Module 7

Enforcement, remedies and the digital world: stopping infringement, intermediaries, takedown, cross-border disputes, AI and strategy

A right that cannot be enforced is an ornament. Enforcement is where intellectual property meets cost and practicality: a small business that finds its design copied on a marketplace in another country has to decide whether to write a letter, send a takedown notice, sue, or let it go. The law offers strong remedies, but litigation is slow and expensive, defendants may be in other countries, and the internet has put the infringing acts in the hands of intermediaries who are not themselves infringers. This module sets out the steps from first discovery to final remedy, the position of platforms, the question of which court can hear a case with a cross-border dimension, the open questions about generative AI, and how to choose a proportionate strategy.

General education on intellectual property law, using invented businesses, people and figures. It states common principles in simplified form and does not describe any one country’s law, which differs and changes; rules on registration, ownership, infringement and remedies are strict and local. It is not legal advice. Consult a qualified lawyer in the place that matters.