October 2008

London Office adds to its Patent Team

Murgitroyd & Company's London Office's continued development has been boosted by Michael Marchant's arrival from Mathys & Squire. Michael, a European and UK Patent Attorney, adds to the Patent team based in London and specialises in biotechnology, pharmaceutical and cosmetic chemistry, and medical devices. After graduating with a Honours degree in Natural Sciences, Michael completed the Certificate in Intellectual Property Law at Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London.

September 2008

Trade Marks in Milan

Murgitroyd & Company is delighted that Nicola Tarantini has joined its Milan Office, adding Italian Trade Mark expertise to that office's local Attorney pool. Nicola, a native of Milan, is a law graduate of the State University of Milan and is both an Italian and Community Trade Mark Attorney. He joins Murgitroyd & Company after nine years with Racheli & C. S.p.A. Married with four children, and fluent in English and Italian, Nicola joins the expanding Murgitroyd & Company operation in Milan; his recruitment reflecting both its and the practice as a whole's continued growth and development.

August 2008

Exam Success

Murgitroyd & Company is delighted that a number of its professional staff have successfully passed the qualifying examinations to become European Patent Attorneys. The successful candidates in the EQE Patent examinations are Ann-Marie Carr, Louise Pye, Fabien Richaud and Stephen Walker. Louise's results also mean that she has become qualified in the UK. Of course, and as ever, congratulations are due to all candidates who enjoyed success in the 2008 EQE examinations, not just those who will qualify as a result of their passes.

April 2008

Murgitroyd & Co Sponsors Twenty20 Cricket

March 2008

Exam Success

Murgitroyd & Company is delighted that a number of its professional staff have successfully passed the qualifying examinations to become British (and insome cases Irish too) Patent or Trade Mark Attorneys. The successful candidates in the JEB Patent examinations are Ann-Marie Carr, Suzanne Doherty, Margaret Hartnett and Stephen Walker, whilst successful in the Trade Mark examinations were Triona Desmond and Puravee Shah. Ann-Marie's and Margaret's results also result in them having achieved the necessary examination successes to become qualified Patent Attorneys in Ireland. Of course, congratulations are due to all candidates who enjoyed success in the 2007 JEB examinations, not just those who will qualify as a result of their passes. The combined outcome brings the total number of qualified Attorneys in the practice to 65.

February 2008

Notice Regarding OHIM (CTM) Search Reports

You may be aware that in the past, the Community Trade Marks Office (OHIM) produced a set of search reports from various national registries in the EU (unfortunately not including France, Germany or Italy), giving an indication of which earlier marks might be similar to the mark covered by the Community Trade Mark (CTM) application.
OHIM has now changed its practice and as from 10 March 2008, it will no longer produce the national reports unless these are specifically requested and an additional fee paid. In this regard, an additional official fee of £160 will be payable. The briefing sheet can be read here.

February 2008

Acquisition of Kennedys

Murgitroyd & Company is pleased to announce that it has completed the acquisition of Kennedys on 22 February 2008. Kennedys, another European Patent and Trade Mark Attorney practice, was also headquartered in Glasgow, with additional offices in both Aberdeen and Newcastle. The practice, founded in 1997, was owned and managed by David Kennedy and Neil McKechnie. With the exception of David and Neil, all of Kennedys' Patent and Trade Mark Staff have joined Murgitroyd & Company: six qualified Attorneys, eight part-qualified Attorneys and five experienced support staff. The acquisition of Kennedys further enhances the scope of Murgitroyd's Patent and Trade Mark practices. Kennedys Attorneys will practice under the Murgitroyd brand with immediate effect, providing services to clients as "Murgitroyd & Company, incorporating Kennedys". The enlarged practice's Glasgow operations will all be located in Murgitroyd's offices in Scotland Street, Kennedys' Aberdeen operations have transferred to Murgitroyd's Aberdeen Office, whilst Kennedys' Newcastle Office will become the practice's twelfth European office location. Ian Murgitroyd, Murgitroyd's Chairman, commented: "We are delighted to announce that Kennedys has become part of Murgitroyd & Company. We believe that Kennedys represents an excellent fit and the coming together of the two practices will add strength and depth to the practice's service offerings. The provision of a level of service which exceeds expectations remains the cornerstone of the enlarged practice and the economies of scale will provide benefits to our clients. Welcoming Kennedys' staff to Murgitroyd takes our total staff to over 220 across twelve European offices." David Kennedy, Managing Director of Kennedys Patent Agency Limited, said: "The Board and shareholders of Kennedys accepted the offer from Murgitroyd because they believe it delivers immediate benefits to both staff and clients and I anticipate benefits and opportunities accruing to both from being part of a bigger group."

February 2008

London Agreement Update - 2008

Translation costs for European Patents to fall. The briefing sheet can be read here.

January 2008

EPO Fee Changes

Among other fee adjustments, the EPO is making significant changes to the fees it charges for “extra claims”, and introducing a new front end fee for “extra pages” and a single, flat rate designation fee. The briefing sheet can be read here.

January 2008

New "Directors" Appointments

Murgitroyd & Company is delighted to announce the appointments of two new "Director, Patents" as of 1 of January 2008. The two new "Directors" are Rosi Armstrong, based principally in the practice's Belfast Office, and Wendy Henderson, who works out of Aberdeen. Rosi joined Murgitroyd & Company in 2005 when she relocated back "home" to Northern Ireland, and has both previous private practice experience with another UK practice and inhouse experience from time in Marconi Communication's IP Department. In addition to her senior Attorney role in Belfast, Rosi is also involved with the management of Murgitroyd & Company's Dublin Office. Wendy, too, has previous private practice experience, having joined from Fitzpatricks, the Glasgow-based Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys subsequently acquired by Murgitroyd & Company in 2006. After spending time in Glasgow, Wendy transferred to Aberdeen in 2007 where she carries on a senior Attorney role in that expanding office.