Upcoming webinar: how to take a claim in the Intellectual Property Court
18 June 2026
Deputy District Judges Nicola Solomon and Richard Vary will explain how creators can take a claim in the Small Claims Track of the Intellectual Property Court, and will introduce the new guidance.
The webinar will be free to join for all CRA members and their creator members. It will be a highly practical and demystifying session aimed at creators litigating in person and those who help them.
Save the date: 3pm, 9th September 2026
Further details and joining instructions will be shared via CRA members in due course.
About the speakers:
Richard Vary is a partner in the intellectual property group of the law firm Bird & Bird. He is also co-head of the firm’s global patent practice. Richard specialises in technology patents and international litigation and arbitration. Before joining Bird & Bird he was vice president and head of litigation at Nokia, where he managed global commercial litigation and was part of the legal and compliance leadership team. This mostly involved mobile telecoms patent litigation and arbitration all around the world. He has been a Deputy District Judge since 2010.
Nicola Solomon OBE has been a Deputy District Judge since 1999. After working as a solicitor in private practice for 28 years, specialising in intellectual property and freedom of expression, she was Chief Executive of the Society of Authors for 13 years and also Chair of the Creators Rights Alliance. She has an OBE for services to authors and the creative industries.
Anna Ganley is Chief Executive of the Society of Authors – the UK’s largest trade union for writers, illustrators and literary translators at all stages of their careers. They have been advising individuals and speaking out for the profession for more than a century. Anna is also Chair of the Creators' Rights Alliance – a coalition that exists to promote, protect and further the interests of creators through policy, advocacy and campaigning work. Anna sits on the board of the International Authors Forum and the London Book Fair Advisory Board.
Born in Sunderland, Anna grew up on the north-east coast. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Durham and her MA in Management from Durham Business School.
Photo: © Annie Johnston Photography
