Patents

In today's world intellectual property rights in general, and patents rights in particular, are becoming increasingly important to the future success of a business.

Our service

Our patents team has substantial industry-focused expertise across a wide-range of industry sectors including pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, high tech, telecommunications engineering and consumer goods, to assist you in identifying, capturing, protecting and exploiting your innovations.

The services we provide include:

• developing and implementing international patent litigation strategies
• innovation audits
• patent validity, infringement clearance searches and freedom to operate opinions
• patent portfolio management
• challenges to third-party patents and revocation actions
• enforcement and dispute resolution
• patent entitlement cases
• cases on employee's remuneration for patented inventions
• portfolio evaluations and due diligence
• commercial exploitation, licensing and transfers including joint ventures on the exploitation of patents
• tax and transfer pricing
• competition issues
• all types of technology transfer agreements, including manufacturing, research and development agreements
• corporate technology commercialisations (including JVs, finance raising, stock market listings)

Our experience

Patent disputes
We have patent litigators in various jurisdictions who are highly ranked since many years. They have a long term experience in very complex multinational patent litigation cases and have been involved in some cases through which new law was written. They have also been involved in major patent and license disputes in international arbitration and mediation. Furthermore, we are also able to provide conduct patent disputes in their jurisdiction to the same level of quality of service that we deliver to our clients. Whether working with these law firms, or those law firms with whom you have existing relationships, we can provide a multi-jurisdictional patent litigation management service.

Freedom to operate
We have conducted major studies to assess the patent infringement risk of marketing new products. In our studies, we place particular emphasis on helping our clients get their products safely to market. If such investigations are carried out early in the process of designing a new product or process, we may also be able to assist our clients in ensuring that the final design of their product or process avoids any identified infringement risks. We advise our clients to update such opinions regularly in view of the further development of patents and patent applications as well as of the product design.

Licensing & exploitation
We have extensive experience in the drafting, negotiation and practical implementation of commercial patent agreements of many types, in a wide range of markets. Through our technical, legal and commercial skills, we can assist in identifying fresh opportunities and new structures for deals and IP-based relationships.

We advise on the patent aspects of corporate transactions such as mergers, acquisitions, financing and disposals. Our involvement in due diligence activities has proved valuable both for potential investors and for those seeking finance. We also advise and draft other forms of IP agreements, for example revenue-share agreements, assignment documentation, commissioned research agreements and joint venture agreements.

Watching & awareness
We are often called upon to monitor the activities of our clients' main competitors through the use of patent information. Our clients' competitors often are reliant on patents, so monitoring of their activities can provide valuable information and enable our clients to take proactive actions.