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Bristows is a full-service commercial, law firm, particularly known for its technology and
intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
work. In January 2008, the firm relocated from
Lincoln's Inn Fields Lincoln's Inn Fields is the largest public square in London. It was laid out in the 1630s under the initiative of the speculative builder and contractor William Newton, "the first in a long series of entrepreneurs who took a hand in develo ...
to new city offices on the first two floors of 100
Victoria Embankment Victoria Embankment is part of the Thames Embankment, a road and river-walk along the north bank of the River Thames in London. It runs from the Palace of Westminster to Blackfriars Bridge in the City of London, and acts as a major thoroughfare ...
, London (also known as
Unilever House Unilever House is a Grade II listed office building in the Neoclassical Art Deco style, located on New Bridge Street, Victoria Embankment in Blackfriars, London. The building has a tall, curving frontage which overlooks Blackfriars Bridge o ...
). In May 2018, the firm opened its first international office in Brussels.


Areas of work

Bristows specialises in the following areas: *
Intellectual Property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
&
patent litigation Patent infringement is the commission of a prohibited act with respect to a patented invention without permission from the patent holder. Permission may typically be granted in the form of a license. The definition of patent infringement may va ...
* IP and commercial transactions * Brand and design protection * IT and outsourcing * Publishing and media * Privacy and
data protection Information privacy is the relationship between the collection and dissemination of data, technology, the public expectation of privacy, contextual information norms, and the legal and political issues surrounding them. It is also known as data pr ...
* Life Sciences Regulatory * EU and competition * Advertising, marketing and promotion *
Corporate A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and r ...
* Commercial Disputes, Defamation * Employment *
Real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...
* Real estate investment and
funds Funding is the act of providing resources to finance a need, program, or project. While this is usually in the form of money, it can also take the form of effort or time from an organization or company. Generally, this word is used when a firm uses ...
*
Product liability Product liability is the area of law in which manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, retailers, and others who make products available to the public are held responsible for the injuries those products cause. Although the word "product" has b ...
* Tax *
Public Procurement Government procurement or public procurement is the procurement of goods, services and works on behalf of a public authority, such as a government agency. Amounting to 12 percent of global GDP in 2018, government procurement accounts for a sub ...


History

Bristows was founded in 1837 by Robert Wilson at 1, Copthall Buildings in the
City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...
. One of Robert's first pieces of work related to the patenting of the first practical electrical telegraph, then particularly in demand for its application to railways. Wilson also advised a Captain Crauford in relation to his
patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A ...
"for preserving from rust" and the electronic engineer
Sir Charles Wheatstone Sir Charles Wheatstone FRS FRSE DCL LLD (6 February 1802 – 19 October 1875), was an English scientist and inventor of many scientific breakthroughs of the Victorian era, including the English concertina, the stereoscope (a device for dis ...
on the wheatstone bridge circuit. In 1849, Ebenezer Bristows joined the firm. Ebenezer was a member of the Law Society Council from 1873 until 1908, and President of the
Law Society of England and Wales The Law Society of England and Wales (officially The Law Society) is the professional association that represents solicitors for the jurisdiction of England and Wales. It provides services and support to practising and training solicitors, as ...
for the year 1883 to 1884. It was during this year that the first UK Patent Act arrived, which laid the basis for
patent law A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...
and practice as it exists today. During the 19th century, the firm acted for the Royal Mail Steam Packet, largely on litigation relating to accidents at sea. Other clients in the late 19th century include the Electric Telephone Company, Steam Plough Patents, the Bread Patents Company, the Celluloid Manufacturing Company and the Tigris & Euphrates Steam Navigation Company.


Early 1900s

The firm's name was changed to Bristows, Cooke and Carpmael in 1906, reflecting the names of the then partners. Henry Cooke was heavily involved in patenting work, and was a member of the committee whose advice led to the Patents Act 1919. Alfred Carpmael, was a prominent
patent agent A patent attorney is an attorney who has the specialized qualifications necessary for representing clients in obtaining patents and acting in all matters and procedures relating to patent law and practice, such as filing patent applications and op ...
of his time, and the author of the first handbook on 'Patent Laws of the World. Around the time of
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the firm acted in patent litigation regarding electric light bulbs. It related to an invention by the General Electric Company of the USA that involved using filament from
tungsten Tungsten, or wolfram, is a chemical element with the symbol W and atomic number 74. Tungsten is a rare metal found naturally on Earth almost exclusively as compounds with other elements. It was identified as a new element in 1781 and first isol ...
. In the 1930s, the firm was involved in drafting agreements for the laying of the first
transatlantic telephone cable A transatlantic telecommunications cable is a submarine communications cable connecting one side of the Atlantic Ocean to the other. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, each cable was a single wire. After mid-century, coaxial cable came into use ...
. Bristows began to act for
The Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, r ...
in the 1940s. By that time, other clients in the field of learned societies and institutions include the
Royal Society of the Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...
, Institution of Chemical Engineers,
Institution of Civil Engineers The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an independent professional association for civil engineers and a charitable body in the United Kingdom. Based in London, ICE has over 92,000 members, of whom three-quarters are located in the UK, whi ...
,
Institution of Electrical Engineers The Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) was a British professional organisation of electronics, electrical, manufacturing, and Information Technology professionals, especially electrical engineers. It began in 1871 as the Society of T ...
and
Institution of Mechanical Engineers The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) is an independent professional association and learned society headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that represents mechanical engineers and the engineering profession. With over 120,000 member ...
.


Mid-1900s

In the 1950s, to avoid a notoriously unpredictable English judge, the firm took the unusual move of bringing a patent case in
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
, despite the lack of experience of patent litigation there. The move, for a textile machinery manufacturer, was successful, It was closely followed by another similar case on behalf of the Jockey Company of Chicago over its invention, Y-fronts, which were being manufactured under licence in Scotland.


Late 20th century

In the 1960s, Bristows was involved in a patent case on the jet engine, ''Renee Anxionnaz and Societe Rateau v Rolls-Royce, De Havillands'' and the ''Ministry of Aviation'', .
Sir Frank Whittle Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, (1 June 1907 – 8 August 1996) was an English engineer, inventor and Royal Air Force (RAF) air officer. He is credited with inventing the turbojet engine. A patent was submitted by Maxime Guillaume in 1921 for ...
the inventor of the jet engine, was the expert for Bristows and the trial lasted about five weeks. In the 1980s Bristows handled the first ever UK biotechnology case representing Genentech in defending its patent for recombinant tPA (used in treating
thrombosis Thrombosis (from Ancient Greek "clotting") is the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system. When a blood vessel (a vein or an artery) is injured, the body uses platelets (t ...
). The continuing expansion of the firm in the 1970s, and the landlords' decision to redevelop 1 Copthall Buildings, led to a move to
Lincoln's Inn Fields Lincoln's Inn Fields is the largest public square in London. It was laid out in the 1630s under the initiative of the speculative builder and contractor William Newton, "the first in a long series of entrepreneurs who took a hand in develo ...
. In 1997 the firm advises on a joint venture between BSkyB, British Telecom, HSBC and Matsushita (now
Panasonic formerly between 1935 and 2008 and the first incarnation of between 2008 and 2022, is a major Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation, headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka. It was founded by Kōnosuke Matsushita in 1918 as a lightbulb ...
) to create Open, the world's first digital interactive television service on Sky. In 1998, the firm shortened its name from Bristows Cooke & Carpmael to Bristows.


Early 2000s

In 2002 Bristows represented
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), formerly known as Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), is a multinational video game and digital entertainment company wholly owned by multinational conglomerate Sony. The SIE Group is made up of two legal co ...
(SCEE) in an action brought against "chipping" of PlayStation games consoles, and, following a six-year case against the Metropolitan Police, secured the image rights to Doctor Who's
TARDIS The TARDIS (; acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension In Space") is a fictional hybrid of the time machine and spacecraft that appears in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its various spin-offs. Its exterior a ...
for the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
. In 2003, the firm acted for
Bayer AG Bayer AG (, commonly pronounced ; ) is a German multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Bayer's areas of business include pharmaceutica ...
on the £25 million financing aspects of its exclusive marketing agreement with GW Pharmaceuticals plc relating to the marketing of GW's pioneering cannabis-based medicine
Sativex Nabiximols (USAN, trade name Sativex) is a specific ''Cannabis'' extract that was approved in 2010 as a botanical drug in the United Kingdom. Nabiximols is sold as a mouth spray intended to alleviate neuropathic pain, spasticity, overactive bla ...
®. In the same year, the firm acted for
VIA Technologies VIA Technologies Inc. (), is a Taiwanese manufacturer of integrated circuits, mainly motherboard chipsets, CPUs, and memory. It was the world's largest independent manufacturer of motherboard chipsets. As a fabless semiconductor company, VIA ...
in a hard-fought competition law battle between leading chip producer
Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 seri ...
and its smaller competitor, VIA Technologies. In this case, the Court of Appeal decided that VIA Technologies can bring Intel to trial, and alleged that Intel's behaviour is anti-competitive, that the way Intel uses its huge patent portfolio seriously harms smaller rivals, and that Intel is driving rivals out of business and harming consumers. In 2007, Bristows acted for the members of the 1980s band
Frankie Goes to Hollywood Frankie Goes to Hollywood were an English synth-pop band formed in Liverpool in 1980. The group's best-known line-up comprised Holly Johnson (vocals), Paul Rutherford (singer), Paul Rutherford (backing vocals), Peter Gill (FGTH drummer), Peter ...
who achieved victory in their dispute with former lead singer,
Holly Johnson William Holly Johnson (born 9 February 1960) is an English artist, musician, and writer, best known as the lead vocalist of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, who achieved huge commercial success in the mid-1980s. Prior to that, in the late 1970s he wa ...
, over the trademark rights to the band's name. The firm relocated from
Lincoln's Inn Fields Lincoln's Inn Fields is the largest public square in London. It was laid out in the 1630s under the initiative of the speculative builder and contractor William Newton, "the first in a long series of entrepreneurs who took a hand in develo ...
to new City offices at
Unilever House Unilever House is a Grade II listed office building in the Neoclassical Art Deco style, located on New Bridge Street, Victoria Embankment in Blackfriars, London. The building has a tall, curving frontage which overlooks Blackfriars Bridge o ...
in 2008. Also, in this year, the firm acted in the first modern case addressing the principles involved in calculating the compensation payable under a cross-undertaking where the patentee obtained an interim injunction but subsequently lost at trial The firm also acted for
Smith and Nephew Smith may refer to: People * Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals * Smith (given name) * Smith (surname), a family name originating in England, Scotland and Ireland ** List of people w ...
in a patent action before the UK Court of Appeal. In an unprecedented move, the trial of the action, which started in December 2008, took only seven months from commencement to Judgment by the Court of Appeal. Since 2009 Bristows has been advising SAS Institute Inc. on its ongoing litigation with World Programming Limited, a breach of licence and copyright infringement case which raises a number of fundamental issues regarding the scope of protection for computer software in Europe. The English High Court has referred nine questions of law arising from Articles 1(2) and 5(3) of the Software Directive in the case to the European Court of Justice for guidance. The decision of the European Court of Justice (expected mid-2012) is keenly awaited by those in the industry and the legal sector. In 2009, the firm acted for the defendants in the first UK case where compensation has been awarded to an employee inventor. In 2010, Bristows won TMT team of the year at The Lawyer Awards 2010 for its work on the
Smith and Nephew Smith may refer to: People * Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals * Smith (given name) * Smith (surname), a family name originating in England, Scotland and Ireland ** List of people w ...
litigation mentioned above, which colloquially became known as "The Rocket Docket" for its speed from commencement to judgment. The firm also won the UK Patent Contentious Award 2010 at the Managing Intellectual Property Global Awards.


2010s

In 2011, the firm was recognised as a 'First Class' company to work for by Best Companies, a research group responsible for compiling the '' Sunday Times'' 'Best Companies to Work For' list. In the same year, the firm advised Star Navigation Systems on a marketing/commercialisation agreement with an EADS/Airbus affiliate relating to a new form of "black box" technology for aircraft, which transmits real-time data to ground stations via satellites. Not only does this technology allow aircraft faults and aviation incidents to be investigated more quickly but also provides other benefits, such as improved scheduling for vital repairs and better aircraft route planning and fuel efficiency. In 2011, the firm also achieved a groundbreaking win for IPCom in a telecoms patent action before the
UK High Court The High Court of Justice in London, known properly as His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, are the Senior Courts of England and Wales. Its name is abbreviated as EWHC (Englan ...
. IPCom was sued by
Nokia Nokia Corporation (natively Nokia Oyj, referred to as Nokia) is a Finnish multinational telecommunications, information technology, and consumer electronics corporation, established in 1865. Nokia's main headquarters are in Espoo, Finland, i ...
in April 2010 for revocation of a patent relating to a mechanism for controlling access to the random access channel, a channel used by mobile devices when accessing the mobile telephone network. IPCom countersued for infringement of the patent in June 2010 by each of Nokia's UMTS-enabled devices (UMTS is the mobile telephone standard under which the UK 3G network and UK 3G mobile devices operate). The Court upheld IPCom's patent as valid and infringed (subject to a minor amendment to the exact form of its claims). Bristows advises L'Oreal in its ongoing trade mark infringement case against
eBay eBay Inc. ( ) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and became ...
. In 2011 L'Oreal won an ECJ trade mark ruling against
eBay eBay Inc. ( ) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and became ...
, which clarified the legal position of e-commerce platforms offering counterfeit items under famous brand name

Bristows acted pro-bono to advise Complete Pleasure Boats on its winning bid to operate the river boat service between
Putney Putney () is a district of southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ancient paris ...
and Blackfriars, starting 3 January 2012 and initially operating for a trial period of 6 months. Bristows has been representing
Samsung The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...
in the UK aspects of its patent dispute with
Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...
relating to smartphone and tablet technologies and involving parallel proceedings in ten jurisdictions. In 2012 Bristows celebrated its 175 anniversary with a series of events and the production of a timeline looking back on it history. In 2012 Bristows acted for Cadbury on ambush marketing strategies for the London 2012 Olympics and advised Guardian News and Media on social media product launches. On 26 June 2012 Bristows was awarded 3rd place in the category of UK Law Firm of the Year at The Lawyer Awards. In October 2012 the ''
Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Ni ...
'' named Bristows as one of the 'Most Innovative Law Firms in Client Service. Bristows was commended for its ''Global command and control system for the defence of patent rights in the pharmaceutical sector." In November 2013 the UK's Court of Appeal handed down a judgment in the case of ''IPCom v HTC'' that is significant for the enforcement of patents in the UK. Bristows acted for the successful claimant, IPCom GmbH & Co KG, and the case concerned whether national courts should proceed with a patent dispute where the validity of the same patent is also being considered at the
European Patent Office The European Patent Office (EPO) is one of the two organs of the European Patent Organisation (EPOrg), the other being the Administrative Council. The EPO acts as executive body for the organisation
("EPO"). The Court of Appeal looked again at the guidelines which courts should use in exercising their discretion in such cases. Lord Justice Floyd concluded that, given the tensions inherent in the European patent system, judges should maintain their ability to exercise a discretion to progress or stay a case depending upon its facts. One factor in favour of a stay would be if the patentee were likely to irrevocably gain some compensation from the defendant which might later be found to have been wrongly bestowed. If the patentee is prepared to give an undertaking to return any such money, however, then allowing the proceedings to progress in parallel could achieve at least some certainty as between the parties in a sensible timescale. In December 2013 the
Patents Court The Patents Court is a specialist court within the Chancery Division of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales. It deals with disputes relating to intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includ ...
handed down its judgment in ''Smith & Nephew v ConvTec No. 2''. Bristows acted for the successful claimant, Smith & Nephew in the most recent instalment of litigation involving ConvaTec's patent for silverised wound dressings (silver being known for its healing properties). Between 2015 and 2020 the firm's Competition and Patent Litigation practice was involved in the first few cases related to SEP Standard
Essential patent An essential patent or standard-essential patent (SEP) is a patent that claims an invention that must be used to comply with a technical standard. Standards organizations, therefore, often require members disclose and grant licenses to their paten ...
and the FRAND (Fair,
Reasonable and non-discriminatory licensing Reasonable and non-discriminatory (RAND) terms, also known as fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms, denote a voluntary licensing commitment that standards organizations often request from the owner of an intellectual property r ...
) rules in the UK such as IPCom v Nokia, Unwired Planet v Huawei, Conversant v ZTE, Philips v ASUS and
HTC HTC Corporation ( zh, t=宏達國際電子股份有限公司, s=宏达国际电子股份有限公司, p=Hóngdá Guójì Diànzǐ Gǔfèn Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī, first=t) or High Tech Computer Corporation, (literally ''Hongda International Electron ...
. The firm launched a tracker tool for all cases related to the discipline in 2020. In 2017 the full IP team from
Berwin Leighton Paisner Berwin Leighton Paisner (''BLP'') was an international law firm with 14 offices across 10 countries globally, specializing in real estate, finance, litigation and corporate risk, private wealth and tax. In 2018, Bryan Cave merged with Berwin L ...
joined Bristows, two partners and seven other fee earners, complementing its Brands and
trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from othe ...
portfolio management practice.


References


External links


Bristows Official WebsiteBristows SEP/FRAND dispute tracker
{{Law firms of the United Kingdom Law firms of the United Kingdom Intellectual property law firms