Patents

Our Top Tier patent attorneys have a wealth of experience in all aspects of IP law and can advise across a wide and diverse range of technical areas for patents.

Whether you’re a sole inventor or large corporation, protecting your ideas is vital. Our European and UK Attorneys can act on your behalf, presenting your case to the UK Intellectual Property Office (UK IPO), the European Patent Office (EPO) and the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO). Thanks to our network of associates overseas, we can advise on different patent laws and protect or defend you anywhere in the world.

Our services include:


Drafting for patents

  • Interpreting search reports and ‘invention spotting’, including patentability assessments
  • Advising on worldwide patent filing, including when and where to file, and the coordination of non-patent publications
  • Determining inventorship
  • Preparing and filing patent specifications and patent term extension applications for pharmaceutical and agrochemical products (including Supplementary Protection Certificates)

Patent prosecution

  • Considering and responding to examination reports issued by patent offices, including advising on amendment options and preparing technical and legal arguments, and instructing overseas patent attorneys
  • Preparing inventor declarations in support of patent applications
  • Filing third-party observations during examination proceedings
  • Conducting oral proceedings before the UK IPO and EPO for patent examination matters
  • Providing strategic advice to in-house patent counsel on complex, high-value prosecution cases, particularly where future litigation is anticipated
  • Preparing and filing applications for re-establishment of patent rights

Conducting patent opposition proceedings before the EPO

  • Representing patent owners and opponents before the EPO during opposition and appeal proceedings
  • Carrying out pre-opposition patent validity assessments
  • Conducting prior art searches and assessing results
  • Preparing and filing notices and substantive grounds of opposition and appeal
  • Conducting oral proceedings before the EPO for patent oppositions and appeals
  • Coordinating multiple opposition and appeal proceedings in related technology fields
  • Providing general strategic advice on third party patents

Advice relating to patent infringement and validity

  • Conducting prior art searches and assessing results
  • Providing patent validity and/or infringement opinions
  • Providing freedom-to-operate opinions
  • Providing general strategic advice on third party patents

Advice relating to patent ownership and licensing of technology

  • Registering patent licenses, assignments and transfers of ownership
  • Advising on ownership and transfer of patent rights
  • Drafting and advising on the scope of patent licenses and assignments

Conducting due diligence for patents

  • Assessing third party patent portfolios as part of due diligence exercises
  • Providing independent assessments of patent validity and/or infringement
  • Providing independent assessments of patentability
  • Providing independent assessments of patent ownership

 


“This is most certainly a unique practice. Their key strengths and capabilities are the uniformly very high standard of patent and trade mark work across the entire firm; very good communication skills; ability to obtain excellent results; and the exceptionally high level of honesty and trust. Their cost structure is very fair and they are nice people to do business with. Overall, this is an outstanding firm, and I cannot recommend it too highly.’”

Legal 500 Client Testimonial


 

Want to know more?
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Key contacts

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Dr Craig Turner

Partner

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Related News and Publications


How Patents Protect Innovations in Crewed Spaceflight

The following article was first published on Space East’s website. Manufacturers routinely obtain patent protection for different aspects of familiar everyday products. Smartphone companies and carmakers, for example, might each file hundreds, if not thousands, of patent applications annually. However, patents are also used to protect innovations in much more specialist fields, including space travel…. Read more »


EPO Introduces New Fee Reduction Scheme for “Micro-Entities”

As of April 1, 2024, the European Patent Office (EPO) are implementing reduced fees for “micro-entities”, to support small-scale innovators. The scheme, will apply to both European patent applications and Euro-PCT applications, offering eligible entities a generous 30% reduction across all primary fees involved in the patent grant process. Eligibility Criteria To qualify for these… Read more »


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