Daimler, Rover, Triumph, Jaguar, Alvis, Armstrong Siddeley, Hillman, Humber, Singer: the names that were once stamped on Coventry's factory gates were trade marks, and the arguments over who owned them, who could license them and what happened to them when a company changed hands have kept intellectual property lawyers busy for a century. The city still makes things, and the questions have simply moved on, to battery chemistry, electric drivetrains, vehicle software and the research coming out of the University of Warwick and Coventry University.
Intellectual property solicitors in Coventry deal with four main rights. Patents protect inventions, and the city's engineers, battery developers and the research centres at Ansty and on the Warwick campus generate plenty; the drafting is done by patent attorneys, while solicitors handle the licences, joint venture agreements and disputes that follow. Trade marks protect names and logos, from a revived car marque to a Foleshill restaurant or a Fargo Village maker. Design rights protect the shape and appearance of products, which matters to anyone making parts, furniture or packaging. Copyright covers software, drawings, photographs and the output of the games and digital studios in Coventry and nearby Leamington.
Much of the practical work is contractual: confidentiality agreements before a supplier sees a drawing, assignments that make sure a company owns what its contractors create, licences that turn university research into revenue. When rights are infringed, a letter before action usually settles it; when it does not, claims go to the Business and Property Courts in Birmingham or to the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court, whose capped costs and £500,000 limit on damages suit smaller businesses.
Trade mark and design filings are usually fixed-fee work; disputes and licensing negotiations are charged by the hour.
IP firms serving Coventry are listed below, verified firms first and the rest by distance from the city centre. Read what intellectual property law covers and our guide to IP solicitors, or see business law solicitors in Coventry and IP solicitors in Birmingham.
