legal noise

Intellectual property law matters can involve a range of rights, different regimes and tribunals.  We guide our clients through the legal noise and deliver incisive and practical advice.

We advise on established legal rights, and - where the law lags behind client needs - we offer advice on wider commercial law solutions adaptable to new business models.  Where required, we also work with clients on policy and legal reform.

The
Open Plan Law
Team

Dedicated experts delivering tailored legal solutions that align with your business goals.
Anna Skurczynska

Anna Skurczynska

Director
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Anna Skurczynska

Anna Skurczynska

Director

Anna started her practice as a solicitor in the mergers & acquisitions at the international law firm of White & Case LLP. Over time she specialised in transactions involving IP assets leading her to focus on the protection of creativity. She continued to build and broaden her IP practice at Berwin Leighton Paisner (now Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner).

Anna’s legal insight was further developed by her in-house role as the head of the EMEA legal team for Branded Entertainment Network (previously Corbis Images) in the years 2011 to 2016. There, she managed all UK and European litigation, advised on issues relating to digital image licensing, photojournalism, commercial rights clearances, product placement and social media influencer campaigns. Her role included Board-level management and financial oversight of the group companies in the region.

Anna’s practice includes advising on complex agreements relating to intellectual property rights, often including a combination of intellectual property and information rights. She advises on copyright disputes with particular expertise in the photographic and film industries, as well as brand protection, data protection law and confidentiality.  Most recently, she has been involved in policy and legislative discussions around regulation of artificial intelligence. She combines a profound understanding of intellectual property law with sound contractual knowledge and a commercial approach.

Anna is an active public speaker. In 2018 she was shortlisted for the Law Society’s Excellence Award (Private Practice) and singled out for her contribution to the photography industry.

Anna is a photographic copyright expert on the British Copyright Council, and is a member of the Copyright Editorial Board at Lexis. She is an Associate Lecturer in Media Law and Ethics at the University of the Arts (UAL).

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Anna Skurczynska
Sarah Hadland

Sarah Hadland

Director
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Sarah Hadland

Sarah Hadland

Director

Having trained at Bird & Bird and worked at Eversheds (now Eversheds Sutherland) in the City of London for a decade, Sarah has, over 25 years, established a leading IP practice acting for a number of high-profile clients including Gü Desserts, Ty Inc (the makers of Beanie Babies) and Next Retail Ltd, as well as smaller businesses and individual designers.

Sarah advises on the protection of a wide range of IP rights through dispute resolution, civil litigation in the High Court and Intellectual Property Enterprise Court, criminal matters such as counterfeiting and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs seizures, and trademark and design right portfolio management. She has designed enforcement processes and worked with companies managing enforcement for copyright in visual content. She also assists clients in the negotiation and drafting of agreements including development, maintenance and licensing of software, global licensing of IP rights and publishing and merchandising contracts. Her notable cases include Teleworks Limited v Telework Group, Gucci v Next Retail and Unilever Plc v General Housewares Corp, and clients have said that “she seems to know instinctively when to fight and when to settle” (ILO Client Choice Awards 2013).

Sarah has acquired a significant reputation in IP law focusing on design rights, trademarks, copyright and confidentiality. She is listed in both The Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners as a leading individual who “continues to command the respect of peers and clients”. She is known for determination in solving even the knottiest disputes and is praised for efficiency in driving to the positive result for the client. One client enthused: “It’s great to have someone like Sarah – you can have complete faith in everything you need to have faith in: her judgement, her acumen and her ability to get a good result” (Chambers and Partners).

She has been awarded the 2021 Lawyer Monthly Women in Law Award for copyright, and she is a member of the Chartered Institute of Trademark Attorneys.

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Sarah Hadland
Abigail Woodhead

Abigail Woodhead

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Abigail Woodhead

Abigail Woodhead

Abigail joined Open Plan Law having gained experience in credit control and invoice management at Karcher UK. She supports all members of the Open Plan Law team in general administrative matters, as well as invoicing and regulatory compliance. She assists in managing the database of registered intellectual property rights. She is passionate about theatre and costume design, and takes great interest in fashion design rights.
Naazneen Schmittzehe

Naazneen Schmittzehe

Consultant
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Naazneen Schmittzehe

Naazneen Schmittzehe

Consultant

Naazneen Schmittzehe is an IP specialist lawyer with 20 years of experience in non-contentious and contentious Intellectual Property work. Qualified as a solicitor in both the UK and Hong Kong, she has worked for leading international city law firms, west end and niche practices.

TESTIMONIALS

We have had some great experiences in our conversations with Open Plan Law in the context of heritage IP and licensing… Anna and Sarah’s in-depth knowledge and insights in this area are second to none, and, moreover, they are a joy to work with being very responsive and good-humoured to boot.
Picture Library Manager at the Ashmolean Museum and Director at BAPLA
We have always appreciated Open Plan Law’s rapid and insightful responses to our requests for advice on contracts. Their advice has allowed us to progress and finalise the associated negotiations with clients in an efficient and effect manner.
Richard Little
Managing Director, Quintessa Limited
I have had the pleasure of working with Sarah on a number of cases over the years, all of which have been successful. She has been very accommodating and available to discuss tactics, and deliver results for our brands. Professionally, she has a very intuitive sense and has proven to be knowledgeable about the legal aspects and arguments to ensure we achieved satisfactory outcomes.
Sheena Yonker
Brand Protection & IP Manager, Lipsy Limited
I have worked with Anna at OPL for several years. Not only did Anna equip us with contract templates when setting up the new business venture, but she also assisted us as and when contract negotiations became tough. She has an ability to grasp the ins and outs of an issue quickly, stays calm under pressure, and her advice is always very sound. Anna is very commercially minded and I know I can count on her when needed.
Sonia Bouadma
Director, SB Licensing
We have worked with the Open Plan Law team on a variety of intellectual property issues. Their service has been excellent, combining professionalism, efficiency and a personal engagement with our business and its ethos.
Martin Charlesworth
Director, Hulbert Enterprises Ltd
We can't thank Sarah and Anna enough for their outstanding support at Open Plan Law Ltd. When we discovered a competitor had copied a significant amount of content from our websites, they acted swiftly and efficiently. Their expertise, attention to detail, and commitment helped us achieve a positive result. We highly recommend them to anyone in need of reliable legal advice for copyright issues.
Nina Bruton
Director, Bruton Solutions Ltd
In virtually all respects, Sarah is as accomplished as any attorney I know. She’s absolutely brilliant, and her grasp of intellectual property law is unmatched. Her writing skills are simply remarkable. She is always responsive, and her advice is consistently practical, thoughtful and insightful. A shrewd and relentless defender of her clients’ rights, I can’t imagine working with any other IP attorney in the UK (and I haven’t in the last 25 years).
Scott E. Rogers
Partner, UBGreensfelder
Bridgeman Images has worked with Anna and Open Plan Law for the past 10 years. We have been absolutely delighted with the legal advice and attention we consistently receive from Anna. She is an expert in her field, always providing very clear legal responses and guidelines on the multitude of questions we pose to her each month. Anna and her team have also been impressively responsive to recognise areas where the legal advice sought may warrant opinion outside of Open Plan Law's wheelhouse. On those occasions they have been so helpful in making appropriate introductions. Anna has become our primary connection to all legal topics we encounter, almost project managing what legal support we need and who is best to handle it. She is extremely professional and deeply understanding of our unique legal needs and I would highly recommend Anna and all at Open Plan Law to anyone looking for legal advice.
Ed Whitley
Global Head of Content, Bridgeman Images
We have worked with Open Plan Law for many years as our external firm for contentious intellectual property matters. Their team combines solid expertise with a pragmatic, commercially-focused approach, which has consistently aligned well with our objectives. They are highly responsive and efficient, often working seamlessly with us as though they were part of our in-house team. Their ability to grasp our business needs and provide clear, strategic advice has been invaluable in managing our intellectual property. We particularly appreciate the expertise and experience of Sarah Hadland who has a thorough understanding of our business and the retail sector, particularly the fashion and home retail sectors.
Anil Raja
Head of Legal & Product Legislation, Next Plc.
I have worked with Sarah for many years on a wide variety of IP-related matters, from advice on protection of new brands, the trademarking process, both domestically and internationally, brand protection to protection of brands (whether registered or not) subject to infringement by third parties. Sarah has a deep knowledge and understanding of her chosen field, having trained and practiced at the leading UK IP firm earlier on in her career. She is a consummate practitioner, able to provide insightful commercial advice and always delivering the required results for her clients. Sarah is and will continue to be our “go-to” lawyer for all IP-related matters, and I would not hesitate in recommending her services. She has always been a pleasure to deal with, unless of course, you find her on the other side, but even then, she conducts herself with great professionalism, but with devasting results.
Peter Thomas
Head of Legal Montcalm Hotels, Inhabit Hotels, Park Grand Hotels, Access Self Storage
We couldn’t have brought Cognitive Books to life without Sarah at Open Plan Law. Her expertise in copyright law ensured our content was fully compliant, giving us the confidence to publish and share our work. Their professionalism and attention to detail were invaluable throughout the process. We’d recommend them to anyone working in a similar capacity.
Matt Singleton
Cognitive Books

recogniTION for excellence

In 2018, Anna was recognised for her contribution to photography law with a nomination for the Law Society’s Excellence Award (Private practice category).
Sarah was awarded the 2021 Women in Law Award for copyright.
Sarah Hadland is listed in the World Trade Mark Review. where she is described as “a leading individual who continues to command the respect of peers and clients”.

Memberships

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Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys
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International Association of Privacy Practitioners