Sweden

Firm overview

Bergenstråhle creates the right conditions for companies to leverage their intangible assets, with a focus on sustainability, proactivity, and growth.

As a knowledge-driven company, we always strive to have the best expertise and take pride in our curiosity about the world around us. What is requested? What behaviors do we see in society? How can we support our customers and enable them in the best possible way?

The trust of our customers gives us the energy to continuously develop our skills and offerings. We know that by going the extra mile, we significantly increase the value of their assets.

Bergenstråhle was established in 1934 and is a leading IP firm in the Nordic market.

Last updated 28th June 2024

Firm overview

Firm overview

Built on solid foundations dating back to 1891, today Barker Brettell is a modern and vibrant intellectual property (IP) practice, the cornerstone of which continues to be patents, trade marks and designs and copyright and, ultimately, putting IP on its clients’ board room agenda through IP strategy and management, and additional services such as IP audits and valuations.

The firm’s clients benefit from over 60 attorneys and trainee attorneys with a variety of academic backgrounds, as well as a large and highly regarded support network of paralegals and administrators.  It’s UK practice, based in Birmingham and Southampton, is also supported by a team of attorneys in Sweden, which means the firm can offer a seamless and consistent service for clients in Europe and, in respect of trade marks, before the EUIPO.

Barker Brettell’s UK-based and international client portfolio spans independent inventors, start-ups, SMEs, universities, university tech transfer and spin-out organisations and other research institutions and government agencies as well as large, multi-national, global corporations.

When it comes to patents, Barker Brettell operates and has strength and depth in all of the major (and EPO recognised) technical fields (including Biotechnology, Computer implemented technology, Electronics & Semiconductors, Engineering & Manufacturing, Fintech, Life Sciences & Chemistry, Medical devices, Pharmaceuticals and Physics & Materials) and practice-wide, the firm overlays its technical expertise with a sector-focused approach that spans the Aerospace, Automotive, Computing & Software, Cosmetics, Energy, Food & Drink, Medical and Universities sectors.

Types of work undertaken:

Patents: Our patent team continues to acquire and support the procurement and management of over 1,700 new patent applications annually, with particular experience in managing intricate patent portfolios. One service that helps us stand out in the IP market is our ‘IP Valuation’ package: designed for clients considering M&A, investment, or floatation; optimizing tax-efficiency, or calculating royalties.

The firm's patent specialisms include pre-filing advice and patentability searches, invention mining and the drafting of applications for new inventions, the filing and prosecution of patent applications, advice on contentious issues, EPO opposition work, freedom-to-operate opinions, landscape searching, transactional work relating to licensing and IP-related due diligence and recently added IP valuations and audits.

The firm has a strong secondment program seconding patent attorneys to internal in-house patent departments.

Trade marks: We routinely handle filing and prosecuting of 2,700 trade marks annually, which we are confident exceeds many of our competitors. We tailor filing and enforcement strategies for clients, handling oppositions, revocations, cancellations, cease and desist letters, internet takedowns, company name and domain name complaints and customs actions. We are also experts in the negotiation of settlements.

From advising to enforcement, our trade mark practitioners have extensive experience in all trade mark aspects. Our team acts directly before the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) and the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO); we continually rank among the top filers of UK trade marks (and formerly EU trade marks, until this work transferred to our Sweden office).

The firm's trade mark specialisms include IP strategy, the searching, filing and prosecution of applications, oppositions, cancellations, enforcement programmes, the negotiation of settlement agreements, renewals, assignments and licensing, domain name issues, internet takedown actions, customs and excise actions, due diligence exercises, portfolio management and counterfeiting issues.

Designs & Copyright:  Designs continues to be a real specialism within Barker Brettell's practice, and the firm is routinely ranked as one of the highest filers of UK and EU designs of any UK firm.  With much interplay between designs and other IP rights, its designs team comprises patent and trade mark attorneys who provide robust and cost-effective strategies for design protection. Over the years the firm has built a strong reputation for designs advice and strategy.

In addition to its core services, the firm has a strong oppositions and appeals record and offers additional services including IP audits and IP valuations.

Firm overview

The Fenix Legal team consists of a unique combination of patent and trademark attorneys, patent engineers, lawyers, business consultants and branding experts, providing clients with business-focused IP rights management.

We not only give our clients full service around intellectual property registration and protection, but also legal assistance in related to IP, company law matters and how to expand business based on IP rights.

Patent:

We are handling patent cases in all technical fields. We assist filing and prosecution of European, Swedish and Patent Cooperation Treaty patents, together with patent litigation and validation of European patents in Sweden. Our European patent attorneys have long experience of European patent prosecution including oral proceedings with the EPO. Some of our patent attorneys have been examiners with the Patent Offices. Our practice covers all technical fields, including: Separation technology; digital signal processing and IT solutions; Artificial Intelligence (AI); building and construction; medical equipment; biochemical and biotech; pharmaceuticals /health and wellness; industrial tools; telecoms; aerospace technology.

Unitary Patent:

Our team of UPC Litigators and Unitary Patent Representatives assist clients in strategic Unitary Patent filing, and litigation before the Unified Patent Court (UPC).

Business intelligence:

Our annual IP due diligence and IP watching service is recognized and used as a business-focused IP rights management for the boardrooms.

Designs:

Our registered European design representatives before EUIPO assist in the prosecution of Community design and national design applications, renewals, assignments, pre-searching and watching, as well as international protection via the Hague system.

Trademarks:

We are registered European Union trademark representatives before the EUIPO. Covering: protection strategies, M2/EUTM Link, classification consultation, relations between trademarks - domain names - design; pre-filing searches; filing and prosecution of national, international and EU applications; renewals; assignments; watching services; provisional refusals (M2); oppositions worldwide, special experience: EU trademark oppositions; customs watch; corporate image manuals.

Trade names and company law:

Assisting in establishment of new companies in Sweden and other countries, providing all necessary searches, documentation and contacts with the local authorities.

Cyberlaw:

Covering protection strategies and creation, renewal and assignments of domain names; domain name registrations in all top-level domains; privacy law; Internet copyright; domain name disputes (UDRP, URS, PDDRP, RRDRP and SDRP), in court or via alternative dispute resolution, such as before the WIPO, the US-based Forum and the Czech Arbitration Court.

Copyright:

Assisting in the valuation of literary and artistic works, certified depositions of works, formation of agreements and dispute resolution in case of copyright infringement.

Dispute resolution:

We are well prepared to defend and enforce clients rights at all levels of the judicial system, in Sweden and the European Union. We have internationally trained and well-experienced mediators and arbitrators qualified and certified by International Trademark Association (INTA), the US based Forum, and as by the Swedish courts listed Special Mediators.

Commercial law and market communication:

Conducting national/international legal market investigations, evaluate contracts (such as coexistence agreements, license agreements, business contracts, settlement agreements, cooperation agreements, franchising agreements, joint venture agreements, production and distribution agreements and non-disclosure agreements), assisting in dispute resolution.