The battle – between Bond author Ian Fleming's family trust and publishers Tomahawk Press – was as complex as one of 007's fictional missions and has its origins in the 1950s.

It was then that Irish film producer Kevin McClory began working with 007's creator, Ian Fleming, and Hollywood screenwriter Jack Whittingham on what should have been the first Bond Film – Thunderball.

The project – which would have starred Richard Burton in the title role and been directed by Alfred Hitchcock – came to nothing, leaving the way open for Sean Connery to become the first Bond in Dr No.

Fleming went on to use the plot for Thunderball as the basis for his next Bond novel, without seeking permission from McClory and Whittingham, sparking a court case in which he was accused of plagiarism.

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McClory won the film rights to "Thunderball" and went on to become a millionaire, while Fleming, who was already ill, died not long after.

Fast forward to last year, when Tomahawk published a book by Robert Sellers, called The Battle for Bond, sparking claims from Fleming's family that Sellers had breached their copyright by using certain material from 1960s plagiarism trial.

Enter 'Bond girl' Anna Deans, on Tomahawk's behalf.

"This was a really interesting case which attracted a lot of publicity and involved many complex principles of copyright law," says the HLW intellectual property specialist.

"The book contained a number of copyright works which the Ian Fleming family trust claimed should not have been used as it constituted a breach of copyright.

"Although legal proceedings were threatened, I managed to settle the matter without recourse to the court and without incurring costs to my client."


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