National and international intellectual property services
Marks & Clerk is a leading UK intellectual property (IP) firm with a global reach, supporting innovators, businesses and research organisations across every stage of the IP lifecycle. Established in 1887 in Birmingham, we have grown to become one of the leading UK IP firms, with offices located in eight of the country’s most innovative cities. From these hubs, we advise clients across the UK and internationally, working closely with our global network of Marks & Clerk offices and trusted partner firms worldwide.
A heritage built on innovation
The firm was founded in the UK by renowned engineer, George Croydon Marks. A colleague of Thomas Edison, he also became a director of record companies, Columbia and EMI. After serving as an MP, he later entered the House of Lords.
Within a year of the firm’s foundation, Dugald Clerk had joined the partnership. Clerk was the inventor of the two-stroke gas engine, a Fellow of the Royal Society and a frequent expert witness in patent litigation. He was later made a Knight of the Realm in recognition of his services to science and technology.
Technical and legal expertise
It’s the powerful combination of technical and legal excellence that continues to characterise the firm today. With patent attorneys, trade mark attorneys and commercial lawyers and IP litigators we can work with you at every stage of the IP process, from securing an initial trade mark or patent, to taking a product into new global markets and taking infringers to the courts. We work across many sectors, and have people with deep technical understanding in areas such as medical technologies, life sciences, AI and more.