Birketts

Birketts is a full service, UK Top 50 law firm. With a heritage spanning over 160 years, we have more than 700 lawyers and legal professionals based in Bristol, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Ipswich, London, Norwich, and Sevenoaks. We advise businesses, government and public sector organisations and individuals in the UK and internationally.

Our innovative delivery of the law is defined by our next level law proposition. Our legal advice is informed by a clear understanding of the specific needs of the sector and the regulatory and political backdrop. We work with our clients as a proactive partner, horizon scanning and thinking ahead to the changes, challenges or opportunities that they may face.

Combined, our Intellectual Property team has over 115 years’ experience in IP law. The team is split into three core disciplines: Trade Marks and Branding, IP Disputes, and Non-Contentious IP.

Our dedicated Trade Marks and Branding Team has a wealth of experience advising clients at every stage of the lifecycle of a trade mark, from the initial enquiry on registrability, to registration, handling registry queries and actions within the registry, to management of portfolios and trade mark strategy through to exploitation. The Team are experts in the management and strategy of IP, including trade mark portfolio management both nationally and internationally (the latter through a trusted network of agents abroad).

Our specialist IP Disputes Team is experienced in acting for clients in IPEC, High Court and Court of Appeal (including reported cases). The Team advises on disputes arising from the enforcement, defence and validity of trade marks, copyright (particularly in relation to software), patents (particularly related to engineering patents), design rights, domain names and database rights. In addition, the Team regularly advises clients on breach of confidence and taking of IP and confidential information (including know-how) by former employees.

Our non-contentious lawyers advise on the commercialisation of our clients’ IP assets at every stage of the lifecycle, from determining ownership of IP developed by others either by way of contract, employment or joint venture to subsequent exploitation of the same by license or sale. Our non-contentious IP team comprises experienced commercial lawyers with experience of drafting of the necessary documents to support the advice given in relation to the commercialisation of the IP.  Quentin Golder also has extensive experience of advising intellectual property rich early-mid stage companies in funding rounds and early-stage investment.

Key practice areas: 

Copyright, Copyright & related rights, Intellectual property, Designs, Intellectual property (contentious), Intellectual property (prosecution), Patent (contentious), IP transactions, Trade mark, Trade mark (contentious), Practice area page, Trade mark (prosecution)

Sector expertise: 

Agriculture, Automotive, Consumer goods and services, Construction and materials, E-commerce, Fashion & luxury goods, Food and beverage, Government and public policy, Healthcare, Hospitality & leisure, Logistics, ICT & software, Mechanical, Media, Insurance, Not-for-profit, Professional services, Retail, Real estate, Shipping, Renewable energy, Tourism, Universities & research

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• Maria Peyman, Intellectual property, maria-peyman@birketts.co.uk
  
  Leading manufacturer and supplier of professional and commercial refrigeration: Leading the case: representing the Defendant in claims of patent and trade mark infringe ment brought by a competitor. The allegations of infringement related to three patents and two registered trade marks. The claim was commenced in IPEC and then moved to the Patents Court for reasons of complexity. In addition to the defence of the claim the Defendant argued that the patents were invalid and brought a counter claim against the Claimant in respect of the validity of the patent. In this instance both the Claimant and Defenda nt are based in the UK.
  
  Manufacturer of vehicle parts and development of vehicle aerodynamics: Leading the case acting for the Defendant following a claim of patent infringe ment and breach of duty commenced by a party which asserts itself as a competitor in the marketplace. The claim of patent infringement relates a one discreet instance and is therefore relatively unusual in its nature. The breach of duty claim is a novel case due to the facts surrounding the alleged breach of duty. The claim was commenced within IPEC. The Defendant applied to strike out the claim in its entirety and was successful in respect of the claim for patent infringement. The claim continues with the breach of duty claim only remaining. Both parties are based in the UK.
  
  Acting for patent owner: Our client is the owner of various intellectual property rights including a
  number of patents relating to water saving devices. Our client granted a licence of its patent to a
  third party. The third party was placed in Adminis tration. Pursuant to the Patent Licence this entitled our client to terminate the Agreem ent, with immediate effect, on giving notice. We assisted the client to terminate the Patent Licence with immediate effect and notify the licensee and sublicensees that the licences and sublicences automatically terminated on the termination of the Patent Licence. We also contacted the appointed Administrators to advise them that the
  Patent Licence was terminated and that any continuation of the previously permitted activities in relation to the products would now amount to an infringement of our client’s patents, and, in any event, a in breach of the Patent Licence by failure to comply with the obligations upon termination. The client believed (and industry activity supported) that a downstream entity was continuing to exploit the patented products but without the benefit
  of a licence and therefore this amounted to an infringement.
  
  
• Quentin Golder, Intellectual property, quentin-golder@birketts.co.uk 
  
  Acting for NIAB in connection with the assignment of certain IP (trade marks and plant breeder
  varieties) in connection with the sale by NIAB’s of its strawberry breeding business to Bayer, together with the licensing back by Bayer of certain of the trade marks assigned (in a
  variety of jurisdictions), for use by NIAB in connection with certain other plant varieties, for the
  balance of the relevant trade marks.
  
  Technology based client: Our client had developed new technology for the manufacture of a specific product. Acted for the client in the negotiation of:
  a) the provisio n for a specification of manufacturingplants,
  b) the licensing of our client’s patents to allow the manufacture and sale of the product by such plants,
  c) the provision of certain consultancy services, and provision of data, in relation to the commissioning and future operation of such plants, and
  d) off take arrange ments whereby our client would commit to purchase (or source other purchasers) for the resulting product at the plants.
  
  
• Michael Conway, Trade mark, michael-conway@birketts.co.uk
  
  BYD: Acted for electric car maker BYD in success fully defending trade mark opposition and subsequent appeal to the Appointed Person brought by Moving Life Ltd in relation to the ATTO trade mark (case O 079725, and appeal case O/0111/26).
  
  SonarS ource: Managed the global trade mark portfolio for multi billion $ valuation software company SonarS ource (https://www.sonarsource.com/), including overseeing a strategic revamp of the company’s brand registration and enforcement policies, numerous filing programmes and oppositions against third parties in multiple jurisdictions (over the last 5 years up to the move to Birketts)
  
  Lilysilk: Negotiated a complex confidential settlement agreement of long running trade mark dispute between online clothing retailer Lilysilk and Danish wedding dress maker Lilly A/s, involving multi-jurisdictional opposition and cancellation proceedings and threats of infringe ment.

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