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IT and telecoms

Arthur Cox is especially highly regarded for telecoms, with expertise including regulatory and procurement advice for public sector and large corporate clients. It advised the Department for Social Development on a £60m-plus medical services procurement project; and is local counsel for Western Education and Library Board’s £250m-plus C2K IT project. Other clients include Hibernia Atlantic Cable Systems, Hutchison 3G, Virgin Media and Vodafone Ireland. Peter Curran is ‘excellent for procurement’, and Alan Taylor is also 
recommended.

Cleaver Fulton Rankin is a go-to IT firm for Invest NI, and is advising Hibernia Atlantic UK on several matters including the laying of a fibre-optic cable. It advised Hewlett-Packard on IT transactions, and Arqiva and O2 on mobile mast installations. Team head Scott Kennedy and Jennifer Ebbage are recommended, and the group as a whole is ‘very good – responsive, insightful and with good industry knowledge’.

McGrigors Belfast LLP provides ‘timely, detailed, practical and “on-market” advice’. It advised online cycle retailer Chain Reaction Cycles Ltd on service provider agreements; represented the buyers on the SpeechStorm MBO; and advised QUBIS Ltd regarding LamhRoe Ltd, which was incorporated to commercialise cutting-edge sensor research. It also advises on outsourcing matters. Paul McBride’s ‘strength is his experience, understanding of what needs doing, and his no-nonsense approach’; and associate Thomas Dickson provides ‘excellent, pragmatic advice’.

Tughans’ ‘particularly excellent’ team represents technology start-ups and young companies. Highlights included advising SISAF Ltd on developing and commercially exploiting drug delivery technology, and representing APT Licensing on licensing proprietary audio compression technology. IT and IP specialist Adrian O’Connell heads the team, and is ‘excellent – his legal advice is tempered by good business sense’.

A&L Goodbody Northern Ireland advises funds on investing in technology companies. It also acted for UTV Media plc on its investment in PropertyPal.com, and Sembarc on commercialising engineering solutions for telecom electronics. Brendan Fox and Mark Thompson are recommended; and associate Ivan Waide is an IT specialist.

Kevin McVeigh’s team at Elliott Duffy Garrett advises on issues including technology, e-commerce and data protection.

Mills Selig advises a number of technology companies. Richard Fulton is ‘a very sensible transactions lawyer’.

Wilson Nesbitt advises businesses on internet and IT contracts, and data protection.

Intellectual property

A&L Goodbody Northern Ireland handles IP disputes and non-contentious matters. Brendan Fox represented Siemens in bringing a rare patent infringement claim in Northern Ireland; and acted for a consumer products manufacturer in an unauthorised parallel imports case. Its IP protection and enforcement work included pursuing a passing off action against a client’s rival, and advising a foodstuff producer on trade mark infringement. Mark Thompson leads on non-contentious 
matters.

Carson McDowell’s IP team is ‘very good and very responsible, and gives quick and excellent advice’. It is advising University of Ulster on licensing matters; defended Seagate Technologies against a High Court patent infringement claim brought by Siemens; and represented Goodyear Dunlop in bringing a trade mark infringement claim. Declan Magee, who leads on contentious matters, is ‘very commercially astute, and gives good advice which is legally accurate and practical’. Dawn McKnight heads the non-contentious side, and is ‘incredibly efficient and intelligent’; she ‘has an in-depth knowledge of the law, and is a great negotiator’.

McGrigors Belfast LLP advises on IP licensing 
and management, including trade mark registrations, 
and IP disputes. It advises John Graham Holdings on its trade mark portfolio, and acted for Brunch Box in resolving disputed ownership of a trade mark. Paul McBride is experienced and ‘no nonsense’; and David Kirkpatrick and associate Thomas Dickson are also recommended.

Tughans advises venture capital investors and technology companies on exploiting and defending their IP rights. ‘Excellent’ IT and IP expert Adrian O’Connell advised Sliderobes Group on its trade mark portfolio; and Consilium Technologies, Crescent Capital, and SOPHIA Search on IP issues.

Alan Taylor is the key figure in Arthur Cox’s IP team, which advises on commercial agreements, including licensing, and IP protection. Clients include B Secur, Dunbia and Kingspan. Anne Gilroy moved in-house to Tayto.

Cleaver Fulton Rankin advises on IP licensing and other commercial agreements, and also acts for clients in media matters such as defamation defence. Clients include Caterwaste Services and Northern Ireland Science Park. Practice head Scott Kennedy is recommended, and has ‘good customer-facing skills’.

Elliott Duffy Garrett’s Kevin McVeigh and Michael Wilson advise companies on IP matters.

Paul Spring at Mills Selig advises on IP disputes and has a significant defamation defence and media rights practice.

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