Swindell & Pearson Ltd > Wolverhampton, England > Firm Profile

Swindell & Pearson Ltd
TECHNOLOGY CENTRE, WOLVERHAMPTON SCIENCE PARK
GLAISHER DRIVE
WOLVERHAMPTON
WV10 9RU
England

TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > PATMA: Patent attorneys Tier 3

The patent attorney team at Swindell & Pearson Ltd has a strong focus on the technology sector, and is well-versed in drafting and prosecution matters for clients in the electronics and engineering sectors, especially companies from the automotive and mechanics industries, as well as medical engineering. Satellite technology is also an area of expertise for the group, covering, for example the patentability of radio transceiver architecture and antenna arrays. The ‘excellent’ Derby-based team head Paul Higgin has significant experience in patent drafting, in addition to contentious proceedings regarding UK and multinational patent licensing, and he is supported by IP director Scott Harrison, who is skilled in technology and engineering mandates.

Practice head(s):

Paul Higgin

Other key lawyers:

Scott Harrison; Christine Anglesea; Martin Terry; Tim Gilbert

Testimonials

‘The main quality that stands out is their capability to understand client needs. Their pro-activity to raise and overcome issues that arise along the way is a stand-out point as well.’

‘Swindell is instrumental in advancing clients’ interests in Europe. They couple excellent legal skills with practical advice and wonderful client counselling.’ 

‘These patent attorneys are incredibly astute in understanding concepts and ideas and advising how to best protect them.’

‘Swindell is well positioned to provide support for US patent law firms with their extensive knowledge of UK and European patent laws and practices, as well as their ability to provide comprehensive answers to questions regarding specific points of UK and European patent laws and regulations.’

‘Paul Higgin is excellent in all aspects of the work he undertakes. His scientific understanding of technology is particularly valuable, and he provides additional commercial insight.’

‘Paul Higgin is very committed and takes extra steps in application drafting to solve issues with inventors.’

‘Scott Harrison provides suggestions and strategies to help with the challenges clients often face. He is a great help in answering questions and providing directed guidance for specific clients.’

‘Tim Gilbert has in-depth knowledge and many years of experience in patent law and design law in particular. He makes complicated issues easier to understand using language in plain English.’

Key clients

Nokia Technologies

Accenture

Valve Corporation

T-Mobile USA

ViaSat

Cruise

Prana Thoracic

Nokia Bell Labs

Work highlights

  • Advising NOKIA on numerous high-value and technically complex cases granted at the EPO.
  • Assisted NOKIA with urgent patent applications drafted for complex inventions.
  • Assisting Accenture with the filing and prosecution of patent applications in Europe.

TMT (technology, media and telecoms) > PATMA: Trade mark attorneys Tier 4

The IP team at Swindell & Pearson Ltd is notable in high-value contentious matters and strategic mandates, in addition to filings and opposition proceedings before the UKIPO. The group also assists local, national, and international clients with their trade mark portfolio management, and it has expertise across a broad range of sectors, with a particular emphasis on the clothing and nutraceutical industries. Derby-based senior director Nick Womsley heads up the practice, and the team is also home to Kieron Taylor, who is increasingly instructed to handle enforcement and infringement matters.

Practice head(s):

Nick Womsley

Other key lawyers:

Testimonials

‘Swindell & Pearson has some of the foremost intellectual property specialists in the UK. They always offer the client strategic advice.’

‘The team is personable, transparent, and honest. They are very knowledge and provide good advice.’

‘Kieron Taylor is experienced, and his advice is always welcome; he can solve clients’ problem efficiently.’

‘The attorneys are knowledgeable and easy to work with. Kieron Taylor and Nick Womsley provide an excellent service.’

Key clients

Slimming World

VKR Holding

The Mentholatum Company

Work highlights

  • Advised Slimming World on their global trade mark portfolio management and their global brand strategy.
  • Advised a food producer on its trade mark portfolio and handling oppositions to its growing trade mark rights

We are experts in securing and enforcing intellectual property rights across the world, in the form of patents, trade marks and designs. We have served our clients’ intellectual property needs for over 140 years. Local, national and multinational companies trust our attorneys with their patent, design and trade mark portfolios.

We aim to build long-term, enduring relationships with our clients
We have long-term relationships with many of clients. Some of these client relationships have been built over decades. This is because we care about helping our clients develop and grow their businesses. We believe this is demonstrated in the services that we provide and the trust that has been built up with our clients over the years.

We care about our clients
We go beyond the transactional, learning about what our clients’ plans are for the future and how we can support them in achieving their goals. Sometimes our clients contact us with knowledge of exactly which intellectual
property services they need. Other times, they know where they want their businesses to be, but they need our practical knowledge of the intellectual property landscape to identify how intellectual property can help them to get there. We know that this can only be done with a thorough understanding of a client’s business.

We are dedicated specialists in technical and legal matters
Our attorneys have obtained degrees in a wide variety of science and engineering subjects from some of the world’s leading universities. It’s not unusual to encounter an attorney that has a higher degree or PhD.

As a community of experts, we work hard to remain on the cutting edge of technical and legal matters so that we can best serve our clients. We organise monthly internal seminars to share best practice. We travel the globe to speak at international conferences and learn from others.

The firm: Swindell & Pearson offers intellectual property services comparable to the very best firms in Europe. Its quality control is exceptional whilst its Midlands based location allows it to deliver genuine value for money for the benefit of clients. As a mid-sized firm, Swindell & Pearson is able to provide a flexible and accommodating approach for the benefit of clients.

The firm is commercially minded, attentive and responsive. Clients always know who has done a piece of work and they are able to speak to that person directly. The firm doesn’t have unnecessary partner layers between clients and its attorneys.

Attorneys like to get to know their clients and adapt to their needs. Every client is important to the firm and attorneys are committed to developing long-lasting, trust driven relationships that deliver genuine value for both sides. It’s why so many of its multinational clients trust and rate the firm so highly.

“Provides excellent, professional, and timely service”.

“Brings sanity and a path forward to a sometimes chaotic and constantly changing landscape”.

“Very professional and dedicated team always thinks outside of the box and comes up with different options to solve any issue”.

Just some of the ways in which clients have recently commended the firm which reflect its focus on providing exceptional client care.

Swindell & Pearson boasts one of the UK’s top advanced technology patent teams and is proud that multinational companies seek out the firm to represent them in their valuable patent matters.

The firm’s trade mark team is praised by clients as “Packed with experience, it knows what client care is all about and what it takes to create and drive IP value”. Alongside providing a full range of trade mark services in the UK, Europe and worldwide, the firm also represents clients in the High Court and the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (IPEC) on the most intricate and complex of trade mark disputes.

Several of the firm’s attorneys bring experience of working in-house whilst recently attorneys have been posted on secondment at clients’ offices. This informs the firm’s commercially focused approach to intellectual property and ensures attorneys truly understand their clients’ requirements.

The firm has significant strength in depth in the semiconductors, nanotechnology, telecommunications, automotive and software fields. Several attorneys have also recently developed technical knowledge within the fields of machine learning and artificial intelligence and are already working with their clients to protect valuable inventions within these areas.

Types of work undertaken: Swindell & Pearson’s patent practice provides exceptional patent drafting, filing, prosecution and case management services. With considerable knowledge and experience of drafting patents before the European Patent Office (EPO), attorneys are not only able to draft high quality patent applications and prosecute them successfully to grant with advantageous claim scopes but also have experience in using EPO oppositions to its client’s advantage.

Expertise includes drafting applications suitable for UK, European and international patent prosecution, managing international patent portfolios, advising on patent infringement and third-party conflicts, contentious proceedings including infringement and revocation proceedings, opposition and appeal proceedings before the EPO, patent auditing, patent assignments, licensing and due diligence.

The firm regularly drafts valuable patent applications for prosecution across the world as well as responding to office actions. Attorneys are familiar with the different requirements of many jurisdictions and are therefore able to draft and prosecute applications to the best effect in multiple regions. Swindell & Pearson handles many large, complex families of applications and attorneys are particularly experienced in providing strategic advice to help clients obtain the strongest protection that is most appropriate for them.

Swindell & Pearson’s trade mark practice has a very strong reputation for assisting clients in relation to their trade mark requirements throughout the world. Expertise includes advising on trade mark infringement and third party conflicts, filing and registration of trade mark applications in the UK, Europe and worldwide, managing large international trade mark portfolios, trade mark clearance searches, oppositions, revocation and invalidation proceedings, advising on the effective use and exploitation of trade marks, watching services, advice in relation to trade marks on the internet, advice on counterfeit products, assignments and licensing.

The firm also provides additional services for designs and industrial copyright.

Department Name Email Telephone
Patents Paul Higgin paul.higgin@patents.co.uk +44 1332 367 051
Trade Marks Nick Womsley nick.womsley@patents.co.uk +44 1332 367 051
CIPA
ITMA
Association of European Trade Mark Owners (MARQUES)
International Trade Mark Association (INTA)
American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA)
Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO)

CLIENT: Anthony Ashbrook
COMPANY/FIRM: Mobile Acuity
TESTIMONIAL: Patent protection has been critical to growing the value of our business as we are operating in the same space as large multinationals. Being first to market is not enough in itself when faced with significantly better-resourced competition. Paul Higgin’s advice throughout the lifetime of the company has been invaluable.


CLIENT: Chris Ison
COMPANY/FIRM: Codemakers
TESTIMONIAL: Swindell & Pearson have helped us secure both the Codemakers and Shipmate brands, guiding us through the often complicated world of trade mark protection. They clearly explained to us the options for protecting our brands, both nationally and internationally, and kept us informed at all stages of the process. We take the protection of our IP extremely seriously and Swindell & Pearson gave us peace of mind, knowing that our brands are protected now and into the future.


As part of its commitment to diversity, Swindell & Pearson Ltd is a member of IP Inclusive which is an organisation that promotes diversity throughout the UK’s intellectual property (IP) professions. Swindell & Pearson Ltd is also a charter signatory of IP Inclusive’s Charter for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. By signing up to the charter, Swindell and Pearson Ltd has made a public endorsement of diversity within the UK’s IP professions. As part of its diversity initiatives, Swindell & Pearson Ltd also provides diversity and inclusivity training to all new staff members.

Martin Terry, a director at Swindell & Pearson Ltd and the firm’s diversity lead, is a member of IP Inclusive’s Senior Leaders’ Diversity Think Tank which brings together senior leaders from the private sector patent and trade mark professions to identify practical steps for making the IP sector more diverse and inclusive.  Martin is also a founding signatory of IP Inclusive’s Senior Leaders’ Pledge for effecting positive change with regards to diversity and inclusivity.