Intellectual Property

Making sure your intellectual property rights are protected and enforced wherever you do business.

We are experts in intellectual property law, with extensive experience helping businesses to protect their valuable intellectual property assets. Our clients range from established brands, with global IP portfolios, to smaller businesses that need to protect new innovations as they scale in the UK and internationally.   

We can advise on all aspects of intellectual property law including:

  • conducting UK, EU and international trade mark, designs and patents registration work,
  • providing IP rights clearance and portfolio management services,
  • drafting and negotiating IP contracts and licenses,
  • helping with IP orientated acquisitions and investment work; and
  • handling enforcement, including IP disputes and oppositions.

Our specialist team is a mix of experienced solicitors and chartered trade mark attorneys. We are recognised not just for being technically sound, but also for our comprehensive and realistic advice and for giving clear, risk-based options and recommendations. Our priority is to always to bring real value to your business. 

Our Intellectual Property experience includes:

  • Advising The Roald Dahl Story Company in connection with the exploitation and licensing to/merchandising by third parties of various copyright and other IP rights created by or relating to Roald Dahl. Includes drafting and negotiating various contracts. Also assisting the estate in preventing unlawful exploitation of those rights by taking enforcement action against infringers.
  • Acting for Shazam Productions Limited (the owner of IP rights relating to the scripts of the famous “Only Fools and Horses” TV comedy series) in a copyright infringement and passing off case against those involved in the “Only Fools (Cushty) Dining Experience”. First case to decide a fictional character is a separate copyright work.
  • Managing the worldwide and UK trade mark portfolios of many famous brands. This includes clearing, filing, prosecuting, registering, renewing, maintaining, opposing, invalidating, defending and enforcing numerous trade marks each year. Our clients include: Creed Fragrances, Aardman Animations,  BlackRock, The Roald Dahl Story Company, JW Anderson, Majestic Wine, The Brand Architekts and What3words. Anti-Counterfeiting – acting for Creed Fragrances in taking action against counterfeiters.
  • Successfully pursing various infringers of the shoe designs of a high fashion, Italian luxury ladies' footwear designer.
  • Acting for a famous French luxury fashion house in taking action against an infringer of its registered design for a handbag.
  • Advising a famous Spanish luxury fashion house on the clearance of its products against 3rd party IP rights.
"Ashfords has a good group of individuals with a variety of levels of experience to manage our workload and provide the most appropriate resource to the work."
Chambers 2024
"Ashfords LLP covers a wide range of IP issues for our clients, particularly on the enforcement side of the practice. They have a team approach so that nothing is left to the last minute with instructions."
Legal 500 2024
"Solid contentious and non-contentious understanding – across registrations/renewals and disputes."
Legal 500 2024

Get in touch

We are lawyers you can count on to deliver. If you’d like to find out more about our services and whether we can help you, click the button below and get in touch.

Our team will be responsive and accessible – a valued partner ready to assist you every step of the way.

Contact us
Alt Contact Image

Awards and accreditations

Legal 500 Top Tier 2024
Chambers Ranked In 2024
Managing IP Award 2023

Sign up for legal insights

We produce a range of insights and publications to help keep our clients up-to-date with legal and sector developments.  

Sign up