Business Legal Services
Intellectual Property Law Firm
Work with an intellectual property law firm that brings clear judgement and commercial focus to your IP strategy
Whether you are launching a new brand, expanding into new markets or dealing with infringement, we help you protect and develop value in your intellectual property with support aligned to your commercial objectives.
Speak to our intellectual property lawyers about your situation and we’ll cut through the noise, help you understand your available options and the steps to move forward.
Finding the right legal partner
Why work with Harper James
Choose a legal partner you can trust: we’ll help protect your goals, your business and your people so you can move forward with confidence and focus on growing your business.
Affordable, transparent and predictable pricing
Clear itemised invoices, subscription plans with up to 50% discount, and fixed fee products help you plan and manage legal spend – with no nasty surprises.
Proven track record and measurable results
We’ve supported over 8,000 businesses since 2014, with an ‘Excellent’ rating on Trustpilot and a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 60+ from monthly client surveys.
Straight-talking, responsive advice
That means fast response times, practical expert legal advice delivered in plain English, and dedicated client service and account management support.
Risk and compliance assured
We’re an SRA regulated firm, but more importantly, we build quality, data, and compliance best practice into everything we do.
Joined up legal support
Keeping your businesses most valuable assets firmly in your control
Intellectual property rarely sits in one place. It runs through your brand, your content, your contracts and your growth plans. Issues often appear in the middle of something else, a launch, a deal, a dispute or an expansion. These are the moments where clear, joined up intellectual property support makes the biggest difference. We’re here to help:
When you need to clear, register or manage trade marks, so your brand is protected as you launch new products, expand or enter new markets.
When you need to protect your original content, campaigns or creative assets, so competitors cannot copy or reuse them.
When you need to protect product appearance or packaging through design rights, so competitors cannot easily copy what makes your offer distinctive.
When you are entering into licensing agreements and you want to make sure you keep control over your intellectual property rights and how they are used and shared.
When infringement starts to pose a real risk to your business, and you need to respond in a way that protects value without escalating the situation unnecessarily.
When you need to put the right agreements in place with employees, agencies or developers, so intellectual property is properly assigned to your business.
Intellectual property can feel technical and fragmented, but we keep things clear by focusing on what matters to your business and how it supports your growth.
- Share your goals and objectives
Tell us what you are trying to protect, resolve or put in place, whether that’s a brand, content, design, agreement or potential infringement. Share any relevant documents so we can understand the full picture. - We assess risk, ownership and options
We review your position and explain where you stand, including any risks around ownership, protection or exposure and outline the practical options available to you. - We act in a way that fits your business
Once you are ready to proceed, we handle the legal work in a clear, commercially focused way, whether that means securing rights, updating agreements or addressing an issue with a third party.
Intellectual property advice aligned to every stage of your journey
Need support in a specific area of law?
Clients come to us when they want intellectual property advice that is clear, commercially grounded and easy to act on. If you need focused support in a particular area of intellectual property law, you can find more detail on some of our specific services below.
Why choose our intellectual property law firm?
Meet our team
Our intellectual property lawyers work alongside leadership teams, founders and in-house counsel who need more than technical advice, they need intellectual property support that keeps pace with the business.
Many of our lawyers have worked in-house or with larger organisations, so they understand the pressure to move quickly, balance risk and make decisions that stand up commercially. That experience shapes how we work, focused on clear ownership, practical protection and advice you can act on straight away.
What makes us different is how closely we align with your wider business. Intellectual property rarely sits in isolation, so we consider how it connects to your contracts, people, growth plans and commercial relationships. Whether you need ongoing support or help with a specific issue, we act as an extension of your team, giving you consistent, commercially grounded advice without unnecessary complexity.
Find out more about who you will be working with:
Understanding intellectual property law
Common questions
If you are considering instructing an intellectual property law firm, these are some of the questions people often want clarity on first.
Do we automatically own all of the intellectual property created within our business?
Not necessarily. Intellectual property created by employees in the course of their role will usually belong to the business, but this is not always straightforward in practice. Work created by contractors, agencies or developers will not automatically transfer unless your agreements deal with ownership properly. It is common for businesses to assume they own everything they have paid for, only to find gaps later during a dispute, investment or sale.
What intellectual property should we actually be protecting?
The focus should be on what drives value in your business. That may be your brand, your content, your product design, or a combination of these. Not everything needs the same level of protection, but key assets that support revenue, differentiation or reputation should be clearly identified and protected in a way that aligns with your growth plans.
What should our approach be to intellectual property infringement?
It depends on the strength of your rights, the commercial impact and what you are trying to achieve. In some situations, early and informal action can resolve the issue quickly. In others, a more structured approach is needed. Acting too slowly can weaken your position, but raising allegations without a clear legal basis can also create risk, including potential claims for groundless threats.
How will our intellectual property stand up to investor or buyer due diligence?
Intellectual property is often a key focus during investment or sale. Buyers and investors will typically look at ownership, registration, contractual protections and any existing disputes. Gaps such as unclear ownership, missing assignments or unprotected brands can delay deals or affect valuation, so it is worth reviewing your position in advance. An intellectual property audit can help identify where rights sit, highlight any risks and ensure your documentation and protections are aligned with what a third party would expect to see.
What should we consider if we are expanding internationally?
Intellectual property rights are territorial, so protection in the UK does not automatically extend to other markets. As you expand, you may need to review trade mark coverage, local risks and how your brand or content is used in different jurisdictions. Taking a planned approach early can help avoid conflicts and the need for rebranding later.
