FFW’s IP practice goes from strength to strength with strategic lateral hires
22 March 2004
FFW’s IP/IT litigation group has been boosted with the lateral
hire of partners David Knight and Simon Chapman, ex-partners in the
IP boutique firm of Lochners & Partners, which merged with
Laytons in 2001. Both are widely recognised as leading individuals
in the field of IP litigation and their arrival should see FFW’s
team go from strength to strength.
The IP/IT litigation group has enjoyed a 25% increase in
turnover in the financial year ending March 2004. A result
matched by its rankings in the main legal directories: FFW is
listed in the top tier for IP contentious work in The Legal 500 and
has been rated number one in the UK for trade mark prosecution work
for the last three years. The group’s burgeoning patent litigation
practice has been boosted by 2003’s Isosceles initiative, a unique
tie-up with patent agents Mathys & Squire offering clients
access to a full range of patent services.
In the last year the group has acted for Accenture subsidiary
Navitaire in ground-breaking High Court litigation against easyJet
Airline Company Ltd and an American software developer,
Bulletproof, Inc. The trial lasted six weeks and a judgment is
expected in the summer which should determine the extent of
copyright protection in the UK for many aspects of technology. It
was one of the largest intellectual property cases of any type
before the UK courts last year.
Other highlights saw FFW act in two pending appeals in the House
of Lords (in both cases they won in the Court of Appeal): Reliance
Water Controls, in which the group acted for the successful
claimant in this pioneering trade mark litigation (which has seen
the Trade Marks Registry re-write its Registry Practice Handbook);
and Sabaf SpA v Meneghetti SpA, in which FFW advised Sabaf SpA, a
major Italian kitchenware manufacturer, in patent litigation set to
make new law on the meaning of importation as an act of
infringement and on obviousness. The group’s other clients
include: 20th Century Fox, Capital One, Mastercard, Orange,
Dyno-Rod, Sotheby’s, LogicaCMG, Accenture and Ordnance Survey.
David Knight and Simon Chapman, who are on the public record as
acting for Hilton, Nokia, Remington, Reckitt Benckiser, and
Qinetiq, have worked closely together for six years. Knight
focuses upon patent litigation and Chapman on trade marks and
copyright.
Nick Rose, Head of the IP/IT Litigation Group at FFW,
says:
“Clients’ IPR needs are already well catered for with our leading
and unique, one-stop-shop IP service. However, David and Simon will
provide added depth to our patent, trademark and copyright
expertise. We recruit expert lawyers who are highly motivated and
hungry for IP work; both David and Simon fit the bill and we are
looking forward to them joining the team.”
For further press information please contact:
Ben Girdlestone, Communications Manager on 020 7861 4968
Louise Eckersley, PR Executive on 020 7861 4120