While the IPA legal team can help with some issues, it’s crucial that you equip yourself with a good grounding in advertising legal and regulatory basics to avoid making expensive mistakes. Qualification content provided by top ranking law firm, Lewis Silkin.
Who is this qualification for?
We recommend the LegRegs Essentials Certificate as a next step after the Foundation Certificate. It is aimed at agency professionals involved in campaign delivery and responsible for ensuring campaigns are compliant with legal and regulatory requirements. While the majority of learners are from Account Management and Creative teams, the qualification is relevant to a broad range of disciplines across agencies, including Planning, Media, Production, Project Management and specialist areas such as Art Buying.
The purpose of the qualification is to provide practical legal and regulatory knowledge that helps learners manage risk, make informed decisions, and ensure compliant and effective campaign delivery across the business.
Reminder: to achieve IPA CPD Agency Accreditation 15% of agency staff must hold either LegRegs Essentials Certificate or Commercial Essentials Certificate or Effectiveness Essentials Certificate.
We are running two in-person seminars with our partners, Lewis Silkin, at their offices to complement this qualification. The sessions will cover Social Media Advertising and IP Issues and GDPR and the Advertising Codes, places are limited so please do book on to avoid disappointment.
What are the benefits?
- Clearly understand your responsibilities in terms of copyright, trade marks and brands, including what they are and who owns them.
- Learn about passing off and defamation and find out how to defend yourself against them if they become an issue.
- Ensure you comply with Consumer Protection Regulations and The Gambling Act so that you don’t make costly mistakes.
- Avoid the pitfalls of using celebrities and understand the right way to take advantage of the comic effect of parodies.
Learning modules
The LegRegs Essentials Certificate comprises approximately 10 hours of online learning across 13 modules. Learners can work through the programme at their own pace, building the knowledge and confidence needed to make key financial decisions across all areas of an agency before completing the final assessment.
Module 1: Copyright
Covers the fundamentals of copyright law, ownership, infringement and the protection of creative works in advertising.
Module 2: Trade marks and brands
Explores trade marks, brand registration, infringement and the protection of brand assets.
Module 3: Passing off
Introduces goodwill, misrepresentation and the legal risks of copying or implying association with another brand.
Module 4: Defamation
Explains defamation law, reputational risk, malicious falsehood and key legal defences.
Module 5: Marketing, data protection and privacy
Covers data protection law, consent, direct marketing and the handling of personal data.
Module 7: Promotions and the Gambling Act
Explores the legal requirements for promotions, prize draws, competitions and lotteries.
Module 8: Contract law
Introduces the essentials of contract formation, negotiation and key commercial considerations.
Module 9.1: UK Regulation (Broadcast)
Covers the regulation of TV and radio advertising, including the BCAP Code, pre-clearance requirements and enforcement.
Module 9.2: UK Regulation (Non-Broadcast)
Explores the CAP Code, advertising standards and the regulation of digital, social and other non-broadcast media.
Module 10: Celebrities
Examines the legal and regulatory considerations of celebrity endorsements, image rights and AI-generated likenesses.
Module 11: Comparative advertising
Covers the rules governing comparative claims, competitor references and substantiation requirements.
Module 12: Parodies
Explores the use of parody in advertising and the associated copyright, brand and regulatory considerations.
Module 13: Digital marketing
Examines the legal and regulatory framework governing digital advertising, social media, influencer marketing and AI.
View the full LegRegs Essentials Certificate syllabus.
How is this qualification delivered and assessed?
- There are approximately 10 hours of online learning accessible through the IPA website on any device.
- Self-paced learning that can be completed around work commitments.
- Learners complete all modules before undertaking the final assessment, a formal 30-minute, multiple-choice exam.
- If you pass the exam, you will be awarded a digital certificate of completion and one MIPA star towards personal accreditation.
Learning outcomes
This qualification provides a practical introduction to advertising effectiveness and its role in driving business success. By the end of the programme, learners will understand key effectiveness principles, apply best practice in their work, and make more informed, strategic decisions within their organisation.
Dates and pricing
- The LegRegs Essentials Certificate is free for IPA members. There is no completion deadline for IPA members, unless one has been set for you by your employer.
- Non-Members must complete the learning and final exam by 31 December of their intake year.
Price
- Members: Free
- Non-Members: £250+VAT
How is this qualification delivered and assessed?
If you are purchasing the course as a business based outside of the UK and believe you should not be charged VAT on the sale, please get in touch with [email protected]. If your business is based in the EU, we will ask you to confirm your VAT number before making your booking. This VAT number will be recorded as part of your sale transaction. If your business is based outside the EU, we will ask for further evidence of your business location.
If you are purchasing the course as an individual consumer based outside of the EU and believe you should not be charged VAT on the sale, please get in touch with [email protected]. If you are based outside the EU, we will ask for further evidence of your location.
- Please select your chosen exam date from the ‘Intakes’ drop-down on this page and proceed to checkout.
- Once booked, you can access and start your online learning via the IPA website. To access, please head to your personal IPA portal via the profile icon and click on Learning. Or, visit your personal Learning page.
About the authors
Policies and FAQs
- Refund policy: we operate a 14-day cancellation policy.
- Deferral policy: If a candidate fails to pass the final exam by their expiry date, they can apply for a four-week extension at a charge of £50+VAT. Free deferrals may be granted in cases of approved extenuating circumstances.
- All further information can be found in the LegRegs Essentials Certificate Qualification Policies for 2027.
For more information, please email [email protected].
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