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Linklaters

Explore Intellectual Property at Linklaters

Our cross-border Intellectual Property team successfully advises market-leading companies on high-profile IP litigation and complex IP-driven transactions
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We support our clients with outstanding legal skills, expert sector knowledge and a pragmatic mindset whether in complex IP transactions or in cross-border IP disputes. More specifically:

  • Our transactional practice encompasses major M&A and carveouts, and drafting and negotiating strategic IP agreements, including joint-venture, collaboration and licencing agreements.
  • Our litigation practice covers the full scope of dispute resolution, including court proceedings, arbitration, mediation and settlement discussions.

We tackle the entire spectrum of IP rights, including patents, supplementary protection certificates, copyrights, designs and trademarks. Many of our lawyers have technical backgrounds and therefore have in-depth understanding of complex technologies. Our practice also covers issues of confidentiality, as well as trade secrets protection and misappropriation.

Given the increasing interplay between IP and competition law, we work hand-in-hand with our market-leading Antitrust team to provide comprehensive and integrated advice to our clients. More generally, we work closely with colleagues from many offices and practices across the Firm, including Corporate/M&A, Tax, Employment, Telecoms and Data, so as to deliver holistic strategic advice and seamless implementation spanning multiple jurisdictions.

We advise clients in a broad range of sectors, with a focus on IP-heavy industries such as healthcare and tech/telecoms.

Our experience

    • GSK (Tesaro): in Court of Appeal proceedings regarding a dispute with AstraZeneca over the patent licence for Zejula, GSK’s PARP-inhibitor cancer product.
    • ViiV Healthcare, Shionogi, GSK: in a cross-border patent litigation relating to Gilead's blockbuster HIV treatment, bictegravir.
    • Regeneron and Sanofi: in a cross-border patent litigation against Amgen in the UK, France, Germany and beyond, regarding a revolutionary new class of cholesterol-lowering antibody treatments.
    • Merck & Co., Inc.: in its long-running and high-profile multi-jurisdictional trade mark infringement and breach of contract dispute against Germany-based Merck KGaA regarding use of the “MERCK” name.
    • Intel: in relation to a patent infringement action by Intellectual Ventures II against internet provider Orange in Germany relating to a patent essential to the ADSL standards.
    • Seoul Viosys (a sister company of Seoul Semiconductor): advising on and representing in an enforcement campaign at the UPC, concerning patents for a new complex technology increasing the overall efficiency of LEDs.
  • Unilever: on the sale of its global tea business to CVC for €4.5 bn. Unilever’s tea business included a portfolio of 34 leading brands, including the iconic ‘PG Tips’ brand, as well as ‘Pukka’, ‘T2’ and ‘Tazo’. 
  • Citibank, N.A.: on the complex brand licensing issues arising from the disposal of its consumer banking businesses in nine jurisdictions with a value of approximately $7 billion. 
  • Nestlé: on its joint venture with PAI Partners in respect of Nestle’s frozen pizza business across Europe.  Brands were central to the deal which involved the transfer and/or long terms licensing of the Wagner, Buitoni and Garden Gourmet brands from Nestle to the joint venture entity in numerous countries across Europe. 
  • Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.: advised on the scope and exclusivity of complex patent licence agreements in relation to its £2.25 billion acquisition of The Binding Site Group, a global leader in innovative medical diagnostic products.
  • One of the world’s largest suppliers of online gaming software: on a range of IP advisory and infringement matters, including UK and EU laws concerning copyright ownership of AI works, the risk of ambush marketing, trade mark and passing off infringement, and breach of advertising rules.

Insights and resources

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AI Webinar Series: The Latest IP Developments

Much has been said about new AI regulation. However, from a practical perspective, there is a more pressing issue at hand – the treatment of IP. IP issues are already creating real risks from a litigation viewpoint and those risks now need to be mitigated or understood and accepted as reasonable commercial risks.

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UPC Hub

UPC Hub

Linklaters has a dedicated taskforce preparing for the introduction of the UPC. On this microsite, we summarise for you key information on the UPC and regular updates on its launch.

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Implementing and Enforcing Standard Essential Patents

To learn more about key issues involving SEPs and FRAND, please click on the link below to watch the webinar.

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EU regulatory milestones timeline in 2021

We have put together a one page timeline to help you anticipate and keep track of the evolution of draft EU laws and of milestones in the lifecycle of EU acts.

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Artificial intelligence and intellectual property

In this webinar, we provided an overview of the IP implications of AI, including IP protections for AI systems; IP protections for the outputs of AI; and potential liability for IP infringement arising from use of AI technologies.

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Linklaters Tech Insights

Explore our Linklaters Tech Insights page for the latest news, commentary and insights from our lawyers on all things tech.

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Tech Legal Outlook 2023

Our tech sector lawyers from around the world explore the key global trends in the technology sector that we believe will shape the legal outlook for businesses in 2023 and beyond.

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The Patent Litigation Law Review: France

Read our review of patent litigation law in France, authored by Pauline Debré and Jean-François Merdrignac.

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The Patent Litigation Law Review: Germany

Read our review of patent litigation law in Germany, authored by Julia Schönbohm, Bolko Ehlgen and Natalie Ackermann-Blome.

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