The Legal 500

Work Department

Intellectual property and media group.

Position

Partner and head of intellectual property and media group; advises on both contentious and non-contentious matters in the publishing, film, entertainment, manufacturing and service industries; specific expertise in publishing, film and entertainment agreements; trade mark litigation and passing off; breach of confidence actions and ownership, licensing and related protection and infringement issues for copyright and database rights; intellectual property rights in conventional and electronic media. Guy also undertakes a significant amount of human rights work. At present he is involved in cases arising out of the events of 9/11 against the governments of the United Kingdom and United States. Guy has brought to trial an action before the Court of First Instance of the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg against institutions of the European Union that went to appeal before the full European Court of Justice. The decision of the ECJ (Kadi and Al Barakaat v Council and Commission), handed down on 3 September 2008, has been described by a leading academic commentator as ‘the most important judgment ever delivered by the ECJ on the relationship between EC and international law, and one of its most important judgments on fundamental rights’.

Career

Articled Herbert Smith; qualified 1985; assistant solicitor Herbert Smith 1985-86; assistant solicitor Heald Nickinson 1986-88; joined Peter Carter-Ruck and Partners 1988; partner 1989; contributor of chapter for ‘FT Law and Tax – Jurisdiction and Dispute Resolution’.

Languages

French.

Member

British Literary and Artistic Copyright Association.

Education

Westminster School; Pembroke College, Cambridge (1984 MA Natural Sciences); College of Law.

Leisure

Family, garden, swimming.

Practice Areas

Civil liberties and human rights; Defamation and privacy; Intellectual property