IP Services
Legally complex and often expensive, IP is frequently overlooked from an early stage of a business.
This lack of proactive identification and management of IP often leads to a lack of underestimating of the true value of a business and under-exploitation of its commercialisation pathways.
Protecting business IP provides crucial competitive and financial advantages. Strong IP rights prevent competitors from copying innovations, creating market differentiation and barriers to entry.
Patents, trademarks and copyrights generate revenue through licensing and commercialisation, whilst also significantly enhancing company valuation for investors and acquirers.
A robust IP portfolio builds brand credibility and consumer trust, can serve as collateral for IP-backed lending, and provides leverage in negotiations.
Ultimately, IP protection ensures businesses can capitalise on their research and development investments, incentivising continued innovation while securing exclusive rights to their breakthrough ideas in competitive markets.
Case study ‘Understanding the value of your startup’s IP‘ published by Barclays Eagle Labs
Strategic IP Services
Retained support
Advising on innovation and IP management and strategy, often as a fractional in-house attorney on a retained basis
Strategy
Providing strategic IP advice aligned with the business’ commercial plans, often involving undertaking a mapping of the commercial plans and products to the business’ IP
Due Diligence
Conducting IP due diligence in investment transactions, representing either the investor or the investee company
Evaluation
Undertaking IP Auditing and IP Evaluation, for the purposes of understanding the types of value-adding IP created by high-growth companies
IP Clauses and IP Schedules
Advising on IP clauses in and creating IP Schedules for various agreements (licence, research collaboration agreements, etc) negotiations, thus working closely with the solicitors drafting these agreements
Freedom to Operate
Undertaking freedom to operate and patentability opinions
Disputes
Providing advice and input into IP disputes and litigation
Enforcement
Advising on enforcement of IP Rights
University Technology Transfer Practices
Advising on technology transfer practices, representing either the university’s Technology Transfer Office or the university spin-out or start-up
Patent Box and R&D Tax Relief
Advising on the use of innovation and patents in obtaining UK tax relief (note: tax relief applications are made by specialist companies)
Services for securing, maintaining and enforcing IP Rights
Searches
Trademark initial consideration and online searching
Red-flag novelty searches for initial consideration
Patent and design novelty searches (via Specialist Searching Company)
Intellectual Asset and Innovation Management
Advising on Intellectual Asset identification and Management, including assistance with the creation of in-house Innovation Management tools and practices
Registrable IP Rights
Patents
Drafting and filing patent applications in UK, EPO and WIPO
Prosecuting patent applications to grant, often using ‘accelerated prosecution’ by means of Green Channel and/or Patent Prosecution Highway
Patent maintenance and renewal
Patent enforcement
Trade Marks
Drafting and filing trademark applications in UK and EUIPO (via Associate)
Trademark initial consideration and online searching
Trademark filing, prosecution, registration and renewal
Advising on trademark interparties matters at the UKIPO
Trademark portfolio management
Legal support for trademark disputes
Advice on trademark infringement and passing off
Designs
Filing design applications in UK and EUIPO (via Associate)
Unregistrable IP Rights
Copyright ©
Advising on securing copyright protection and appropriate copyright notices
UK unregistered trademarks ™
Advising on identification and securing of UK unregistered trademark protection
UK and EU Design Right
Advising on identification and securing of UK and EU design right protection
