Professional Services

Professional Services

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Potter Clarkson provides commercially focused intellectual property (IP) due diligence for investors, insurers, lenders, accountants, law firms, and corporates. We assess not just what IP is owned, but what it's worth.

IP due diligence is a critical part of business transactions including investments, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), financing arrangements, partnerships and collaborations, and joint ventures. In many cases, IP is what protects the company's market share and competitive advantage.

But traditional IP due diligence often falls short. It may produce a list of rights, but overlook key issues like ownership, exploitation, contracts, licensing, disputes, or enforceability. This offers little indication of the value these rights really contribute to the business.

This is where our patent attorneys and IP solicitors can help. We provide commercially focused IP due diligence for professional services teams who need to understand not just what IP a business owns, but what it's worth.

Talk to our team about making IP due diligence work for your business.

Key Areas of Expertise

Banks & Lenders

The importance of IP as an asset class is growing, but IP-based finance carries risk. Our IP due diligence uncovers and assesses those risks, giving lenders the insight needed to decide whether, and on what terms, to lend against a business's IP.

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Banks & Lenders

Corporate Finance & Accountants

If you're involved in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, or private equity investments, IP due diligence plays a critical role. We assess what IP a business owns or has rights to use, how it's protected and exploited, and we identify any risks that could affect deal value.

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Corporate Finance & Accountants

Insurers

Investing in an innovative business carries risk, particularly from an IP perspective. We help insurers understand the IP held by a business by conducting IP due diligence before cover is agreed.

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Insurers

Investors

Before making an investment, you need a complete picture of both a business's long-term value and the potential risks it faces. We conduct IP due diligence that reveals commercially critical information and provides the insight needed to make the right investment decisions.

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Investors

Law Firms

Where a business's value is tied to the validity and enforceability of its IP, more in-depth IP due diligence is essential. This is what we specialise in, supporting firms during complex M&A and investment transactions.

How We Can Help

With over 70 patent attorneys across all major technical fields, and a team of IP solicitors experienced in due diligence for large M&A transactions and investments, we bring technical depth and legal expertise to every review.

Our approach is commercial and focused on how the rights are being used by the target, not just whether they exist.

We've supported investors, insurers, financial institutions, corporate financiers, and law firms for decades. Our proven IP due diligence model, VerifyiP, provides clear insight into how IP is held, used, and protected.

The scope of due diligence will vary depending on the transaction, its purpose, and your priorities. In general, it will cover:

  • Identifying and verifying IP assets relevant to the transaction, including ownership.
  • Reviewing the IP portfolio to confirm registrations, pending applications, and renewals.
  • Examining related contracts, such as licensing, joint ventures, and NDAs, to confirm ownership and how the IP is currently licensed or used.
  • Checking for any ongoing or past legal proceedings involving the IP.
  • Confirming how the IP maps to the business plan, including territorial scope, claim scope, and licensing.
  • Identifying any potential disputes, validity challenges, or enforceability issues.
  • Assessing third-party rights and any limits on licensed-in IP.

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Get in Touch with Our Professional Services Team

Chris Cadman
Peter Finnie
Benjamin Hoffmann
Sara Holland
Dave Holt

Speak to our team about how our IP due diligence can help you. Fill in the form and we'll be in touch soon.

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