Intellectual Property Disputes
“Gillian Huthart... supported our in-house legal team. Her commercial and practical advice was instrumental in helping to secure a recovery of over £2 million when our intellectual property rights were infringed by a UK competitor.”
Ronald Mcgiver, legal counsel, Amtec Plastic Mouldings (US)
Hurtharts: Gateshead's Best IP Dispute Lawyers
We approach intellectual property dispute cases with with a unique, business-focused strategy planned to your objectives; your commercial interests are our highest priority.
We are able to advise clients on the best strategic use of the procedural rules and practice to put our clients into the best possible tactical position in a dispute.
We appreciate that litigation may not always be the best strategy to deal with a dispute, and advise our clients from an early stage on the possible alternatives, such as mediation.
We understand the potential value of intellectual property to a business. We work hard to understand the challenges facing clients who are looking to protect and defend their rights and to secure commercially-viable, cost-effective outcomes that preserve the reputation and assets of a business.
We consider that our fee rates compare favourably with our regional and national competitors and, when appropriate, will act on a blended rate or fixed rate basis.
We can also offer clients in certain cases an insurance-backed and conditional fee-based dispute resolution service. Given our proven track record, we have delegated authority from one of the UK's largest legal costs insurers which allows us to directly place insurance for our clients providing cover of up to £2 million in respect of the exposure to an opponent's costs and clients' own legal costs.
Our service can help transfer the risk and costs associated with a dispute. With insurance, our clients retain control over litigation and can deal with disputes in the knowledge that their financial risk has been absolutely minimised. Insurance is not the answer for everyone and will only be availaible in certain circumstances.
Our experience includes advising and representing clients in IP disputes across a multitude of issues, including:
- Infringement of trade marks and/or passing off
- Misuse or theft of confidential information
- Infringement of copyright
- Infringement of database rights
- Infringement of registered and unregistered design rights
- Misuse or theft of know-how
- Infringement or challenges to patents
- Parallel importing
- Counterfeiting
- Domain name disputes