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Structured due diligence tailored to your needs

Deep expertise across a wide range of technologies and industries

Due diligence of intellectual property relevant to a product or service can be helpful in a variety of circumstances. For example, when you are facing a dispute, investigating your freedom to operate, licensing-in technology, or buying, selling or investing in a company.

We can undertake comprehensive due diligence on the relevant IP portfolio and/or prior art, tailoring our service to your needs and budget. Our advice will identify, assess and weigh the risks and provide you with the clarity you need to make a decision with confidence in dealing with the intellectual property in question.

Specialists

for the result you need

Photo: Kirsten Gilbert

Kirsten Gilbert

Partner and Head of Brand Exploitation, Protection and TM Litigation UK Solicitor (UK)
Kirsten is a Partner and Head of Brand Exploitation, Protection and TM Litigation UK at Marks & Clerk Law. Kirsten advises in a broad range of sectors including food & drink, financial services, pharmaceuticals, fashion and creative industries.

Catherine Lovrics

Partner, Head of Trademarks and Copyright (Canada) Canadian Trademark Agent, Barrister and Solicitor
Catherine (Cat) Lovrics is a Partner at Marks & Clerk Canada, where she is Head of the firm's Trademark and Copyright Groups
Photo: Xuefang Huang

Xuefang Huang

Partner PRC Lawyer, New York Attorney
Xuefang serves as Partner, Head of the Trade Mark team and Legal Representative at Marks & Clerk Beijing. With over 20 years' experience advising clients on all aspects of Chinese IP law, her practice spans the full spectrum of trade mark and copyright law.

Kevin Shipley

Partner | Head of Mechanical & Industrial Processes (Canada) | Barrister and Solicitor | Canadian Patent Agent
Kevin Shipley is an engineer, patent agent, lawyer, trusted advisor and (self-professed) all-around good guy.
Photo of Paul Horbal

Paul Horbal

Partner | Barrister and Solicitor | Canadian Patent Agent Canadian Patent Agent, Barrister and Solicitor
Paul is a lawyer, registered Canadian Patent Agent, and registered U.S. Patent Agent in the Toronto office of Marks & Clerk Canada. His practice focuses on patent, industrial design and licensing matters.

Legal and technical expertise

A thorough understanding of an IP portfolio, whether it comprises patents, trade marks, designs, copyrights and/or confidential information, can require both legal and technical expertise. At Marks & Clerk, we have a large team of patent attorneys, trade mark attorneys and specialist intellectual property focused lawyers that considers intellectual property in the round, from protection, to commercialisation and to enforcement. Our team of lawyers and attorneys have deep expertise across a wide range of technologies and industries. This depth of expertise across the full spectrum of intellectual property enables us to put together a team best suited for your due diligence project.

We work alongside corporate law firms, in-house legal teams, accountants, investment banks, private equity houses and venture capitalists.

Structured approach

We take a coherent and structured approach to searches, reports and opinions, systematically identifying and tracking any issues.

Our analytical patent landscaping tools:

  • evaluate a company's potential
  • assess the strength of its IP portfolio
  • benchmark it against major competitors’ portfolios
  • identify threats that could undermine a company's value.

Bespoke service

We tailor our work to your needs. For example, in the case of a sale or acquisition, we carry out due diligence for everything from small investments to multi-million pound deals. Our approach is tailored to:

  • the size and nature of the sale/acquisition
  • your needs and expectations
  • your approach to risk
  • time constraints.

As a seller, our due diligence advice puts you in a position to maximise the value of your IP portfolio. As a buyer or investor, we will identify the strengths and weaknesses in the intellectual property portfolio.

Services

Our due diligence service has a wide range of applications, and includes:

  • investigating and reporting on intellectual property portfolios, ownership, infringement and validity of rights
  • investigating potential disputes involving intellectual property, e.g. between co-owners or as part of a licensing arrangement or other IP transaction
  • reports required for stock exchange listings
  • patent clearances and freedom to operate opinions
  • advising on the wording of warranties and disclosures
  • trade mark searches and reports on brand strength
  • assessing onerous clauses and potential exposure in commercial contracts
  • valuation of IP assets.

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