Patents

Waterfront Law is a leading firm of patent litigation lawyers based in London. Related services that we offer include:

• Conduct of patent litigation in the English Courts, including in the High Court, Patents Court and IPEC (including groundless threats proceedings)
• Advising on patent validity issues, whether as part of patent litigation proceedings or as part of the UK Patent Office’s non-binding evaluation process
• Assisting in the negotiation and drafting of patent assignments and licences (whether on a stand-alone basis or in conjunction with prospective patent litigation proceedings)
• Acting for parties and witnesses making or resisting English Court Orders pursuant to Hague Convention Letters of Request in support of patent litigation taking place outside the UK

Our particular strength is patent litigation. Our IP litigation team have acted on a wide range of patent litigation disputes across a number of industry sectors, but have particular experience of dealing with disputes in the engineering, electrical,  consumer goods, software and agrochemical sectors.

We also have experience of acting for clients who are involved in multi-jurisdictional patent disputes.  Often being instructed by defendants who are faced with potentially oppressive patent litigation threats from much larger multi-national entities.  We have a proven track record of assisting SMEs in navigating their way out of complex patent thickets.

We have the skills and experience to conduct all forms of patent litigation – from multi-million pound claims in the High Court to more modest (although often commercially vital) claims in the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court.  As mentioned above, we are particularly proud of our track record helping SMEs successfully resist claims brought by much larger entities.

We generally do not offer patent drafting and patent prosecution services but work with specialist patent attorneys when those services are required.

Cost is central concern to most of our patent dispute clients.  Our efficient and competitive pricing models allow us to bring to bear our most experienced patent lawyers.

Patent litigation in the UK has the reputation of being extremely expensive.  This reputation stems from the experience of some litigants in the Patents Court of the High Court of England and Wales, which deals with most high-value and complex patent disputes.  The situation has changed more recently with the advent of initiatives and forums specifically aimed at providing more efficient streamlined court procedures, which in turn drive down cost.   These alternative forums include the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court and the Shorter Trial Scheme.

Waterfront prides itself on its ability to offer more tailored and cost-effective pricing packages to our clients, which enable them to litigate effectively in these more streamlined court procedures.