| Spotlight Withers & Rogers LLP
Established in 1884, Withers & Rogers LLP is a leading European intellectual property (IP) firm providing expert advice on the protection and enforcement of IP rights, particularly for inventions, designs and trade marks. Reflecting the firm’s distinctive entrepreneurial personality, its patent and trade mark attorneys come with a depth of specialist understanding and pride themselves on helping businesses to commercialise their IP. With over 200 partners and staff, Withers & Rogers has four offices in the UK (London, Bristol, Warwick and Sheffield) and two further offices in Paris and Munich. The firm’s client portfolio stretches across the Americas, the Far East and Australia as well as mainland Europe. Withers & Rogers has a large, technology-diverse client base ranging from major corporations and multi-nationals to small and medium-sized enterprises and universities.
www.withersrogers.com
off the coast of Scotland is demonstrating that modern tidal stream and marine energy systems can be reliable and durable. The project has four turbines, each producing 1.5MW, sufficient electricity to power up to 7,000 homes annually. Swedish company, SKF, has recently confirmed that the bearings and seals on one of the turbines have passed the 6½-year mark without needing any unplanned or disruptive maintenance. SKF has patented several solutions aimed at improving the durability of tidal turbines including a sealed bearing assembly (US11009077B2)2
, which can
be assembled as a complete unit away from the marine environment and prior to installation on a tidal turbine, while also reducing overall component count for simplified maintenance.
Other companies, such as Sweden’s CorPower Ocean are developing next generation wave energy converters, which can be adjusted and optimised using an AI-based closed loop control system to make the most of the tidal conditions. This technology is currently being used on a wave farm project in Portugal, and it will be used for the Saoirse Wave Energy project3
, off the coast of Ireland, which
is due to start by 2030. Optimising energy capture is another key concern for innovators, with some focused on addressing undesirable secondary wave propagation when a wave impacts an underwater tidal energy generation system. To prevent this unwanted transfer of energy and to optimise the capacity of tidal stream power generation systems, UK-based Marine Power Systems Ltd has secured patent protection in the US (US12326132B2)4
in Europe and elsewhere (e.g. EP4359661A1)5
with pending patent applications , for
a wave energy capturing device implementing a buoyant absorber attached to a pivot point. The absorber is positioned down wave of the pivot point, and rotates around it, preventing wave propagation and improving the capture of energy for conversion. Whereas some turbines have been attached to the seabed or to a floating device and maintain a fixed orientation, others take the form of ‘kites’ tethered to the seabed. For example, Minesto’s patented ocean energy technology (EP4359664B1)6
is designed
to behave similarly to a kite flying in the wind. The wing uses the hydrodynamic lift created by the underwater current to move the kite at speeds higher than that of the tide alone and is steered through the water by an onboard control system. In turn the on-board turbine rotates at higher speeds than those in fixed tidal stream generators. In the race to net zero, governments around the world are recognising the untapped energy
potential of their coastlines, and funding for research programmes is increasing. In this fast-growing tidal stream and marine energy market, innovative companies must seek early IP advice and ensure that the commercial potential of their nascent and advancing solutions are adequately protected, not just in the UK, but across core markets globally. Particularly at this early stage, properly protected innovations may result in rights critical to the future development of the tidal and wave energy markets, opening the possibility for innovators to carve out significant market share as well as develop future licensing opportunities.
References
1.
https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/ search/family/089452398/publication/ GB2621060B?q=GB2621060B
2.
https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search/ family/067070763/publication/US11009077B2?q=pn %3DUS11009077B2
3:
https://saoirsewaveenergy.com/home
4.
https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/ search/family/082319764/publication/ US12326132B2?q=US12326132B2
5.
https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/ search/family/082319764/publication/ EP4359661A1?q=pn%3DEP4359661A1
6.
https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/ search/family/082702960/publication/ EP4359664B1?q=pa%20any%20%22Minesto%22&qu eryLang=en%3Ade%3Afr
www.waterpowermagazine.com | January 2026 | 11
Above: Andrew Hey , Senior Associate and Patent Attorney, and Andie McConnell, Associate and Patent Attorney specialising in the clean energy sector, Withers & Rogers
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