Guernsey Image Rights Open

The Guernsey image rights registry has opened today (Monday 3 December 2012). Using online tools like www.collascrillip.com personalities and their agents can now protect their personality and image rights in a formal way for the first time anywhere in the world. The first application was made to the Guernsey IP Office just after midnight today.

The newly passed Image Rights (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Ordinance, 2012 positions Guernsey as a world leader in the management, protection and exploitation of an extremely innovative IP right.

Intellectual property specialist Jason Romer (pictured), Partner in the Collas Crill Commercial Department and also a Director of Collas Crill IP,said "in the lead up to today's launch we have been talking to a lot of advisers that represent household names in each of the sports, film, media and entertainment world and we expect to see a number of registrations coming through".

Image rights are recognised as the right to control the commercial use of a person's identity and images associated with them, including distinctive expressions, characteristics or attributes and the importance and value of those rights is an increasingly high profile issue.

David Evans, Director of Collas Crill IP said: "It is about time that IP legislation caught up with what society values – image rights are an important asset class. This is an extremely innovative piece of legislation and we have been working hard with Guernsey's IP Registrar and the team at the registry to help to shape the way that this will work in practice".

Forms are available online today to register an image right. Please visit www.collascrillip.com