company profiles
Mathys & Squire: patently dedicated to nurturing bright ideas
The combination of skills offered by Mathys & Squire is one reason why leading legal directory, The Legal 500 praises the intellectual property firm’s ‘impeccable understanding of IP law’ and its ability to ‘really stand out from the crowd’. Following the recent opening of its Oxford office, the firm’s expertise is now more accessible to entrepreneurial Thames Valley businesses
Mathys & Squire is renowned for its technical ability and reputation for handling complex and innovative cases. Founded in 1910, it is one of Europe’s most highly-regarded IP firms with experience in the protection and commercialisation of intellectual property rights, leading the field with insight, innovation and quality.
SME support
Heading up the Oxford office is senior UK and European patent attorney Vicki Strachan, who works with a range of start-ups, helping them to get their businesses off the ground and into the market. She says Mathys & Squire’s attention to the practical requirements of smaller companies at the beginning of their growth trajectories is important: “We share similar ambitions and the entrepreneurial spirit of our mainly SME client base.
“I have been focused on supporting SMEs for over 20 years. They tend to have tighter budgets and welcome a strategic approach to protecting their IP.
“We like seeing start-ups succeed, and knowing we’ve played a part in that success is a great feeling.”
Protecting ideas
The Mathys & Squire office at Oxford’s Milton Innovation Park is the latest addition to six other UK locations, as well as offices in France, Germany and China. Along with London and Cambridge, Oxford completes the firm’s presence in the ‘golden triangle’ of cutting-edge R&D, academic spin-offs and leading tech-related businesses.
Mathys & Squire’s core services include registering, protecting and litigating patents and trademarks. These services help businesses progress from the ideas stage, through to researching and developing their innovation and then commercialising their IP.
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businessmag.co.uk THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – MAY/JUNE 2019
firm offers a complementary range of services, particularly strategic valuations, advice and patent management.
Strachan explained: “They also have the same commitment to clients as we do, so it’s a very good fit.”
Out-of-the-box thinking
If initial interest since it launched the Oxford office is anything to go by, Strachan expects the firm’s client base to grow fairly quickly.
Vicki Strachan
In Oxford, the firm is focused on the biochemistry, pharmacology, genetics, microbiology, plant sciences, electronics, telecoms and engineering sectors.
The acquisition of intellectual property consultancy firm Coller IP in 2017 bolstered Mathys & Squire’s presence in the Thames Valley as it was preparing to open its Milton Park office. As well as its office in Wallingford, Coller IP’s Alex Tame, director of IP, and his team are now also based in Milton Park. The
She describes the way the firm works as highly collaborative: “We like to network with the local business community and interact with like-minded professional service providers, which increases opportunities for referrals.”
Clients are typically start-up and scale-up businesses, which benefit most from the ‘out-of-the-box innovative thinking’ that Mathys & Squire offers.
It is important to consider intellectual property at an early stage, but equally important is to understand the concept to market journey and the various steps and stages that entails. Strachan said: “From the start, we look at the stage a business is at, and its specific goals
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