Patent Solicitors

Freeman Harris offers comprehensive patent legal services from a single, expert team. We handle every stage of the patent lifecycle — from initial assessment and application drafting through to prosecution before the UK Intellectual Property Office and the European Patent Office, and contentious work including infringement litigation, enforcement, revocation, and licensing.

Our patent practice is led by David Sant, a Solicitor-Advocate (England & Wales), Solicitor (Ireland), and European Patent Attorney before the EPO, with over 30 years’ experience in all aspects of patent law. David drafts and prosecutes patent applications directly — UK, European, and PCT — and conducts EPO opposition and appeal proceedings. He also advises on and litigates patent infringement and revocation cases before the High Court in London.

This means clients receive consistent, expert advice across the full patent journey without needing to instruct separate firms for prosecution and litigation.

Contact our patent team →

Our Patent Services

We advise on all aspects of UK and European patent law. Use the links below to explore specific areas.

Patent Registration & Prosecution

Protecting your invention starts with a well-drafted, well-prosecuted application. David Sant drafts UK and European patent applications across the physical sciences — including technology, mobile telephony, software, communications, engineering, navigation, and optics — and handles prosecution before the UKIPO and the EPO through to grant.

Learn about patent registration →

Patent Infringement

If a competitor is using your patented technology without permission, we advise on the strength of your claim, available remedies, and the right forum — whether IPEC for cost-effective enforcement or the High Court for high-value disputes.

Patent Enforcement

From the first letter before action through to injunctions, damages, and account of profits proceedings, we handle the full enforcement process. David Sant has rights of audience before all civil courts of England and Wales and can appear at every stage.

Full patent enforcement guidance →

Patent Revocation & Invalidity

We act for businesses seeking to challenge and revoke a competitor’s patent, and for patent holders defending their rights against a revocation challenge. David Sant conducts EPO opposition proceedings directly.

Full patent revocation guidance →

Patent Licensing

We draft and negotiate patent licence agreements — exclusive, non-exclusive, and sole licences — as well as technology transfer agreements, cross-licences, and licence terms within broader commercial arrangements.

Standard Essential Patents (SEP) & FRAND

David Sant has spent a significant part of his career advising on standard-essential patents and FRAND licensing, with particular depth in mobile telephony. We advise licensors and implementers on licensing strategy, FRAND negotiations, UK court determinations, and competition law aspects of SEP disputes.

Unitary Patent & Unified Patent Court (UPC)

From 2023, patent holders can obtain a single Unitary Patent covering participating EU member states and litigate before the Unified Patent Court. David Sant has a longstanding personal involvement with the UPC — as Head of the EPO’s Brussels bureau from 2002 to 2005, he worked directly on the EU legislative projects that became the UPC. We advise clients on UPC opt-out strategy, Unitary Patent applications, and proceedings before the UPC.

What is a Patent?

A patent is a legal right granted to protect technical inventions — new products, processes, or technologies that are novel, inventive, and capable of industrial application. By securing a patent, you gain the exclusive right to control how your invention is made, used, or sold in the UK (and, for a European or Unitary patent, across designated European states), preventing others from exploiting it without your permission.

Patents are distinct from trade marks, which protect brand identifiers, and copyright, which protects creative works. A patent specifically protects functional and technical innovation.

A UK or European patent lasts up to 20 years from the filing date, subject to payment of annual renewal fees from the fourth year.

What Can Be Patented?

To be patentable, an invention must be:

• Novel — not previously disclosed anywhere in the world before the priority date
• Inventive — not obvious to a person skilled in the relevant field
• Industrially applicable — capable of being made or used in some kind of industry

Inventions that can be patented include new products, new processes, improvements to existing technology, and software where it provides a technical solution to a technical problem.

<p”>The following cannot be patented: discoveries, mathematical methods, mental acts, business methods, aesthetic creations, methods of medical treatment or diagnosis, and biological processes for producing plants or animals.

Why Choose Freeman Harris?

Full lifecycle, single team. Many businesses instruct a patent attorney for prosecution and a separate solicitors firm for litigation. At Freeman Harris, David Sant’s dual qualification as a European Patent Attorney and Solicitor-Advocate means both functions are available within the same team. This reduces costs, ensures strategic consistency, and means there is no gap in advice between prosecution and enforcement.

Genuine technical depth. David’s technical expertise spans the physical sciences — mobile telephony, software patents, communications, navigation, optics, interferometry, horology, and more — and he has spent his career working on technically demanding cases. He is not a generalist who handles patents occasionally; patents are his practice.

Institutional knowledge of the European patent system. David began his career as a patent examiner in Physics at the EPO in Munich. He served as Head of the EPO’s Technical Cooperation department, then as Head of the EPO’s Brussels bureau (2002–2005). Since 2009, he has served on the EQE Committee at the EPO — the body that assesses and admits new European Patent Attorneys. Very few patent practitioners in the UK have this depth of institutional knowledge.

Access to the courts. As a Solicitor-Advocate with rights of audience before all civil courts of England and Wales, David can represent clients at every stage of proceedings — from interlocutory applications through to trial in the Patents Court — without the need to separately instruct a barrister for advocacy.