We will be at your side throughout the patenting process; from defining your innovation and filing your application in the UK and Europe (and, if necessary, internationally via our trusted and established network), to representing you through the examination process and dealing with grant stages.
If your patent is opposed at the European Patent Office (EPO) we will advise and represent you at an opposition hearing to defend your patent. And if there is a competitor’s patent that you want to oppose, we will advise how best to attack it and represent you during the opposition proceedings.
If it appears that a competitor has infringed your patent rights, we will advise you on the best course of action and help you to enforce your rights. And if a third party alleges that you are infringing their patent rights, we will advise you on the strength of their case and help you to defend your position.
When you are launching a new brand, we can carry out trade mark clearance searches and advise on whether you are free to use the marks you have short-listed. Once you have selected the trade mark you want to use, we’ll help you design and implement a trade mark filing programme that meets both your objectives and your budget.
If your trade mark application is opposed by a competitor, we will advise and represent you through the process of defending your trade mark, so it can proceed to registration.
Should someone start using a mark that is the same as (or uncomfortably similar to) your trade mark registration we will advise on how best to defend your trade mark rights. And if a third party alleges that you are infringing their trade mark registration we will advise on the strength of their case and assist you to defend your position.
Sometimes a registered design may be a better option than a patent, particularly if your innovation relates to how a product looks. We’ll help you decide if a registered design best suits your needs. We’ll then apply for and secure the design protection you want in the UK, Europe and, if necessary, internationally and remain on hand in case your registered designs are challenged or infringed.
Our attorneys can guide you through every stage of protecting your IP rights, from providing an opinion on the validity and enforceability of your IP rights to helping you build international filing strategies that best support your commercial objectives and designing and implementing the IP strategy that will deliver the long-term commercial success you want for your business.
Experience has taught us what works for clients and what doesn’t; what constitutes truly valuable advice, what represents excellent service and what delivers genuine added value.
Experience has also shown us what is, unfortunately, all too often passed off as acceptable. This is why we are driven to do things differently and do things better – to offer you an upgrade on what you have come to expect (or should that be ‘accept’) from patent and trade mark attorneys.