Patents

A European patent is granted by the European Patent Office (EPO) through a single application and examination procedure. Once granted, it can take effect either as a Unitary Patent across the participating states or be validated as separate national patents in the countries you choose. We coordinate the whole process — strategy, prosecution and validation — working with qualified European patent attorneys.

Since June 2023 a granted European patent can be registered for unitary effect, giving uniform protection across the participating EU member states with a single renewal, instead of validating country by country. The Unified Patent Court is the specialised court with jurisdiction over Unitary Patents and, in principle, classic European patents that have not been opted out. We coordinate both the unitary election and representation before the UPC.

There is no single worldwide patent. The Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), administered by WIPO, lets you file one international application that preserves your rights in its member states and buys time — generally around 30 months from priority — before you must enter the national or regional phases where patents are actually granted. We plan the route and manage entry into each phase.

A patent generally lasts twenty years from the filing date, provided annual maintenance (renewal) fees are paid. It is not renewable beyond that term, although certain pharmaceutical and plant-protection products may obtain a supplementary protection certificate extending protection for a limited period. We track maintenance deadlines across your portfolio.

We act as the central legal counsel for your patent strategy, transactions and disputes. The technical drafting of the specification is carried out by qualified patent attorneys within our network, under our coordination and unified counsel, so the legal strategy and the technical drafting stay aligned under a single point of contact.

A freedom-to-operate opinion assesses whether you can make, use or sell a product in a given market without infringing patents held by others. It is distinct from patentability: a product can be new enough to patent and still infringe someone else’s rights. We provide FTO opinions and infringement risk assessments before launch or investment.

A patent gives the strongest protection but requires disclosure and examination; a utility model (available in some countries) is faster and cheaper but generally weaker and shorter; a trade secret avoids disclosure entirely but offers no protection against independent development or reverse engineering. The right choice depends on the technology, the market and the timing of disclosure, which is exactly what patent strategy decides.

Yes. We coordinate prosecution before the EPO, the UPC, OEPM and the PCT, and national patent offices across Latin America and Africa through correspondent counsel, working with qualified European and local patent attorneys. You keep a single point of contact for the whole Europe–Latin America–Africa corridor.