Services

Our services are centred around intellectual property that can be registered. We protect innovation, design, and branding across all sectors of industry, and at all stages in the supply chain.

For each IP right we offer services covering strategic advice, pre-registration searches, registrations and renewals, oppositions and dispute resolution. We handle work throughout the world, working with local colleagues in over 100 countries.

Sectors

Our attorneys specialise in one or more sectors of industry, which enables them to provide quality advice with a commercial focus.

Our patent specialists have detailed understanding of the background technology, which ensures that your patent applications are prepared with the correct scope, reducing the likelihood of challenges from third parties and objections from the patent office.

They also advise whether other forms of protection would be more appropriate. Our brand specialists work with brand managers for leading brands and their advice is commercially focussed making sure that you get the best value from your budget.

Financial Services & Business Methods


We understand the differences in the requirements for patentability between regimes such as the US and the EPO and the UK.

The patent protection available for financial services and business methods varies enormously around the world. Some countries, such as the USA, have historically permitted business methods to be protected, subject to certain limitations, while others, typified by the European Patent Office (EPO) and China, take the view that this type of invention is inherently non-technical and cannot involve the inventive step required for patent protection. The position is slightly different in many countries.

Following a recent landmark decision of the US Supreme Court the landscape in that country has shifted markedly, prompting other countries to renew their own positions.


Our clients

Our clients include banks, broking houses, insurance companies and financial technology providers.

Our experience

We understand how financial services institutions develop new systems and the development stages they go through and we know how to interact with developers to ensure that patent applications include the crucial details, both technical and commercial. Our work has included seeking patent protection for broking platforms, trading systems, pricing algorithms, communications methods and user interfaces.

We understand the differences in the requirements for patentability between regimes such as the US and the EPO and the UK. This enables us to advise at an early stage before filing so that applications can be filed with a specification that maximises their chances of success. We see many applications being refused that could have been granted had they been drafted with the EPO or UK requirements in mind. We have developed great expertise in assessing what inventions can be protected in what countries and in formulating strategies for protection.

One of our clients, a UK based markets operator and provider of post trade risk services, operates an international network covering more than 32 countries. We advise the client on the protection of its global patent, trade mark and design portfolio including drafting, filing and prosecution, validity and freedom to operate opinions, taking into account the requirements of each patent office.

For our UK clients we have built up substantial experience in working with inventors to develop strategies for identifying and protecting inventions in this difficult and fast moving field. We are acknowledged as experts in the field and regularly give lectures and seminars on issues of interest.

Financial Services & Business Methods
1st Sep 2020
A Boost for Fintech Patents in the UK

A recent decision from the High Court gives a boost to those seeking to protect fintech inventions. In Lenovo v UK IPO Comptroller of Patents Mr Justice Birss shows that the UK can be pro patent for business-method and software, provided you know where to look… The invention in question is a payment method that […]

Financial Services & Business Methods
31st May 2019
UK IPO Excluded Subject matter & Hitachi: Saved by the bell.

In my article of 3rd April 2019, available here, I discussed how UK IPO Patent Hearing Officers appear to be prepared to take a more pragmatic approach to the question of excluded subject matter than might be considered to follow from the guidelines alone. This article looks at one of those decisions in more detail, […]

Financial Services & Business Methods
29th Jan 2019
EPO Patenting Blockchain Conference, 4 December 2018

The conference was the European Patent Office’s (EPO’s) first majoring in the area of blockchain; the conference was held with around 350 delegates at the EPO offices in The Hague and was also broadcast to the EPO’s Munich office for other Examiners to tune in. Much has been said in recent times about the coming […]

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Call +44 (0)20 7242 0901
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