Medical & life sciences

Agriculture

The agriculture industry is of central importance to human life and there is urgent pressure to improve efficiency and develop more sustainable practices. New regulatory freedom in the UK, Europe and elsewhere is allowing areas such as insect protein and laboratory grown meat to be explored. Advances in information technology mean that smart farming is becoming possible.

Overview

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Intellectual property rights useful in the agriculture industry include patents and plant variety rights, as well as designs and trade marks. Expert advice is essential, as there are patentability exclusions relating to biological methods (such as plant cross-breeding) and medical methods (which may be relevant to treatments for agricultural animals).

Our expertise in this sector includes aquaculture and agrochemicals, including herbicides. We also work in the field of microalgae production for use in foodstuffs. We work with large companies, building and protecting patent portfolios, and advising on and challenging third party rights to ensure freedom to operate.

Global patent advice for an agricultural feed company

We represent a longstanding client in the area of aquaculture. We draft and prosecute patents as part of a global patent portfolio for fish feeds. We regularly represent our client in European Patent Office oppositions, with a high success rate.