Intellectual Property Solicitors
The identification, registration and commercialisation of intellectual property (IP) are crucial to the success of any business and, like any key asset, it must be protected from competitors who wish to unfairly emulate your business’ accomplishments.
The expert intellectual property solicitors Manchester and London teams at JMW offer a full service in relation to all intellectual property matters, and can help you no matter where you are in the country. Our goal is to maximise the value of clients’ intellectual property assets by providing tailored and proactive guidance that will meet your aspirations.
JMW is regarded as one of the leading intellectual property law practices in the UK, with our substantial sector experience, enabling us to strike the right balance between our clients’ aims and their legal potential.
For your business, seeking legal guidance from specialist intellectual property solicitors will help you maximise the value of these assets and prevent your rights from being infringed, which will save you time and money.
To speak to one of our specialist IP solicitors, contact us by calling 0345 872 6666, or fill in our online enquiry form to request a call back.
Understanding your IP rights
How JMW Can Help
JMW’s comprehensive range of intellectual property services covers all aspects of IP rights management, commercialisation and protection, including:
- IP training, providing your management team and staff with the knowledge and skills they need to identify and manage the key intangible assets within your business. We also offer IP Audits to ensure any cracks in your intellectual property are identified and remedied.
- IP registration and strategy, providing your business with strategic advice to properly register and effectively protect its IP, including trademarks, designs and patents both in the UK and Globally. We are also experienced at dealing with registry proceedings including trademark oppositions, revocation and invalidity proceedings.
- IP Infringement, minimising any damage to your commercial interests by applying remedies, including injunctions, compensation (damages or account of profits), delivery-up, and costs.
- IP commercialisation, assisting businesses to make money from their IP rights through licencing, franchising and selling their IP.
- IP disputes, preventing others from benefiting from your intangible IP assets and taking action against those who are infringing your copyright, trademark, design and patent rights. In addition, preventing your confidential information and trade secrets from being misappropriated and misused. We also have extensive experience in dealing with counterfeiters who attempt to imitate your brands, products and designs. Alternatively, defending your business from groundless threats of IP infringement.
JMW has expert knowledge and an up-to-the-minute understanding of all the relevant legal issues, having worked with businesses across a broad range of industries on IP matters.
We will advise you on everything you need to protect and make the best possible use of these assets, informed by a strong understanding of your interests.
As a full-service law firm, the intellectual property team has access to experts from other departments at JMW, including our employment team, data protection experts, contracts and agreements gurus, media law, advertising law, and wealth management lawyers, who can further assist in ensuring your IP can be identified, secured and protected in the most efficient manner. With headquarters in both the north and south of the country, our IP lawyers Manchester and London can help you wherever you are located.
FAQs About Intellectual Property
Intellectual property is an incredibly important asset to many businesses, but it can be difficult to understand how to go about protecting your creativity and hard work.
The team at JMW works hard to eliminate those difficulties - one of the ways we do this is by answering your frequently asked questions.
- What is intellectual property?
“Intellectual property” (IP) is an umbrella term to describe intangible assets, including brands and trademarks, designs, copyright, databases, patents, confidential information and trade secrets. Your IP is extremely valuable and needs to be protected from your competitors.
- How do I protect my intellectual property?
The best way to protect your IP is to professionally register those rights that can be registered. Many businesses do not register their IP and risk a competitor stealing their market share, or worse, attempt to register their IP themselves and inadvertently notify their competitors of their future plans. We typically find that “DIY” registrations often result in the application being opposed or UK court proceedings, both often prove to be more time consuming and costly than professional registration.
- How can I make money out of my intellectual property?
There are lots of ways to make money from your IP. Your business can use its IP by directly selling its products or services to the public or other businesses under your chosen branding. Alternatively, you can licence your intellectual property to another business that will do that for you in exchange for a royalty fee. In addition, there are more complex franchise arrangements, which many of the leading brands use. Once your IP is valuable, you can even sell it to your competitors or other businesses who are interested in entering your market.
- What do I do if someone is copying my intellectual property?
In the first instance, it is important for our IP experts to check that you own the IP and assess the scope of your rights. Once this is complete, they can assess whether the infringer encroaches on your IP rights and advise on the best options to stop the sale of the infringing products or services, often this may involve threatening legal proceedings against the infringers.
- What if I receive a letter before action alleging I have infringed another’s intellectual property?
First of all, do not panic. Secondly, we strongly advise not to respond to the letter until you have taken expert IP legal advice. In our experience, knee jerk emails in response can cause more harm than good. Our team is experienced in effectively and efficiently dealing with threats of IP infringement, and sometimes those threats may even be groundless. The letter you have received will often be detailed and complex, so our IP experts will need to review this in order to assess the threatened claims. We will then advise you as to your options and, if necessary, prepare a detailed rebuttal in response.
Talk to Us
If you need help registering, protecting or defending intellectual property, contact JMW Solicitors today by calling 0345 872 6666, or fill in our online enquiry form and let us know a suitable time to get in touch with you.
