The difference between a Solicitor and an Intellectual Property Attorney, be it a Patent Attorney or a Trade Mark attorney, can sometimes be a source of confusion for those who are not familiar with the legal or IP world.

Luckily, our colleagues in M&D have put together two handy guides which outline the pertinent differences between those who have qualified as solicitors and those who have qualified as either patent attorneys or trade mark attorneys.

While both legal paths require specific qualifications, solicitors follow a particular path which allow them to be entered onto the Roll of Solicitors, while IP Attorneys obtain specific qualifications related to either Patents or Trade Marks. The two may work together at certain stages of enforcing your IP rights.  Read on to find out more!

“You are the expert on your invention. If you would like to obtain a patent to protect your invention, a Patent Attorney will be able to assess your invention from a patent perspective and advise you on how to obtain the best and most meaningful protection for your invention. Your Patent Attorney is the expert in gaining suitable legal protection for your specific invention.”

“Once you have created your brand, your Trade Mark Attorney is the expert to advise you how best to evaluate your brand to ensure that it is available for registration and is in fact registerable. Your Trade Mark Attorney will also evaluate the business to ensure that your trade mark application will cover all of the goods and services of interest to your company. Your Trade Mark Attorney will then be able to advise and assist you in protecting that trade mark in the relevant countries”

Should you have any need of assistance with your Intellectual Property, please contact us on info@ansons.co.uk.