Intellectual property rights provide legitimate monopolies to protect your creative work.

Whether a new technical product or process, an innovative product design or new brand, intellectual property rights enable your business to grow and will help protect your market share.

Intellectual property rights will help to increase and sustain your revenue, not only by protecting direct sales but also by increasing revenues through licensing arrangements across new business sectors and countries.

Successful products or processes inevitably attract competition. Intellectual property rights provide a means of effective protection against unfair competition.

We are frequently involved in contentious matters, whether in enforcing a client's right against an infringer or defending a client's right against attack. For matters before the patent offices, for example European Patent Office opposition proceedings, all of our patent attorneys are equipped to provide strong representation. Similarly, our trade mark attorneys can represent clients at the UK Intellectual Property Office and in Community Trade Mark opposition proceedings. For matters before the courts, we are able to act before the Patents County Court and the Patents Court (High Court). When initially reviewing any contentious matter that may result in legal action in the courts, we would consider strategies in the best interests of the client to achieve their desired results in the most cost effective fashion. Consequently, in addition to our in house provision, we maintain relations with numerous high quality contentious IP solicitors and with various barristers' sets that specialise in IP. Where an external provider can deliver a more effective service we would recommend that and continue to work closely with that external provider to ensure your interests are represented as strongly as possible.

We also advise on licensing intellectual property including negotiation and preparation of agreements. Licensing is a very useful way of providing commercial return both for a licensor in the form of additional revenue and the licensee through a new market opportunity.

DUE DILIGENCE

Intellectual property is often neglected in commercial transactions such as a merger or acquisition but it can be a deal breaker.

At Withers & Rogers our attorneys work with your commercial advisors to provide sound IP advice. We provide a range of services from straightforward IP status advice to a full IP portfolio audit and report. Our professionals have advised on many deals including multi-million pound share acquisitions and de-mergers, and have prepared several IP reports for both full Stock Market flotations and Alternative Investment Market (AIM) listings.