AI Issue 5 2017

38 Acquisition International - May 2017 Forresters is a full service intellectual property (IP) law firm based in the UK and Germany, handling all aspects of European and UK patent, trademark, design and copyright law. As Leading Intellectual Property Practitioner of the Year – Germany award winner (Leading Adviser 2017), we invited this firm to write about the tailored advice they provide for their clients and Dr Matthew Barton’s work in their Munich office. stablished in the UK in 1884, we consider ourselves to be one of the most progressive IP firms, with our unique selling point of ‘clear direction’ influencing everything we do. Clear direction means giving our clients clear advice tailored to their particular circumstances; any attorney can simply quote the law, but we pride ourselves on providing useful, practical, commercial advice and recommendations based on our intimate knowledge of the client’s needs. We do this in a clear and concise way – without dumbing-down but avoiding jargon and unnecessary complexity. Winning the Leading Intellectual Property Practitioner of the Year - Germany award is a great confirmation that we are getting it right and providing clients with the advice they need. We are very grateful for this outstanding recognition - but we never forget that this has been achieved by the entire team - from partner level right though to support staff. Without our excellent support network in every office, the attorneys of Forresters would not be able to operate on such a high level, so congratulations for this award must go to all of our staff. We are a UK firm with an international presence thanks to our fully staffed office in Munich, Germany, the home of the European patent office (EPO). In the UK, we have offices throughout the country, in London, Birmingham and Liverpool, so that we can assist clients from across the UK. However, we have clients from around the world, with significant business coming in from the USA and Asia. Our attorneys are qualified as at least UK and European practitioners (in patents and/or trademarks) and our practice focusses on obtaining and defending IP rights in the UK and Europe, as well as using the international systems for patent and trademark protection. Company: Forresters Name: Dr Matthew Barton Partner, Life Sciences & Chemistry Email: [email protected] Web: www.forresters.co.uk Address: Skygarden Erika-Mann-Str. 11 80636 Munich, Germany Phone: +49 89 2441 299 0 Clear Direction and Focus E 1705AI07 Additionally, through our network of trusted associates around the world we are able to protect intellectual property in almost any jurisdiction you could mention, while coordinating the entire portfolio from Europe. I am personally a partner based in our Munich office, having started my career with Forresters in London in 2001. Being based in Germany, a very large part of my work therefore centres on the European patent office which involves drafting, filing and prosecuting European patent applications which when granted, can take effect in up to 40 countries across Europe. I am also highly active in dealing with the EPO opposition procedure - either attacking granted patents belonging to our clients’ competitors or defending our clients’ patents against such attacks - with a high success rate. This means frequent hearings and advocacy on behalf of our clients, as well as proceedings before the EPO’s Boards of Appeal (the effective appeal court of the EPO). With a PhD in chemistry, I handle patents in a wide range of subject matter, from industrial chemistry and drugs through to alloys and medical devices. I also have a thriving practice in mechanical subject matter such as household goods, working with clients that are globally recognised brands through to up-and-coming small to medium enterprises and individual inventors. I enjoy the variety of having a mixed practice and a variety of clients, who all receive the same level of responsiveness and care, whether multinational or individual. More broadly Forresters can protect all aspects of a given product – from the way it works (patents), to the way it looks (designs) and its name and branding (trademarks). We have an expert trademark team who are specialists in obtaining the broadest possible coverage for a brand, and we are one of the biggest filers of European Union trademarks. So, a client can walk through our door for the first time and leave with every angle of his or her product being protected. Of course, IP does not start and finish with the granting of a protective right. As well as the patent opposition procedure mentioned above (and the opposition procedure in respect of trade marks), “Looking ahead, 2017 and the next few years will be an exciting time for intellectual property, and especially for UK firms like Forresters.”