Marks & Clerk

Innovators look at new ways to solve technical problems and often identify synergies between diverse technologies. Whether it is the combination of electrical and chemical technologies within fuel cells and batteries, or the complex blend of biotechnology and computer science expertise to produce bioinformatic solutions, we are seeing increasing co... nvergence in technology. In the same way as product development teams need team members from different disciplines, it is important to have one team of IP experts with in-depth experience of all necessary disciplines to maximise protection of cross-technology inventions. When a company expands into a new sector, its in-house IP team can find itself having to grapple with unfamiliar science. Having a team of external IP advisors that already has experts in the right areas smooths this transition. In our experience, this cross-discipline experience is also crucial for identifying further, new aspects of the combined technologies for protection. For example, while a new tool might have an innovative electronic configuration, it could be that the real ingenuity lies in its material structure. This may be hard to identify without both electronics and materials IP specialists. At Marks & Clerk, we have patent professionals covering all sectors, working together in one team. Our expertise is wide-ranging but deep-seated. With a network of experts across such a diverse range of technologies, our clients enjoy unique insight into cross-technology IP protection.Read More