Patents

The CMS patent team combines patent litigation with one of the largest patent attorney practices within a full-service law firm in Europe, to offer a fully integrated service for our clients.

Our patent team also work alongside regulatory, corporate and commercial lawyers (among many other specialists). This means we are truly a “one stop shop” for companies wishing to file and defend or challenge patent, SPC and regulatory exclusivity rights. Our team also regularly provides IP due diligence support for investment, and for corporate deals and transactions. 

We have patent expertise in all major contentious patent jurisdictions in Europe, and notably in France, Germany and Italy – where the UPC central divisions are located. The international perspective allows us to formulate patent strategy (including for the UPC) taking into consideration the nuances of pan-European patent enforcement.

The CMS patent team is delighted to have been recognised in:

• Tier 1: UK Legal 500 PATMA: Patent Attorneys, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025
• Recommended in the Juve Directory for 'patent filing' 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024
• The only law firm ranked at the highest level by MIP IP Stars for 'patent prosecution' 2024
• Silver Firm for Patent Prosecution - IAM Patent 1000 United Kingdom: England 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024
• Recommended in UK Financial Time's 'Europe's Leading Patent Law Firms', 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024

Patent Litigation Team

For several decades CMS has represented leading technology and life sciences companies in key IP and patent litigation, at all times bearing their commercial aims in mind. Our patent litigation team is part of a global IP team of 300 lawyers across 40 countries capable of handling all types of disputes via the courts or through ADR. Working with IP litigation teams in all major European jurisdictions, we have considerable experience of devising strategies and coordinating litigation in Europe and around the world. Each client’s strategy is bespoke, based upon achieving the most cost-effective results for our clients. Many of our litigators and patent attorneys hold advocacy qualifications, enabling cost-effective dispute resolution.

Patent Attorney Team

The CMS patent attorney practice disrupts the traditional boutique approach to provide a service that meets the needs of modern business practice. Using proven, robust and efficient processes to manage portfolios through the patenting process, we pour care and attention into every detail, whether a portfolio’s value comes from its size or from the key nature of one or a small number of cases.

This is a people business, and we invest time in understanding the individuals we work with and their organisations.  Our clients’ patent portfolios are under constant scrutiny and clients need to know they are in the very best hands.  Our attorneys have long-held passions for the sectors we work in, with many having PhDs and/or industry experience in their chosen area. Always seeking to do things better, we have a culture of challenging each other and questioning how we work. This leads to constant improvements and the best solutions for each client.