Intellectual Property Law Firm in Nigeria

Copyright

Our leading-edge IP lawyers don’t just advise on copyright law – they help shape it. The Ashton team has represented clients in a wide range of industries, from music, film, TV, video games, and publishing to software, higher education, building products, and more. We add value to our copyright clients in many different ways, including:

• Advice and counsel on Nigerian and international copyright law
• Copyright infringement litigation for copyright owners and users, as well as their representatives and insurers
• Negotiating and drafting licence agreements
• Copyright registration in Nigeria
• Chain of title analysis, including copyright reversion
• Purchase and sale of copyright catalogues and other valuable assets

Known for its expertise in the collective administration of copyright, the Ashton team also advises copyright users on compliance with copyright laws, represent them as objectors and interveners in Copyright proceedings, and help them navigate other unique aspects of the Nigerian copyright landscape.

Trademarks

Our trademark lawyers advise some of the most valuable international brands – as well as referring law firms around the world – on the protection, enforcement, and licensing of various intellectual properties. We assist our clients with:

• Trademark applications in Nigeria
• Opposition and expungement proceedings in Nigeria
• Trademark litigations in Nigeria
• Trademark searches nationally and internationally
• Buying, selling, and licensing valuable marks

Our trademark search facilities permit us to identify, without delay, whether a proposed trademark already exists in in Nigeria. We can conduct manual searches in Nigeria (three days or expedited to 24 hours), and file trademark applications in Nigeria.

The Ashton team has presence before the Trademark Tribunal, which handles both opposition and summary cancellation proceedings. That has given rise to many related proceedings in the Federal High Court of Nigeria. We also work with clients on opposition proceedings in Nigeria.

Beyond our prosecution, opposition, and dispute practice, our trademark lawyers are well-known for their strategic advice and counsel. We routinely apply our specialized expertise in areas well beyond traditional trademark practice, assisting clients and other law firms to execute complicated transactions involving intellectual property. We have extensive experience with trademark licensing, due diligence, and valuation, as well as with the purchase and sale of valuable brand assets.

Patents

Our patent lawyers are strategic advisors to some of the world’s leading life sciences, technology, and consumer product companies. We focus on understanding our clients’ priorities and have a proven track record for designing practical, business-minded solutions to achieve their objectives.

Our patent team assists in many innovative industries, including:

• Pharmaceuticals: Small molecule and biologic drug patents, new uses and combination uses across a range of therapeutic areas, novel formulations, crystal forms and salt forms
• Technology: social media applications, remote video capture technology, vehicle location and tracking technology
• Medical devices: Coronary artery stents, mobility devices, vascular prosthetics
• Agriculture and food: High-linolenic canola oil, electric treatment of vegetables before cutting; seafood processing technologies; cannabinoid biosynthetic pathways
• Manufactured goods: Pipe welding scanner, manufactured flooring substrates and sound insulative materials, water slides
• Consumer goods: Water filters, jump starters
• Energy: Oil transfer systems, oil sands technology, coil tubing injectors, reactor pressure tube sampling device
• Mining: directional drilling, ventilation doors
• Chemical: Polysaccharide resin technology
• Aerospace: Optical components, satellite technology

Our team is invested in client success, whether that means obtaining a judgment in the courtroom, developing and implementing alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, or negotiating favourable settlement terms.

At the same time, our patent lawyers are trusted business advisors. They regularly help clients with commercial transactions and provide practical advice on regulatory issues affecting innovative companies. Our team leverages this expertise to deliver litigation advice tailored to the specific commercial and regulatory interests of our clients’ businesses.

Registration And Commercialization

Intellectual property — from inventions to designs — is often among a business’s most valuable assets. Our sophisticated team brings a multidisciplinary approach and a wealth of diverse experience to its work on commercializing patents and industrial designs. We work with our clients on all aspects of their patent and industrial design strategies, including:

• Advising on the patentability of inventions and the registrability of industrial designs
• Overseeing patent and industrial design registrations in Nigeria
• Preparing and filing applications 
• Assessing the ownership of rights in inventions and designs
• Analyzing the scope of patent and industrial design rights
• Negotiating licences and agreements
• Conducting due diligence and other strategic reviews
• Advising on commercial transactions involving patents and industrial designs

IP Audits in Nigeria

Many companies find that, despite the value of intellectual property to their business, they place too little importance on understanding what IP they own, what IP they use, and how to secure the rights they rely on every day. Often, these issues come into focus on the eve of an important transaction, when it’s too late to implement optimal solutions. Other times, the issues become apparent only through litigation that could have been avoided.

The Ashton team helps clients realize value and manage risk by designing and conducting systematic intellectual property audits. A careful IP audit can help avoid unnecessary surprises and identify potential threats. It can also reveal underutilized or undervalued assets that can boost a company’s bottom line.

We also help clients secure their intellectual property rights proactively by developing internal policies to govern the ownership, management, registration, and use of IP, as well as employment and non-disclosure agreements that help ensure that their IP is protected from the moment of its creation.