How our Intellectual Property Lawyers can help you
Your business is built on great ideas. Your IP.
Ideas create products, drive improvements and deliver innovation. Successful protection and exploitation of your intellectual property is critical. That is why our clients trust Burness Paull's market-leading team to safeguard their intellectual property.
Our intellectual property lawyers bring a sophisticated approach to protecting, enforcing and effectively exploiting intellectual assets. This gives our clients an edge and ensures that they realise the full value from their intellectual property and knowledge-based assets.
So whether you are embarking on a global sponsorship or licensing deal, or need to enforce patents, we have it covered. In recent years the firm's intellectual property lawyers have been responsible for commencing more than half of all cases registered in the IP Court in Scotland.
But don’t just take our word for it: we have been awarded IP Contentious Firm of the Year (Scotland) for the past five years at the Managing IP Awards. We are also top ranked in Chambers UK, Legal 500, World Trade Mark Review, IAM Patent 1000 and IP Stars.
We regularly resolve disputes in:
- Patents
- Trademarks
- Copyright
- Design rights
- Confidential information, know-how and trade secrets
- Data and database rights
We have a market-leading brand protection practice which is responsible for protecting many iconic names, including: Harris Tweed Authority, the Scottish FA, the Scottish Rugby Union and Highland Spring across sectors including: financial services, media, creative industries, technology, life sciences, energy, food & drink, manufacturing and public sector.
They are top in the field and know the courts and the IP world very well. The team provides clear information, quick responses when needed and very good analysis.
Chambers UK, 2025
Key Contacts
Colin Hulme
Partner
Intellectual Property
Colin is head of IP, he is the only IP litigator in Scotland with a Band 1 ranking in Chambers UK and in the Legal 500 Hall of Fame.
Colin Miller
Consultant
Competition
Colin specialises in intellectual property and competition law.
David Goodbrand
Partner
Commercial Contracts
David specialises in advising clients on outsourcing arrangements, IP licensing, complex commercial contracts, fintech and the use of information.
Areas of Expertise
Burness Paull's intellectual property lawyers are experts in advising on:
- Enforcing intellectual property rights in courts across the UK and globally
- IP licensing, including licensing of brands, patented products, copyright in digital technology or software licence agreements
- Research & Development agreements, particularly with Universities and health sector organisations
- Sponsorship contracts, including with global sports stars and teams, for sporting and other cultural events and naming rights for stadium and physical infrastructure
- Strategic projects for government organisations, utilities and major suppliers to the public sector
- Franchise agreements, including licensing of well-known brands across international franchise networks
- IP expertise in due diligence for mergers, acquisitions and investments
- IP audits or health checks for businesses across all sectors
- Bespoke advice for start-up companies and spin-outs as well as scale-up businesses
- IP issues arising in the media sector, including advertising campaigns and celebrity endorsement agreements
- Tactical advice on avoiding infringement or exiting from licence arrangements
- Production and manufacturing agreements, including issues arising in specific sectors such as labeling or bottling in the food and drinks industry
- Cross border issues and parallel imports
- Taking security over IP assets
Scottish Professional Football League Limited
We are instructed by the Scottish Professional Football League Limited in connection with the enforcement of its intellectual property rights in Scotland.
PicRights
We are instructed by PicRights UK Limited and PicRights Europe GmbH to enforce copyright in photographs owned by their customers including Reuters, Press Association and AFP.
Work Highlights
Sky
We successfully manage the legal strategy for Sky’s commercial piracy programme across Scotland. This involves raising copyright infringement proceedings to protect the investment of legitimate Sky customers by preventing the unauthorised showing of Sky Sports content in licensed premises throughout Scotland, as well as bespoke litigation to protect copyright in Sky’s content.
Harris Tweed Authority
We continue to perform a “general counsel” role for long-standing client Harris Tweed Authority. This role involves advising on the strategic direction of the development of the Harris Tweed® portfolio of registered marks as well as enforcement of those marks.
The range of industries/sectors covered by the team, great adaptability skills and depth of knowledge. Impressive network in Scotland.
Legal 500, 2024
Related News, Insights & Events
Stop before you start(up): Have you considered your IP?
If you are in the process of or considering starting a business, be sure to not fall victim to the misconception that intellectual property (IP) is only a consideration for corporate giants.
Rocking the boat: WaterRower (UK) Limited v Liking Limited
The case of WaterRower Limited v Liking Limited.
Enforcing IPR in Scotland: 'Without prejudice' - not an open and closed case.
Despite IP law in Scotland largely mirroring that of the rest of the UK, there are differences
