Managing Intellectual Property is delighted to publish the IP STARS 2019 rankings of the leading firms for patent work. Select the country of interest from the regional tabs above to see the available firm rankings. These rankings, featuring more than 50 jurisdictions, were first published in the March/April issue of the Managing IP magazine. This is the second set of results from the research for IP STARS 2019, which started in September 2018. The trade mark rankings for the 2019 edition were published in February.
IP STARS is not a directory of all firms offering IP services and therefore many firms, including those that participated in the research, have not been listed.
Ranked firms can contact Nick Heath at nheath@managingip.com or our research team at research@managingip.com for the latest ranking logo.
Congratulations to all the firms listed this year.
Methodology
These rankings are based on information available at the time the research was completed (January 2019). The research was conducted rigorously and impartially by our team of researchers in London, New York and Hong Kong. No firm can pay to be included or to influence the results. There is no fee to pay to participate in our research.
Each year our research analysts obtain information from thousands of firms, IP practitioners and their clients through interviews, email and online surveys. Before compiling the rankings, our research analysts also conducted their own independent research, including an analysis of publicly available information (such as court or IP office data) and existing data we hold on firms.
The aspects assessed for the firm rankings include expertise, workload, market reputation/track record, outcomes achieved for clients, and unique strengths in a given practice area. Judgements about which firms to include in the rankings, and which tier and practice area they should be in, take account of all this information. This makes IP STARS the most comprehensive and authoritative guide yet published.
The aspects assessed for the firm rankings include expertise, workload, market reputation/track record, outcomes achieved for clients, and unique strengths in a given practice area. Judgements about which firms to include in the rankings, and which tier and practice area they should be in, take account of all this information. This makes IP STARS the most comprehensive and authoritative guide yet published.
Firms are ranked alphabetically in tiers, or as highly recommended or recommended. The total number of firms listed varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. For most jurisdictions the rankings are split into prosecution and contentious work. However, in smaller jurisdictions we evaluated and ranked firms for their patent practice or IP practice as a whole. The latest general intellectual property rankings we have are available on this website.
The patent prosecution ranking takes account of pre and post-registration work including Office proceedings and portfolio management advice, whereas the patent contentious ranking covers patent-related disputes. Where appropriate, some firms have been ranked for both practice areas. For the avoidance of doubt, the tables do not suggest or indicate that the IP expertise or services of the listed firms are limited to the practice area in question.
Except for firm name changes, any subsequent developments or information that could influence our rankings will be considered during the research for the 2020 edition of IP STARS, which starts in September 2019. Managing IP does not recommend or endorse any particular firm for IP work. IP STARS rankings are subject to change each year.
What to expect in the coming months
We will publish the 2019 copyright rankings and IP stars lists next month; until then, the 2018 copyright rankings and IP stars lists will remain on this website. The IP STARS Trade Mark/Copyright Handbook (global edition) and the US edition of IP STARS are published in May, whereas the Patent Handbook is published in July. IP STARS Handbooks are widely distributed and copies can be found at IP industry events we attend such as the INTA Annual Meeting.
The IP STARS Handbook includes all the relevant firm rankings, the list of the leading IP practitioners (including the Top 250 Women in IP and Corporate IP Stars), and our editorial commentary on the ranked firms. The contents of the handbooks, pertinent market feedback on some of the ranked firms and the remaining US firm rankings will be available online in the summer. The second edition of Managing Intellectual Property Rising Stars will be published later in the year.
Follow @IP_STARS on Twitter or visit our news page for updates and announcements. If you have any feedback or questions about IP STARS please contact the research editor, Kingsley Egbuonu kingsley.egbuonu@managingip.com