Intellectual Property Lawyers

Our Intellectual Property team helps businesses protect, manage and commercialise the ideas, brands, content, designs and technology that give them a competitive advantage.

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Intellectual Property (IP) often sits at the core of a successful business. It can include your trading name and logo to product designs, website content, software, databases, customer materials, technical know-how, manufacturing process and the way your goods and services are presented to the market. If these assets are not properly protected, documented or enforced, their value can be eroded, and competitors may gain an unfair advantage.

We provide practical, commercially focussed IP advice to businesses and organisations of all sizes across both the private and public sectors. Our clients include entrepreneurs, owner-managed businesses, SMEs, scale-ups and established organisations.

Whether you are launching a new product, developing or protecting a brand, entering into commercial arrangements, responding to potential infringement, or preparing your business for investment or sale, we will help you understand your rights and take the right steps to protect your position.

Harrison Drury is recognised in independent legal directories including Chambers and Partners (UK) and The Legal 500 (UK), with both the firm and individual lawyers recommended. The firm also holds Lexcel, the Law Society’s practice management standard, reflecting our wider commitment to quality, consistency and client care. This gives you added reassurance that your intellectual property matters will be handled with clear advice, careful oversight and a practical focus on protecting what your business has created.

Our approach is pragmatic and solutions driven. We work closely with our commercial, corporate, employment and regulatory teams to provide joined up, advice that reflects both the legal and practical realities of managing intellectual property.

We can help with:

At Harrison Drury, we help businesses with intellectual property protection that supports their brand, products and wider commercial activity. Our team can assist with:

Trademark clearance searches and applications
Brand protection and enforcement
Copyright and design rights
Passing off and protection against unfair copying
Confidential information, know-how and non-disclosure agreements
IP ownership, assignments and licensing arrangements
Software, technology and development agreements
Commercial arrangements involving IP, including agency, marketing, manufacturing, distribution and franchise arrangements
IP audits, portfolio reviews and strategic management
IP due diligence for investment, acquisitions and business sales
IP disputes and enforcement

If your business needs support with any of these intellectual property matters, speak to our team. We will take the time to understand what you need to protect and help you decide on the right next step. Call us or complete the form below and we will arrange an initial conversation.

How we work with your business

The right intellectual property advice starts with understanding your business. We take the time to explore what you have created, how it supports your commercial plans and where protection may be most valuable.

From there, we will explain the options available and help you decide what to prioritise. That may mean protecting a new brand, clarifying ownership, strengthening an agreement or addressing a potential infringement. Our advice will stay focused on the practical outcome you want to achieve, with clear next steps and steady progress throughout.

You will have a main point of contact who takes responsibility for your matter and keeps you updated. Where wider input is needed, we bring in colleagues from areas such as corporate, commercial, employment or regulatory, giving you a joined-up approach without the need to coordinate several advisers.

We can support businesses at every stage of growth, from owner-managed companies protecting new ideas to established organisations managing larger portfolios or more complex projects. In each case, we aim to work as an extension of your team, providing advice that is commercially grounded and easy to act on.

Pricing and control

We will discuss the scope and likely cost of the work with you at the outset, so you understand what is involved before decisions are made. Where the work can be clearly defined, fixed fees may be available.

Some matters can change as they progress, particularly where there are objections, negotiations or disputes. If that happens, we will explain the impact on scope and cost as early as possible and agree the next step with you. We will also highlight any relevant third-party charges, such as official filing or registration fees.

Our aim is to give you clarity from the start and keep you informed throughout, so you can make decisions with choice, flexibility, control and transparency.

Our Intellectual Property Services

A strong brand can become one of the most valuable assets in a business. Trademark protection helps you control how your name, logo or other brand elements are used, and puts you in a stronger position if another business adopts something similar.

We advise on trademark strategy, clearance, registration and enforcement, and provide practical guidance on managing brand risk when launching, rebranding or expanding.

Read more about our Trade Marks & Brand Protection

Copyright and design rights can protect a wide range of business assets, including content, software, designs, packaging and marketing materials. Understanding ownership and use is key to protecting their value.

We advise on ownership, licensing, infringement and enforcement, helping ensure your rights are properly documented and aligned with your commercial arrangements.

Read more about Copyright & Design Rights

Not all valuable business information is registrable. Customer data, pricing models, product specifications and technical know-how can be critical to your competitive position.

We advise on protecting and managing confidential information, including NDAs and contractual protections, and can support you where information has been misused or trade secrets are at risk.

Read more about Confidential Information & Trade Secrets

Clear ownership and well-structured agreements are essential to protecting and exploiting intellectual property.

We advise on assignments, licensing, development and commercial agreements, and support businesses in commercialising IP through licensing, distribution, franchise and other arrangements.

If issues arise, early and commercially focused advice is key.

We support clients with pursuing and defending intellectual property infringement claims in relation to all IP rights. This includes disputes relating to trademarks, passing off, design rights, copyright, and patents, as well as disputes involving confidential information, domain names, company names, and opposition proceedings , helping to resolve matters cost effectively and efficiently while protecting your position.

As businesses grow, their legal protection does not always keep pace.

We help clients identify risks through IP audits and portfolio reviews and put the right protections in place, including trademark strategies, contractual frameworks and due diligence support for investment, acquisition or sale.

Why Choose Harrison Drury

Intellectual property often sits at the centre of a business’s value, reputation and plans for growth. We look beyond the immediate legal question to understand how your rights support the wider commercial picture, so our advice is practical and focused on what you want to achieve.

Our intellectual property team brings substantial experience in complex IP disputes, including conducting disputes through all levels of the courts, from the High Court through to the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. That depth of specialist expertise enables us to handle sophisticated and high value disputes, while taking a pragmatic and commercially focused approach to strategy, risk and legal spend, ensuring that our approach remains proportionate to what is at stake for your business.

You will have a clear point of contact who keeps you updated and takes responsibility for progress. We build long-term relationships with our clients and aim to work as an extension of your team, giving you accessible support whenever new opportunities or risks arise.

Intellectual property matters can also overlap with commercial contracts, corporate transactions, employment arrangements and disputes. Our joined-up approach means we can bring the right specialists together around your business, helping you avoid fragmented advice and move forward with greater clarity.

We will explain your options, likely risks and costs from the outset wherever possible. Whether you need help protecting a new idea, strengthening an agreement or resolving a dispute, you will receive clear, actionable advice that helps you stay in control.

Harrison Drury is recognised in independent legal directories including Chambers and Partners (UK) and The Legal 500 (UK), and the firm holds Lexcel, the Law Society’s practice management standard. This wider recognition reflects our commitment to consistent service, strong client care and well-managed legal support.

What clients say:

“She is excellent; extremely professional and provides top client service. She understands complicated issues with extreme sophistication, and is aware of our commercial needs”

“She provides good insights and has the experience to find a commercial outcome.”

“Extremely capable and attuned to our needs as a client.”

“Personable, knowledgeable and gives timely responses.”

“Asima provides excellent advice”

“Asima is very responsive, focused and good to deal with”

Asima Rana is ranked in Band 2 Chambers UK for her work in intellectual property litigation and complex disputes, and as a Next Generation Partner in Legal 500.

Talk to our Intellectual Property Lawyers

Whether you are protecting a new brand, reviewing ownership arrangements, commercialising intellectual property or dealing with a dispute, our intellectual property lawyers can help you understand your position and decide what to do next.

You will have trusted legal experts who take the time to understand your business, explain your options clearly and bring in colleagues from across the firm where wider support is needed. We make it possible to protect what you have created and move forward with greater clarity and control.

Known throughout the North, with offices in Lancashire, Cumbria and Staffordshire, including Preston, Clitheroe, Garstang, Kendal, Lancaster, Lytham, Manchester, Southport and Stoke, we offer accessible support that stays close to what matters to your business.

Call us or complete the form below to arrange an initial conversation. We will listen to what you want to achieve, outline the most practical next steps and explain the likely scope and cost of the work from the outset.