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Coulson & Rule is dedicated to the practice of intellectual property law. Our attorneys are experienced in advising clients in a range of IP matters including patents, trade marks, copyright and design.

Patents

Patent procurement is fundamental to our practice. We have attorneys who are experts in patent drafting and patent prosecution who can represent you directly before the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO), the European Patent Office (EPO), and the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO).

In our experience start-ups and lone inventors who have not had much exposure to obtaining patents are keen to learn about IP and patents. Whilst a certain degree of "hand-holding" may be required initially, we realise that our clients want to understand what is involved in the protection of their IP so that they can make informed decisions and remain in control of their business and their IP. At Coulson & Rule our patent attorneys take the time to provide advice and information about the entire patenting process. Our initial consultations are offered free of charge and we provide as much information as you need about what is involved in patenting an invention, how long the patenting process takes and what you should expect.

Based on our years of experience, our patent attorneys are highly skilled at drafting patent applications and from the outset you can be confident that your IP is being well looked after. Our attorneys have strong technical backgrounds and a sound knowledge of patent law. We understand how passionate and protective you are about your inventions and start-up business - after all we started our own firm and so, it is as important to us as it is to you, that we provide clear, careful advice that helps you protect your IP. Even though your budget is likely to be tight we take the time to answer all of your questions, even if you ask them more than once because we know there is a lot you want to learn. We also know that start-ups don't stay that way and that the IP protection we obtain for you needs to be robust to protect your business now and, in the future, as it grows.  

Prosecution of patent applications is conducted with skill at Coulson & Rule. With years of experience of prosecuting patent applications domestically and internationally, we are careful to prepare the patent applications we draft not only with technical and legal precision, but also with consideration of the prosecution of those applications in a wide variety of jurisdictions including the US, Europe and Asia.

Our attorneys also have experience and skill in:

  • Strategies for protecting inventions.
  • Invention spotting - identifying patentable inventions and advising on invention harvesting techniques.
  • Strategies for protecting inventions that are commercially sound and within budget.
  • Analysing and responding to official communications, office actions and examination reports and advising on the likelihood of success of pending applications.
  • Attacking and defending patents through opposition, limitation and revocation proceedings.
  • Providing validity opinions.
  • Providing infringement opinions.
  • Maintenance of patents and meticulous records management.
  • Restoration of patents.
  • Restoration of the right to priority.
  • Patent watching.
  • Transferring medium and large portfolios of IP including assignment preparation, preparation of accurate IP schedules and recording transfers in jurisdictions worldwide.

Trade marks

At Coulson & Rule we recognise the importance of protecting your brand, and we will work with you to protect your valuable brand names, logos and slogans. Our attorneys are highly experienced in:

  • Advising on what makes a registrable trade mark.
  • Preparation, filing and prosecution of trade mark applications.
  • Successfully opposing and successfully defending oppositions.
  • Providing freedom to operate and infringement opinions.
  • Maintenance of trade marks and records management.
  • Trade mark watching services.
  • Enforcing trade mark registrations online, in marketplaces such as eBay (TM).

With years of experience of applying to register trade marks before the UKIPO, EUIPO (formerly OHIM) and in overseas jurisdictions, we know what can be registered and what can't. We know the importance of clearance searches and our basic registered trade mark application service includes as standard a preliminary clearance search of the UKIPO and EUIPO databases and an opinion about the likelihood of success of the application. In short, we don't let you spend money registering a trade mark that we don't think we can register for you.

Copyright

Our attorneys provide advice on copyright matters, including when copyright applies, the formal requirements for its subsistence, ownership and duration. When third parties are involved in the design of your products and logos, we can advise on who owns the copyright. We are experienced in taking the necessary steps to ensure that your business is protected, owns all of its IP assets and successfully gets copyright transferred to your ownership where necessary. We also provide infringement opinions and advice about database rights and protecting computer programs.

Designs

Our attorneys can represent you directly before the UK Designs Registry at the UKIPO (United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office). Our attorneys have previous experience of acting before the Community Designs Registry (CDR) of EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office).

We also have extensive experience of working with foreign associates to obtain protection for our clients’ designs throughout the outside of the UK. Our design services include:

  • Advising on registrable designs.
  • Preparation, filing and prosecution of registered design applications.
  • Infringement opinions.
  • Advising on unregistered design rights.
  • Enforcing registered design rights on online market places such as eBay (TM).
  • Maintenance of registered designs and records management.

Budget Control

We are conscious at Coulson & Rule that no business operates with an open cheque book and that tight budget control is essential to every successful corporation. Our attitude is simple, we don't like wasting money and we won't waste yours. Our clients can trust that we don't pay any official fees that can be avoided and we take advantage of any available discounts in official fees as a matter of routine. We also pre-agree fees with our clients so that they know what it will cost before it costs them anything. To us, it’s just a sensible thing to do.