Patents have never been in the news more than they are today. Auctions and M&A deals involving patents have raised billions of dollars, while high-profile litigation across a range of industries has attracted widespread coverage. It seems that, at last, companies and the financial markets are beginning to understand that patents are highly valuable business assets whose creation, management, protection and exploitation can have a profound effect on bottom lines and shareholder returns. For this reason, it has never been more important to locate individual practitioners and attorney and law firms that provide patent-related work to the highest standards. This is where the IAM Patent 1000 comes in.

Over a period of five months, a dedicated IAM research team spoke with private practice lawyers and attorneys, as well as the users of their services, in countries across the world. The aim was to identify the practitioners and practices that companies turn to when only the best patent work will do. The firms and individuals listed in the IAM Patent 1000 are the results of that endeavour.

All those named in this publication are there because we received substantial positive feedback about them. We cannot claim to have captured every top name in every country that we cover, but we are confident that we have included the vast majority. And we are certain that everybody who is listed deserves to be so. A full methodology detailing how the research was conducted, as well as the subsequent decision-making process about whom to include, can be found here.

In addition to the editorial on leading practitioners and firms, you will find biographical details of some of the individuals mentioned featured in sections following the relevant country listings; there is also a directory that provides further information about some of the firms. All of those selected for listing in the IAM Patent 1000 were offered the opportunity to publish this information for a fee – some decided that they wished to, while others declined. Inclusion in the editorial is in no way linked to this: the research was conducted entirely independently of any commercial considerations.


Joff Wild
Editor
IAM magazine