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This latest annual listing of Europe’s leading patent law firms is based on recommendations by clients and peers, as compiled by the FT’s research partner Statista.
A total of 208 recommended firms offering the services of patent attorneys feature in the overall list, sorted in alphabetical order in the main table below (use the arrow buttons at the top of the columns to sort by name or country).
Firms that were especially recommended for their services in six areas of industrial expertise — Biotechnology, Food & Healthcare; Chemistry & Pharmacy; Electrical Engineering & Physics; IT & Software; Materials & Nanotechnology; and Mechanical Engineering — have been included in separate sector lists (below the main table). These firms are ranked in three classes: gold (very frequently recommended); silver (frequently recommended); and bronze (recommended).
Scroll below the tables for the full methodology.
Methodology
The lists are composed of the most recommended patent law firms for services around patent prosecution and patent strategy consultation in Europe.
They are based on an online survey of patent attorneys working in patent law firms and as experts in the patent departments of companies (peer-to-peer survey); and clients who have consulted with or commissioned a patent law firm.
Survey and sample
More than 10,000 patent attorneys and clients were invited to take part in the survey. The sample was collected via research conducted by Statista on company websites, in publications, and from the Institute of Professional Representatives before the European Patent Office, the professional body representing European patent attorneys. Patent attorneys and clients could also participate via a link on FT.com.
Participants could recommend patent law firms in general, as well as firms specialising in six selected sectors: Chemistry & Pharmacy; Electrical Engineering & Physics; Mechanical Engineering; Biotechnology, Food & Healthcare; Materials & Nanotechnology; IT & Software.
The survey was conducted between February 8 and March 24, 2024.
Self-recommendations and attempts to participate multiple times were prohibited and not taken into consideration.
Top lists
Firms are selected based on the number of recommendations. In total, 208 firms made it into the overall top list.
Firms that were highly recommended for their services in one of the six selected sectors were ranked in three classes: gold (very frequently recommended); silver (frequently recommended); and bronze (recommended).
All lists were created through a complex process. However, the quality of firms that are not included is not disputed.