Staff Profile
Professor Alison Firth
Visiting Professor
- Email: alison.firth@ncl.ac.uk
- Telephone: +44 (0) 191 208 8736
- Fax: +44 (0) 191 212 0064
- Address: Newcastle Law School
Newcastle University
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 7RU
UK
Background
Alison Firth originally read Physics at Oxford and has an MSc in polymer physics. She later qualified as a barrister, practising in intellectual property chambers from 1983. From 1987 to 2004 she held full time teaching posts at the centre for Commercial Law Studies, Queen Mary, University of London. From 2005 to 2009 she was Professor of commercial law at Newcastle Law School. She now holds a chair in law at the University of Surrey.
Roles and Responsibilities
Supervision of research students
Engagement with North-East's intellectual property community
Qualifications
MA (Oxon), MSc, barrister, Cert Ed
Previous Positions
Professor of commercial law, Newcastle Law School, January 2005-January 2009
Memberships
Royal Society of Arts (fellow)
Society of Legal Scholars
Intellectual Property Bar Association
Chancery Bar Association
Chartered Institute of Patent Agents (associate)
Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (associate)
Languages
English, basic Spanish and French
Informal Interests
croquet, cycling, walking
Research Interests
The law of intellectual property and its interaction with other areas of law, such as contract, competition law, civil and criminal procedure, conflict of laws, human rights
Postgraduate Supervision
Intellectual property, related areas of commercial law including franchising, technology transfer, competition law, civil and criminal procedure
Esteem Indicators
2000-1 Steering Group member for the dTi's Quinquennial review of the UK Patent Office
Intellectual Property Section Convenor for the Society of Legal Scholars
Member of Chartered Institute of Patent Agents’ Litigator Accreditation Board
‘January term’ visiting professor, University of Western Ontario, January 2005 & keynote speaker at Western’s intellectual property workshop, 21 January 2005
Honorary legal adviser to British Copyright Council; elected Chair of British Copyright Council’s working group on private international law and copyright
- Firth A. Code, autonomous concepts and procedure: Stepping stones for European law?. In: Global Governance of Intellectual Property in the 21st Century: Reflecting Policy Through Change. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2016, pp.71-84.
- Firth A. European norms in transit: trade mark norms, TTIP uncertainties and the relevance of TPP. Asia Europe Journal 2015, 13(3), 323-330.
- Firth A. Music and co-authorship/co-ownership. In: Concepts of Music and Copyright: How Music Perceives Itself and How Copyright Perceives Music. Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd, 2015, pp.143-166.
- Firth A. The essential facilities principle and other issues of competition. In: EU Copyright Law: A Commentary. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd, 2014, pp.52-86.
- Firth A. Enforcement of patents in the field of bio-informatics. In: Roundtable on IP Rights Enforcement in Europe. 2007, Munich, German Patent and Trademark Office: Union of European Practitioners in Intellectual Property.
- Firth A. Seabirds, Series and Sonar: claiming registered rights. In: Westkamp, G, ed. Emerging Issues in Intellectual Property: Trade, Technology and Market Freedom; Essays in Honour of Herchel Smith. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2007, pp.233-253.
- Firth A, Phillips J. Border measures in the UK prior to Regulation 1383/2003. In: Olivier Vrins and Marius Schneider, ed. Enforcement of intellectual property rights through border measures. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006, pp.1059-1096.
- Firth A, Lea G, Cornford P. Trade marks: law and practice. Bristol: Jordans, 2005.
- Firth A. `Holding the line' -- The Relationship between the Public Interest and Remedies Granted or Refused, Be It for Breach of Confidence or Copyright. In: Paul L.C. Torremans, ed. Copyright and Human Rights : Freedom of Expression - Intellectual Property - Privacy. London: Kluwer Law International, 2004, pp.131-155.
- Firth A. Framework, Practices and Trends in the EU. In: Knopf, H, ed. Security Interests in Intellectual Property. Toronto: Thomson, Carswell, 2002, pp.343-375.
- Barendt E, Firth A. Yearbook of Copyright and Media Law. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.
- Firth A, Gredley E, Maniatis S. Shapes as Trade Marks: Public Policy, Functional Considerations and Consumer Perception. European Intellectual Property Review 2001, 23(2), 86-99.