Business Legal Services
Intellectual Property
Protect, exploit and defend your intellectual property with holistic legal advice tailored to your business goals.
We’ll help you identify the best way to protect and exploit your IP portfolio and shape the most profitable IP strategy for your business. Whatever stage you’re at – we’ll help commercialise your intellectual property so that you take full advantage of your most valuable business assets.
Intellectual property experts
Our team can assist you across all areas of intellectual property law, including:
Benefits
What are the benefits of actively managing your intellectual property portfolio?
Know your portfolio
to refine your strategy and maximise your benefits
Understanding what IP you have in your portfolio will help you take the right steps to protect your IP assets and ensure that you unlock your portfolio’s potential to maximise your profits.
Create new revenue streams
Licensing your IP to other organisations is a great way to generate additional revenue.
Protect your IP
Using state of the art technology, we actively monitor third-party trade mark applications to prevent them from registering trade marks which are similar (or worse, identical) to yours.
Utilise third party IP
Identifying where you could tap into existing third-party IP will help you reduce the amount of time and money spent on research and development and get you to market quicker.
Ensure your house is in order
Registration of IP rights is one of the most effective ways of protecting your IP. We can advise you on what rights you can register and support you in completing and maintaining your registrations.
Manage disputes effectively and efficiently
Efficient and effective management of IP disputes will help save stress, time and money. We explore all available options to secure the best outcome possible for you.
Improve your ability to move into other markets
Taking advantage of licensing arrangements with third parties will give you the opportunity to break into territories and markets that would otherwise be challenging to get into.
Clear concise IP agreements
will protect your IP and investments
Ensuring you have clear, concise and robust IP agreements in place will protect your IP, reduce your risk and ensure that you have the rights you need to use third-party IP in the way you envisage.
Who we help
Intellectual Property advice for small businesses, SMEs, start-ups, spin-outs and large companies
Every single business utilises IP in some way and our IP lawyers support a broad range of UK-based clients in innovative businesses where the effective protection and utilisation of IP is crucial. We’ve worked with clients in creative industries, e-commerce, retail and luxury brands, life sciences and healthcare, manufacturing and engineering, IT, telecommunications, and emerging technologies.
We advise clients of all shapes and sizes, from university spinouts and start-ups to SMEs and large multi-nationals. Whether you’re ready to start-up, scale up or exit, and whatever the nature of your business, we’re confident we can support you.
Intellectual Property Solicitors
Support with every aspect of your business’s intellectual property
Our IP solicitors support your business every step of the way, from audits, drafting paper work, creating a strategy to achieve your business goals to managing your intellectual property portfolio, responding to challenges, and even offering training to support success.
Our IP solicitors can offer you tailored and comprehensive support with:
IP audits
A comprehensive IP audit will help you understand what IP you own, what steps you need to take to protect it and how you can commercially exploit it, unlocking value in your business.
IP strategy
Our IP solicitors take a holistic approach to help you identify a strategy that ties in with your broader business goals, capitalises on your existing IP, assists you in meeting your commercial objectives, and supports expansion in the UK and further afield.
IP dispute resolution
Our expert negotiators will guide you through your IP dispute, using methods of alternative dispute resolution where appropriate to help manage your costs. When litigation is necessary, we make full use of the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (IPEC) and its cost-effective and streamlined procedure to get you the best possible outcome.
IP licensing
Licensing in or out, nationally and across borders, supports new routes to market and revenue generation. Licensing in enables you to make the most of third-party innovations, reduces your risk when expanding into new territories, and saves you time and money. Our IP solicitors can also assist with intra-group licensing and other sub-licensing arrangements, including in the context of franchising.
IP clauses
We can advise and draft clauses in contracts on how employees and 3rd parties can use your IP and make it clear who owns your IP. This can include clauses in contracts of employment, commercial contracts and agreements, and corporate documents
IP agreements
Our IP solicitors are skilled in drafting a wide range of clear and concise IP agreements, from simple NDAs to complex R&D agreements. Having well-drafted agreements in place helps protect your interests, provides certainty and reduces risk.
IP registrations
We will identify which aspects of your IP may be registered and support you with making registration applications, including patents, trade marks, designs and utility models. We can also help you maintain your registrations by monitoring the status of your registrations and submitting timely renewals.
Unregistered IP rights
Our IP solicitors will help you identify and understand what unregistered IP rights you may have, including copyright and unregistered design rights, and how to protect and defend these rights.
Testimonials
What our clients say
The extend service we get from Harper James allows us to combine their expertise with that of our own in-house counsel. It means we can get quick and trustworthy legal advice from specialists in every legal area, as and when we need it. There are no hidden extras and the service we have received has always demonstrated an awareness of our fast-moving commercial requirements.
Amelia Guilfoyle
Head of legal,
Zoopla
It was difficult to find suitable support for my IP problem and such a relief to find Harper James Solicitors. Lindsay was fantastic at guiding me through the process and I couldn’t have been happier with the result.
Mariani Robinson
Founder,
Naturally Lady
Toby and his team have done such a fantastic job providing support across fundraising, IP, employment, GDPR and option pool establishment. Harper James has helped us get solid legal advice, often at short notice relating to a number of common start-up hurdles.
Julian Cook
CEO and Co-Founder,
Howamigoing
I was looking for intelligent, fast feedback on things I couldn’t do myself. Every step of the way, Harper James have fulfilled that promise – they’ve been so responsive. It’s run as a business, not as a law firm. Anyone who’s been near a law firm knows the difference. It’s a real pleasure.
Geeta Sidhu-Robb
CEO and Founder,
Nosh Detox
Harper James has been the ideal law firm for Paragraf because of the flexibility that’s built into the extend subscription package. With HJ, I have all the legal expertise and answers I need at the end of an email. We have ambitious plans to fulfil, pushing our product lines overseas and bringing graphene electronics to the masses. There’s no better partner to help us get there than Harper James.
Cathy Cranton
Financial Director,
Paragraf
Prior to joining the Enable Scheme, I was attempting to manage all the firms’ legal issues myself and finding it a huge struggle. Being part of the Enable scheme allows Mama Bamboo to access legal advice at an affordable rate. Something which is always worry for a small firm when considering seeking legal support. The scheme allows us to protect our business whilst we focus on our growth plans.
Laura Crawford
CEO and founder,
Mama Bamboo
How engaged, knowledgeable and personal HJ lawyers are. They offer pragmatic and practical advise with a quick turnaround.
Barbara Opala
General Counsel,
Norton Motorcycle Co.
I was referred to Harper James and told that they were the law firm for entrepreneurs. As a start-up, the Enable Plan works very well for us. It allows us to quickly access the legal services we need without spending a fortune.
Judith McMinn
CEO,
Rezon
One of the key factors as to why we went with the enable plan was how inexpensive and flexible the service is, the idea that you can pay monthly and get an hour of free advice gives us the reassurance that we’ll always have legal support on hand as the business continues to grow. The breadth of knowledge Emily has and the transparency of knowing exactly how much it’s going to cost is invaluable. It makes us feel as if we’re in control of how much we’re spending.
Sam Stockman
COO,
Guide Education
The subscription based model of the Enable Plan almost pays for itself and is great value for money, especially compared to the hourly rates of other law firms. Spreading the cost of legal support helps with cash flow and there is no trepidation or fear around costs when contacting Harper James for legal support
Steve Carroll
Founder,
Porterdale Ltd - Clearview
We looked at four different firms of solicitors before choosing Lindsay at Harper James for our growing business. After considering all the input, we chose Lindsay because she demonstrated great insight into how our opponent would be thinking. We've been really happy with that decision.
Ryan Bromley
Commercial Director,
Avantis International
Lindsay Gledhill and Gemma Pickavant are authentically outstanding intellectual property solicitors who demonstrated strategic thought, deep knowledge, and command of a large record’s detail in a cross-border case spanning multiple courts.
Julia Markley
Partner & Litigation Lead,
Perkins Coie LLP
As a one-person team, I knew we would need some help for our intellectual property needs. Lindsay has been acting as an extension of my own team and with her help, we have been able to see off oppositions and defend them within budget and without the need for litigation.
Wendi Higgins
General Counsel,
Chameleon Technology
Everybody we have worked with at Harper James so far has their own individual qualities. Lindsay’s ability to quickly identify and understand how our business operates was invaluable. Emily has been great at summarising the aspects of the law and how it applies to our business. It’s been refreshing working with a team of legal experts who understand our business thoroughly and genuinely care for us as clients.
Jonathan Hill
Founder,
The Northern Block
Lindsay has acted as our in-house legal counsel for around a decade, helping us in complex international licences and contracts involving IP. Lindsay is the person you want to have at your side as you negotiate a deal, helping you to understand the long-term value points for all parties and providing insight into the other party's positioning that helps to balance the give and take in a negotiation.
Eric Newell
Head of Global Business Development,
Aeristech Ltf
What could have been complex, costly and drawn out, was so straight forward with Jill. She secured a settlement in our favour and we couldn’t recommend her more! It feels great to have an array of legal expertise on your side, so we can focus on running our business.
Maddi Cook
Director,
Boss your salon
Ben is fantastic, he's doing a lot of the proactive thinking for me. Ben conducted a review of our trade mark portfolio and he gave me his advice as to where he thinks we need to bolster our trade mark protection. I told him about our expansion plans in Asia, so we focused our time there as opposed to looking at territories where we have very small footprints such as in South America, for example.
Jojo Regan
Co-founder,
Manors Golf
I like that I can communicate with Harper James on my own terms. We have access to all the legal services we need under one subscription plan, so there’s no need for us to look elsewhere. It’s great having a one-stop solution that’s both efficient and cost-effective.
Jojo Regan
Co-founder,
Manors Golf
Lindsay has a fabulous way of making complex legal advice clear, accessible, and enjoyable. As a long-established and pioneering printed electronics business based in Cambridge, Novalia benefits from Lindsay's professionalism, which shines through in every conversation. She combines a warm and approachable style with a deep understanding of Novalia’s particular needs, offering insightful, pragmatic strategic advice from an experienced position.
Chris Jones
Chief Operating Officer,
Novalia
The extend service we get from Harper James allows us to combine their expertise with that of our own in-house counsel. It means we can get quick and trustworthy legal advice from specialists in every legal area, as and when we need it. There are no hidden extras and the service we have received has always demonstrated an awareness of our fast-moving commercial requirements.
Amelia Guilfoyle
Head of legal,
Zoopla
It was difficult to find suitable support for my IP problem and such a relief to find Harper James Solicitors. Lindsay was fantastic at guiding me through the process and I couldn’t have been happier with the result.
Mariani Robinson
Founder,
Naturally Lady
Toby and his team have done such a fantastic job providing support across fundraising, IP, employment, GDPR and option pool establishment. Harper James has helped us get solid legal advice, often at short notice relating to a number of common start-up hurdles.
Julian Cook
CEO and Co-Founder,
Howamigoing
I was looking for intelligent, fast feedback on things I couldn’t do myself. Every step of the way, Harper James have fulfilled that promise – they’ve been so responsive. It’s run as a business, not as a law firm. Anyone who’s been near a law firm knows the difference. It’s a real pleasure.
Geeta Sidhu-Robb
CEO and Founder,
Nosh Detox
Harper James has been the ideal law firm for Paragraf because of the flexibility that’s built into the extend subscription package. With HJ, I have all the legal expertise and answers I need at the end of an email. We have ambitious plans to fulfil, pushing our product lines overseas and bringing graphene electronics to the masses. There’s no better partner to help us get there than Harper James.
Cathy Cranton
Financial Director,
Paragraf
Prior to joining the Enable Scheme, I was attempting to manage all the firms’ legal issues myself and finding it a huge struggle. Being part of the Enable scheme allows Mama Bamboo to access legal advice at an affordable rate. Something which is always worry for a small firm when considering seeking legal support. The scheme allows us to protect our business whilst we focus on our growth plans.
Laura Crawford
CEO and founder,
Mama Bamboo
How engaged, knowledgeable and personal HJ lawyers are. They offer pragmatic and practical advise with a quick turnaround.
Barbara Opala
General Counsel,
Norton Motorcycle Co.
I was referred to Harper James and told that they were the law firm for entrepreneurs. As a start-up, the Enable Plan works very well for us. It allows us to quickly access the legal services we need without spending a fortune.
Judith McMinn
CEO,
Rezon
One of the key factors as to why we went with the enable plan was how inexpensive and flexible the service is, the idea that you can pay monthly and get an hour of free advice gives us the reassurance that we’ll always have legal support on hand as the business continues to grow. The breadth of knowledge Emily has and the transparency of knowing exactly how much it’s going to cost is invaluable. It makes us feel as if we’re in control of how much we’re spending.
Sam Stockman
COO,
Guide Education
The subscription based model of the Enable Plan almost pays for itself and is great value for money, especially compared to the hourly rates of other law firms. Spreading the cost of legal support helps with cash flow and there is no trepidation or fear around costs when contacting Harper James for legal support
Steve Carroll
Founder,
Porterdale Ltd - Clearview
We looked at four different firms of solicitors before choosing Lindsay at Harper James for our growing business. After considering all the input, we chose Lindsay because she demonstrated great insight into how our opponent would be thinking. We've been really happy with that decision.
Ryan Bromley
Commercial Director,
Avantis International
Lindsay Gledhill and Gemma Pickavant are authentically outstanding intellectual property solicitors who demonstrated strategic thought, deep knowledge, and command of a large record’s detail in a cross-border case spanning multiple courts.
Julia Markley
Partner & Litigation Lead,
Perkins Coie LLP
As a one-person team, I knew we would need some help for our intellectual property needs. Lindsay has been acting as an extension of my own team and with her help, we have been able to see off oppositions and defend them within budget and without the need for litigation.
Wendi Higgins
General Counsel,
Chameleon Technology
Everybody we have worked with at Harper James so far has their own individual qualities. Lindsay’s ability to quickly identify and understand how our business operates was invaluable. Emily has been great at summarising the aspects of the law and how it applies to our business. It’s been refreshing working with a team of legal experts who understand our business thoroughly and genuinely care for us as clients.
Jonathan Hill
Founder,
The Northern Block
Lindsay has acted as our in-house legal counsel for around a decade, helping us in complex international licences and contracts involving IP. Lindsay is the person you want to have at your side as you negotiate a deal, helping you to understand the long-term value points for all parties and providing insight into the other party's positioning that helps to balance the give and take in a negotiation.
Eric Newell
Head of Global Business Development,
Aeristech Ltf
What could have been complex, costly and drawn out, was so straight forward with Jill. She secured a settlement in our favour and we couldn’t recommend her more! It feels great to have an array of legal expertise on your side, so we can focus on running our business.
Maddi Cook
Director,
Boss your salon
Ben is fantastic, he's doing a lot of the proactive thinking for me. Ben conducted a review of our trade mark portfolio and he gave me his advice as to where he thinks we need to bolster our trade mark protection. I told him about our expansion plans in Asia, so we focused our time there as opposed to looking at territories where we have very small footprints such as in South America, for example.
Jojo Regan
Co-founder,
Manors Golf
I like that I can communicate with Harper James on my own terms. We have access to all the legal services we need under one subscription plan, so there’s no need for us to look elsewhere. It’s great having a one-stop solution that’s both efficient and cost-effective.
Jojo Regan
Co-founder,
Manors Golf
Lindsay has a fabulous way of making complex legal advice clear, accessible, and enjoyable. As a long-established and pioneering printed electronics business based in Cambridge, Novalia benefits from Lindsay's professionalism, which shines through in every conversation. She combines a warm and approachable style with a deep understanding of Novalia’s particular needs, offering insightful, pragmatic strategic advice from an experienced position.
Chris Jones
Chief Operating Officer,
Novalia
Our Intellectual Property Experts
Why choose our Intellectual Property solicitors?
We’ve guided numerous companies from start-up and scale-up through to exit, helping them create value through their innovations. Our understanding of the investment and the venture capital sector is also second-to-none. We make sure you get the best IP protection and management that fits with your long-term strategic objectives.
As High Court litigators for top 50 private practices, our lawyers have in-depth experience taking patent and trade mark cases through to the High Court and the Court of Appeal.
We’ll gladly work alongside your in-house counsel and current intellectual property solicitors or adopt a full-service approach if you prefer.
Pricing and service plans
Legal support designed
to fit your business needs
Our three transparent service plans are designed to give you the widest possible access to high-quality legal advice, whatever the size and nature of your business:
Engage
Flexible access to senior solicitors at highly competitive rates
An alternative to our subscription plans, offering access to full service legal expertise on a project-by-project basis.
Enable
Purpose built legal support for start-ups and smaller businesses
Monthly subscription plan for £215 per month, with £145 monthly credit and access to all legal services at 50% discount on our Standard Rates.
Extend
Comprehensive legal partnership for established businesses
Fully account managed and scalable annual subscription plan with support from a curated team of partners and senior solicitors, with up to 34% discount on our Standard Rates.
