No matter what stage you are at in the patent journey, our experienced attorneys and solicitors can guide you through this complex and technical process.
As a client, you will benefit from always working with specialist attorneys and solicitors who have either worked in industry or with in-house legal departments and so have a truly commercial perspective. As one of the leading patent practices in Europe, our clients tell us that they value the depth of experience our attorneys and solicitors are able to offer them in all technical disciplines, including biotechnology, chemistry, pharmaceuticals, electronics, engineering and IT.
Our attorneys have extensive experience in drafting and prosecuting international patent portfolios through to grant in worldwide jurisdictions. We regularly handle important and valuable contentious matters both for patentee and opponent and our patent practice has an enviable track record in European Patent Office (EPO) opposition and Technical Board of Appeal hearings. Our attorneys are active in steering legislation and policy in the UK, Germany and at the EPO, where partners are members of various influential committees.
D Young & Co has one of the most respected and largest patent teams in Europe, providing a full range of patent services, including
- Drafting of European, UK, German, and PCT patent applications
- Filing and prosecuting patent applications directly at the European Patent Office (EPO), UK Intellectual Property Office, the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA), and the International Bureau of WIPO
- Worldwide prosecution is handled by our network of trusted overseas agents
- Representing clients at all levels within the EPO, including oppositions and appeals
- Infringement (freedom to operate) and validity opinions on third party patents
- Coordinating and providing strategic advice relating to pan-European patent litigation
- Filing and defending patent revocations before the UPC
- Filing and defending patent infringement actions before the UPC, working with local patent litigation counsel, where appropriate
- Portfolio audit and strategic advice
- Due diligence work for funding, stock market flotation, business or project acquisition
- Attorney guided searches conducted by specialist patent searchers
- Payment of patent renewal fees (patent annuities)
- Drafting and advising on IP agreements, non-disclosure agreements, R&D agreements, licences and assignments
- The exploitation of IP rights for revenue opportunities
- Supplementary protection certificates (SPCs) / patent term extensions
Unified Patent Court
We welcome the opening of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) and have been closely involved in its development, such that we are intimately familiar with its framework, procedures and jurisdictional arrangements. D Young & Co offers a broad choice and availability of representation in all divisions of the UPC and our patent attorneys are particularly well placed to assist clients in this new European patent litigation forum. Our attorneys have a huge amount of experience of contentious patent work in the courts of Europe and the EPO and in working together to create a seamless patent dispute resolution service.
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