Intellectual Property

A leading Leeds intellectual property lawyer has welcomed the Information Commissioner Richard Thomas's decision to shut down The Consulting Association in Droitwich after it was found that the company was selling workers' confidential data.

Helen Goldthorpe Commercial and Technology Associate Solicitor at Irwin Mitchell in Leeds says: "It is good to see the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) taking a firm line on this abuse of individuals' personal data.

"This particular case reinforces the need for companies who obtain data from third parties to check that it has been lawfully obtained and processed. It is imperative that they do this to avoid the possibility of using data that individuals have not consented to sharing. Checks must also be made to see the data provider is registered with the ICO’s office. Failing to do both of these things will open them up to the possibility of prosecution.

"With increased enforcement powers for the ICO due to come into force in the near future we expect them to get increasingly tough on breaches of this nature and firms should be taking action now to ensure they are complying with data protection regulations."