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Intellectual property

intellectual property

How to manage and get the most out of your IP

Find out more

Whatever the nature of the goods or services offered by your business, they will inevitably involve the use and the generation of Intellectual Property (IP) rights. Some of these IP rights will be key assets of your business and should be properly protected and managed in order to maintain and maximise their value.

Our IP team helps clients across a diverse range of sectors to effectively manage their IP assets. We give straightforward commercial advice to meet the needs of our clients which is why we are chosen and trusted by global household names and luxury brands as well as startup businesses and individuals. Our practice spans the whole range of IP rights across both contentious and non-contentious matters, whether it be complex patent litigation, trade mark strategy and protection advice, advertising and marketing matters, copyright-related issues, IP licensing arrangements, R&D and collaboration agreements or design rights advice.

Our national specialist IP team attracts some of the best and most ambitious IP talent in the UK and is recognised by Chambers as “a worthy alternative to a big City law firm” and ranked in World Trademark Review and Managing Intellectual Property.

what we do...

IP audits and strategy – helping you to understand your intellectual property, its relevance and value and how to manage it effectively. Assisting you with the development of an IP strategy and an IP procurement and protection plan that reflects the wider strategic aims of the business.
International work – well equipped to handle the international aspects of IP, we quickly and cost effectively instruct and co-ordinate advice through our close relationships with patent and trade mark attorneys, and through Pangea Net, a non-exclusive, international network of independent law firms.
Exploiting IP – advising on, and drafting and negotiating agreements for, all aspects of IP use and exploitation including confidentiality, R&D, collaboration, licensing, sponsorship, merchandising, partnership, joint venture, franchise and co-branding agreements, as well as advising on the transfer of IP assets.
Products - we offer innovative fixed priced IP related products such as our popular Marketing Compliance, IP Sentry (audit product) and anti-counterfeiting products.

Dispute resolution – helping you to enforce and defend your IP rights through a range of services including infringement proceedings and interim injunction proceedings, mediation and alternative dispute resolution and opinion work, as well as opposition, invalidity and revocation actions. We have regular exposure to the workings and processes of specialist and appellate courts – including the Court of Appeal, High Court, and Intellectual Property and Enterprise Court as well as experience with the UK and European Intellectual Property Offices, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers and Nominet.
Creating and protecting IP – helping you to protect your investment and to secure or maintain a competitive advantage by advising on the identification, capturing, clearance and protection of all forms of IP.
Full service expertise - advising on IP matters arising under other areas of law such as corporate due diligence, employment contracts, data protection, e-commerce and IT development and licence agreements.

related resources

Upcoming webinars

R&D collaboration agreements: how to deal with IP

In this webinar, Selina Hinchcliffe and Nick Smee will introduce you to some of the key questions to ask when first considering collaboration, plus the various IP ownership and licensing options that you need to contemplate.

View upcoming webinars

A litigator’s perspective on up to date brand filing and prosecution strategies

Recent court decisions about bad faith, clarity, acquired distinctiveness and jurisdiction issues with enforcement have impacted on portfolio management best practice. In this webinar, Bonita Trimmer and Giles Parsons provided a trade mark litigator’s perspective on how these decisions should influence the choices of brand portfolio managers in the UK and throughout the EU.

View

Brand strategies for world acclaim - listen to the highlights of our event

We caught up with our experts following this year’s brands event for a look at how you can make the most of your brand and how to bring your business to world acclaim.
Watch this highlights video for a glimpse into our event, covering social media and how you can harness it’s power and avoid common pitfalls, what branding can deliver for your business and what you can do to keep your brand protected, as well as some key learnings from some epic brand battles and how you can apply these cases to your business.
The full talks of the day are published to SoundCloud, ready for you to listen again and share with your teams.

View

Competition law and IP agreements

There is a natural tension between IP rights and competition law. On the one hand, IP rights grant a legal monopoly to the holder while, on the other hand, competition laws seek to control restrictive agreements and the use/abuse of a monopoly position.

View

View all

what our clients say....

I always recommend them if asked for an opinion on the law firms that I use; they have helped me out a great deal on short notice this year.

Amy Chapman, Group Legal Director, Mace Group

The great service we've had to date. Quick responses from Declan, Tim, Michael Sadler and the team which make our lives easier as they understand the nature of our business.

Anna Smyth, Solicitor, Mace Limited

At London EV Company Limited we value our intellectual property highly. The team ensures that the management and enforcement of our rights is joined up and frankly easier to manage.

Peter Johansen, Vice President UK Operations, London EV Company Limited

Our intellectual property lawyers provide invaluable support to a client base which includes global names, luxury brands, start ups and individuals.

Jacqueline Burchell, Global Marketing and Product Development Director

Excellent service and I have already recommended to others.

James Herbert, CEO, Brightspark UK

what the directories say...

Clients say this is 'a go-to firm for heavyweight IP matters.'

Chamber 2018

Sources say: 'They immediately understand the needs of the client and are very responsive and efficient.'

Chamber 2018

Browne Jacobson LLP’s IP practice is ‘very good all-around; thoroughly professional, honest and approachable’.

Legal 500 2017

Browne Jacobson LLP is recommended for contentious IP matters such as patent, design right and registered design infringement claims, particularly those posing risk of reputational damage.

Legal 500 2017

Undertaking a slew of headline-making work covering all aspects of trademark protection, enforcement and commercialisation and judiciously recruiting high-level talent, Browne Jacobson is rapidly expanding in the trademark world and ascends to the WTR 1000 silver tier for 2018.

World Trademark Review 2018

Intellectual property is a central plank of Browne Jacobson’s full-service offering and the young, ambitious and dedicated team has been buzzing this past year.

World Trademark review 2017

They are absolutely excellent - they provide very pragmatic, commercial advice, not just straight law but in a commercial manner.

Chambers 2017

In a nutshell, I am extremely happy. They have expertise in every area we want.

Chambers 2017

Browne Jacobson’s commercial group has transformed itself from a regional heavyweight into a truly national player

Commercial team of the year, Solicitors Journal Awards 2017

recent experience

Advising a leading high street financial services client on the protection and maintenance of an existing name and device registration of a key brand, which our client wished to refresh following a change in circumstances.
Advising a global professional services provider on the redesign of its corporate branding to include a new logo and strapline. We helped our client to obtain the right trade mark protection, including helping them to instruct and to then manage their Swiss trade mark attorneys, who were appointed to manage the filing of the Swiss home applications to be used as the basis for their International applications.
Instructed by the London Taxi Company in a trade mark infringement and passing off action, we are seeking to enforce its 3D trademarks which represent the iconic shape of the famous London taxi in the High Court, regarded by our client to be a key asset of its business. We are working with our client to ensure this asset is properly protected.
We provide a fully outsourced solution to Mace, a global construction company, developing and implementing an extensive global brand protection programme, including; advising on brand protection strategy, instructing and co-ordinating the filing and prosecution of all trademark applications, reporting and advising on issues arising in respect of the various applications, negotiating coexistence arrangements and dealing with infringing third party use of identical or similar brands. We have also provided a 6 months full time secondment to strengthen our existing relationship.
Working in partnership with PZ Cussons Beauty LLP on a range of brands related matters including brand strategy advice, drafting sponsorship and celebrity endorsement arrangements, managing social media compliance, advising on advertising, pack and promotional copy as well as claims on a broad range of products including cosmetics, tanning products and haircare products.