Many of our patent lawyers are consultant solicitors who work remotely from their own offices. This significantly reduces our overheads, and which in turn provides cost efficiencies which can be passed back to the client, in the form of cost effective fee rates. Our consultant patent solicitors use the latest IT technology, which means that work can be undertaken quickly and efficiently. We also have consultant patent agents who have specific expertise in successfully applying for patents.
We do have offices, but most are low cost virtual serviced offices, which provide telephone answering. We have access to meeting rooms, but only pay for the rooms when we use them. This means that we do not incur the significant overheads of other more traditional law firms. This also means that we can pass the cost benefits back to the client.
We only appoint highly experienced patent solicitors and patent agents who have all held senior positions in private practice, and therefore have the expertise and knowledge in their specialist area to provide first class advice. We advise on patent litigation, patent registration and patent enforcement.
Our patent solicitors and patent agents advise on the following areas of law:
Chris is excellent at getting to grips quickly with our members’ legal issues, and giving practical, succinct and jargon-free advice.
This may entail conducting a prior art search to ascertain if there are any prior registered similar or identical patents on the patent register, and also undertaking a general search to see if there are any similar inventions already in the public domain, and which may prevent successful registration.
Advising on how to respond to any objections raised by the patent registry in relation to any patent application.
Our patent lawyers advise on the development of patents, and in particular joint development and collaboration contracts, and also research and development contracts. We evaluate the collaborators intentions, and then advise on patent ownership structures, including joint ownership and also sole ownership with cross licensing arrangements.
Our patent solicitors advise on patent litigation and we act for both claimants and defendants. Our patent agents are ideally placed to provide a technical assessment of the merits of any potential claim or defence at an early stage, and in conjunction with our patent solicitors, we evaluate strategies that may assist settlement of the litigation, including alternative dispute resolution such as mediation. Our patent solicitors and patent agents provide complimentary skill sets which enhances our ability to provide a comprehensive patent litigation service. We believe this combination sets us apart from most other law firms.
We also advise on the exploitation of patents including patent licensing. Our patent lawyers ensure that the scope of the patent licence is appropriate for the intended purpose, and as contemplated by all parties. We also advise on licence fees and royalties on the sale of products incorporating the patent, to ensure it meets each party’s expectations, and accords with any business plans.
If you are considering selling your patent portfolio, we can assist. We can undertake due diligence, and then advise on tax efficient structures, thereby enabling the effective transfer and assignment of the patents.