CIPIL was represented in the March 2026 Oxford Intellectual Property Mooting Competition by two undergraduates, Ben Madden and Jun Xiang Wong, and the LLM student Mohammad Sabeeh Ahmed. They were coached by another LLM student, Vasupriya.
One of the mooters, Ben Madden (Lucy Cavendish) wrote: “This March, I had the opportunity to participate on the University of Cambridge Team at the annual Oxford International IP Law Moot hosted by the Faculty of Law, University of Oxford. Alongside my teammates Jun Xiang Wong, Mohammad Sabeeh Ahmad and coach Vasupriya Awasthi, we advanced past the written submissions round, and we were one of five UK teams invited to the finals as part of the best 32 from around the world.
We had the opportunity to engage in appellate style advocacy before 'the Supreme Court of Erewhon', featuring experienced Intellectual Property practitioners and academics. The case of Aggarwal & Roper Televisions v Ms Holly-Jaye Hayes, involved fascinating questions of how to construe confidentiality obligations contained in a contract between a production company and a reality TV show participant, whether its restrictions constituted a restraint of Ms Hayes' trade, and if and how far performers' rights applied to a reality TV participant. My submissions focused on the latter point for both the Appellant and the Respondent, arguing for and against a work having been performed and whether the contract had any bearing on its enforceability. We had the privilege of competing against UCL, West Bengal National University of Juridicial Services, Queen's University Belfast and the eventual champions UNSW.
Despite victory in 3 of our 4 matches, it was unfortunately not enough to advance to the quarter-finals. Nevertheless, it was an unbelievable experience testing and enhancing our advocacy skills before some incredible judges and against some fantastic teams. We also had the pleasure of watching the final between UNSW and Bucerius Law School, a huge congratulations to both , as the former secured victory before a panel of Lord Kitchin, formerly of the Supreme Court, Lord Justice Birss, of the Court of Appeal, and Mr Justice Mellor, of the High Court.
The whole event was wonderful, hosted by The Queen's College, Oxford and Lady Margaret Hall, as we had the chance to meet so many amazing people from around the world, participants and experts alike, and I am immensely grateful to make just a small contribution to a fantastic festival of international mooting. A huge thank you to everyone who supported us on the tough task of preparing for this competition over the past months, and whilst there was no prize awaiting at the conclusion, the experience was unforgettable.”
CIPIL provided financial support for the team, in turn, from the endowment provided to the Faculty by Herchel Smith.
Those who gave their time up to help the team included Vasupriya (LLM), Professor Bhamati Viswanathan (Faculty Visitor, Emmanuel College), barristers Tom Alkin and Kyra Nezami (from www.11southsquare.com) and the solicitor Julius Stobbs (www.iamstobbs.com).
Many thanks to all of them.