October 2009

New "Director" Appointment

Ian Murgitroyd, Chairman of Murgitroyd & Company, is delighted to announce Craig Thomson's appointment as "Director, Patents" effective immediately. Craig, a UK and European Patent Attorney, is now based back in the practice's Glasgow Office after a long-term secondment in Ireland where he was involved with the management of Murgitroyd & Company's Dublin Office. Craig joined the practice from Fitzpatricks, the Glasgow-based Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys acquired by Murgitroyd & Company in 2006, and has a BSc in Physiology and Pharmacology and MSc in the Management of Intellectual Property.

September 2009

Murgitroyd shortlisted for Award

Murgitroyd & Company are pleased to note that it has been shortlisted in the category of Private Practice Patent Excellence / Litigation by the International WORLD Leaders IP Awards. The winner of the Award will be announced at an awards ceremony in London in December.

More information can be found here.

August 2009

The disadvantages of a Euro-PCT application with an International search report not drawn up by the EPO

When EPC 2000 entered into force in December 2007, a little noticed change to the rules on unity of invention in relation to Euro-PCT applications has resulted in a significant difference in the way the EPO considers unity in cases where the EPO has and has not acted as the International Search Authority (ISA).

Read the full briefing sheet here.

April 2009

EPO rule changes in April 2010 and how they affect you now

The EPO has introduced rule changes to speed up patent prosecution. More information can be found here.

The EPO has introduced rule changes to streamline the search process and to encourage applicants to bring the claims into a European form before the search is carried out. More information can be found here.

The EPO has introduced new rules setting time limits on the filing of European divisional patent applications within its “Raising the bar” project, which seeks to improve overall quality and enhance legal certainty while ensuring that legitimate rights and expectations are fully served. The effect is to force applicants to file divisional applications sooner. More information can be found here.

April 2009

Murgitroyd awarded a Managing Intellectual Property Global Award 2009

Murgitroyd & Company is pleased to announce that it has been recognised by Managing Intellectual Property (MIP) magazine as the Scottish Intellectual Property firm of the year.
The MIP awards are presented to firms in recognition of outstanding achievement in Intellectual Property in the past year.
The awards follow the publication of the magazine’s well-established Intellectual Property survey of leading patent and trade mark firms in February this year. According to MIP, the awards “recognize the leading firms from the major jurisdictions around the world and highlight those firms driving the Intellectual Property market at an international level”.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our clients and associates for their positive contributions to this year’s Managing Intellectual Property survey.

March 2009

CTM Fees

The Community Trade Marks Office is reducing the official fees for obtaining Community Trade Mark protection. More information can be found here.

January 2009

Acquisition of Raworth Moss & Cook ("Raworth")

Murgitroyd & Company is pleased to announce that it has completed the acquisition of Raworth on 16 January 2009. Raworth, another European Patent and Trade Mark Attorney practice, was based in Croydon, south London.

The practice, founded in 1894, was owned and managed by Partners Stephen Wise and Graham Feakins. All of Raworth's Patent and Trade Mark Staff have joined Murgitroyd & Company: three qualified Attorneys, and a part-qualified Attorney along with experienced support staff.

The acquisition of Raworth further enhances the scope of Murgitroyd's Patent and Trade Mark practices. Raworth Attorneys will practice under the Murgitroyd brand with immediate effect, providing services to clients as "Murgitroyd & Company, incorporating Raworth Moss & Cook".

The enlarged practice's London operation will be located in Murgitroyd's offices in Corinthian House. Ian Murgitroyd, Murgitroyd's Chairman, commented: "We are delighted to announce that Raworth has become part of Murgitroyd & Company. We believe that Raworth 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 Raworths' staff to Murgitroyd takes our total staff to almost 240 across twelve European offices."