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A leading European IP firm

Our vision is to be Europe’s IP firm of choice, a goal that drives every aspect of our business.

For our clients, this means more than just providing services. We build strong personal relationships and assemble multi-disciplinary teams of experts who deeply understand, and often have firsthand experience in, the clients’ industry. This approach allows us to deliver tailored solutions that resonate with our clients’ unique needs. Our commitment to investing in our people is unwavering. We empower our team to be their authentic selves and to excel in everything they do. Through technology, strategic recruitment and confident leadership, we are cultivating an environment where innovation thrives and our people are positioned to lead the industry.

This is why we confidently deliver tangible and sustainable value to our clients’ businesses, ensuring their intellectual property is protected and optimized for success.

Knowledge Hub

The HGF Knowledge Hub is your destination for the latest insights, updates and perspectives on IP and innovation. It brings together expert analysis and practical guidance from our specialists across a wide range of sectors.

Go to the Knowledge Hub
HGF Presents
Sep 7 2026

G1/24 - Claim interpretation at the EPO

The order of G1/24 has recast the way in which the language in patent claims is to be interpreted in Europe. This video explores how patent claims were interpreted prior to G1/24 and how the order of G1/24 has changed patent practice in Europe. Additionally, the video explores some of the consequences of this change and provides some suggestions as to how patent drafting might be adapted to take these changes into account.
Robert Walton
Rob Walton

Partner

G1/24 - Claim interpretation at the EPO
HGF Presents
Sep 7 2026

Patentability of AI and computer inventions in the UK

In February 2026, the UK Supreme Court in Emotional perception overturned the leading case law on assessing the patent eligibility of inventions. The court provided some guidance on how to assess whether inventions fall into the subject matter exclusions, but stopped short of explicitly setting out the full test. Instead they sent the case back to the UK IPO, who have now issued a practice note. In this episode, we discuss the background of this practice note and how it might impact patent appli...
Oliver Pooley
Oliver Pooley

Partner & Patent Attorney

Patentability of AI and computer inventions in the UK
HGF Presents
Sep 7 2026

EU Pharma Package

Far-reaching changes to pharmaceutical legislation in the European Union (EU) will soon come into force – which will affect both the research-based pharmaceutical and the generic and biosimilar industries. This video explains what is changing, and the impact of the changes on regulatory and patent-based exclusivity on pharmaceutical products in the EU in the future.
Garreth Duncan
Garreth Duncan

Partner & European and UK Patent Attorney

EU Pharma Package
HGF Presents
Sep 7 2026

European Regional Phase Procedure

This episode of HGF Presents provides an overview of the European regional phase procedure for PCT applications. It explains the key stages from entry through grant, highlighting important EPO communications and providing practical guidance for each stage. The video also explores options for accelerating prosecution before the EPO.
Joseph Todd
Delphine Laute-Caly

European Regional Phase Procedure
Go to the Knowledge Hub

Three core areas for a complete service offering

Prepare

Our dedicated, specialist attorneys are skilled in maximising value at the vital early stages of a technical innovation, laying the foundations for powerful, long-term protection.

Select a service to find out more.

Protect

Our expertise in optimising IP to maximise our clients' business objectives. Our breadth and depth of experience and knowledge allows us to take-on complex challenges and provide protection.

Select a service to find out more.

Enforce & exploit

Our in-house litigation, oppositions and appeals teams are highly skilled with a proven track record in securing successful outcomes in some of the most contentious, high-profile cases in Europe.

Select a service to find out more.

Industries

By tapping into rich in-house experience, our attorneys truly understand the different business landscapes in which we specialise.

Creative, media & entertainment

We work with a considerable number of creative, media and entertainment companies to guide and advise on protecting the intellectual property which they create.

Energy

From the sunny climes of Brazil to the tar sands of Canada, countries have different natural resources to generate energy, with varying government priorities and approaches to IP.

FemTech

Our accomplished FemTech team are experts in patent drafting, prosecution, appeals, FTO and infringement opinions, and litigation for large corporate firms, SMEs, universities, and overseas associates

Finance

IP rights underpin a lot of value in the finance industry. They are all too often the unappreciated core of commercial or investment banking services, foreign exchange, investment services, research, fund and asset management, insurance, financial exports, stock exchanges and clearing houses, accountancy and audit, and every business allied to the sector.

Food & drink

Food and Drink is a diverse and innovative sector where businesses from global conglomerates to bio-tech based start-ups strive to meet the demands of a truly challenging market.

Healthcare

The healthcare sector has a long history of life-changing innovation, with new and evolving technology at its core.

Pharmaceuticals

Combining technical expertise and industry experience, our pharmaceuticals team provides comprehensive support and advice for every stage of a product’s development and lifespan.

Retail

From bricks and mortar to online retail, there are challenging times ahead, with technology and ethics driving developments across the sector.

Sector groups

Our attorneys combine impressive academic and industry experience with strong commercial acumen to deliver world-class, specialist IP support.

Chemistry

The chemical and pharmaceutical fields are constantly evolving as new chemicals, drugs, compositions, materials and processes are needed to meet the ever increasing demands of tomorrow’s world.

Law

Our law team provides services which complement those provided by HGF’s patent and trade mark attorneys, covering IP litigation, transactional IP, commercial law, data protection and privacy, due diligence and IP advisory work.

Life sciences

Technology specific legal issues abound in this sector, with route to market often involving rigorous regulation; factors to be understood when developing appropriate long-term patent strategies that maximise exclusivity and drive business success.

Technology & engineering

The Technology & Engineering landscape is evolving, with new innovations driving change across industries. Our team helps to protect and commercialise cutting-edge developments in this dynamic environment.

Trade marks

As businesses increasingly put 'brand' at the heart of their growth strategies, trade marks play a vital role in protecting equity and driving economic growth.

Latest Updates

Articles
Sep 3 2026

T 0847/24 – New EPO Case Law Informs Strategy for AI-Assisted Engineering Design Patents

The recent EPO Board of Appeal decision T 0847/24 sets out that, when AI is involved in product design, the patent claims should follow the process through from digital model to manufactured reality if that is the invention to be protected. It was ruled that a patentee could not, after grant, add a manufacturing step to a claim that had originally been directed only to a computer-implemented method for generating configuration data for a customised implant. The Board found that such an amendm...
Gearoid Moran
Gearoid Moran

Senior European Patent Attorney

T 0847/24 – New EPO Case Law Informs Strategy for AI-Assisted Engineering Design Patents
ENERGY + IP
Aug 13 2026

Fuelling IP: Navigating the Patent Landscape: An Introduction for Energy Innovators

In today’s fast-evolving energy sector, innovation is essential – but so is knowing where to innovate. Understanding the intellectual property (IP) landscape is more than a legal exercise, it’s a strategic advantage. Landscape searching helps companies identify where others are filing patents, where gaps exist, and where opportunities lie. Whether you’re working on solar panels, offshore wind, or oil and gas, this approach can guide smarter R&D efforts and investment decisions. What Is Landscap...
Joseph Todd
Craig Morrison

Fuelling IP: Navigating the Patent Landscape: An Introduction for Energy Innovators
HGF Event
Jul 24 2026

Basel seminar - New developments in SPCs

VENUE - Der Teufelhof Basel, The Archaeological Cellar Join us on Wednesday 16th September 5:30 - 8:00 pm (CEST) for our seminar on the latest developments in Supplementary Protection Certificates (SPCs) in Europe. HGF Partner Garreth Duncan will provide an update on key developments in SPC law and discuss the implications for rights holders. Garreth has deep experience in chemical patents, particularly pharmaceuticals, from both private practice and as an in-house attorney at Pfizer, and ...
16th September 2026
Basel seminar - New developments in SPCs
HGF Presents
Sep 7 2026

Patentability of AI and computer inventions in the UK

In February 2026, the UK Supreme Court in Emotional perception overturned the leading case law on assessing the patent eligibility of inventions. The court provided some guidance on how to assess whether inventions fall into the subject matter exclusions, but stopped short of explicitly setting out the full test. Instead they sent the case back to the UK IPO, who have now issued a practice note. In this episode, we discuss the background of this practice note and how it might impact patent appli...
Oliver Pooley
Oliver Pooley

Partner & Patent Attorney

Patentability of AI and computer inventions in the UK
Legal Updates
Mar 9 2026

UK Court Reflects on Anti-suits, Comity and Coordination in RAND Litigation

Amazon.Com, Inc. [& ors] v Interdigital VC Holdings, Inc. [& ors] – Meade J –[2026] EWHC 499 (Pat) – 05 March 2026 Mr Justice Meade permitted Amazon to make a declaration limiting its RAND action in the UK, as ordered by the Mannheim Local Division of the UPC.  The Mannheim LD required Amazon to make the declaration in the UPC and UK proceedings to prevent it from being in contempt of the anti-suit injunction the Mannheim LD had ordered.  Meade reluctantly accepted the declaration and provide...
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Aug 26 2026

HGF Achieves ISO/IEC 27001 Certification

HGF has achieved ISO/IEC 27001 certification, the internationally recognised standard for information security management. This certification reflects our ongoing commitment to protecting client information, maintaining robust information security practices, and continually strengthening our systems and processes. It provides independent assurance that HGF operates a comprehensive Information Security Management System (ISMS) aligned with internationally recognised best practice. As a firm...
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Fashionably IP
Aug 21 2026

Social media influencers and liability in the world of fashion: The Georgia Aldridge case

Social media influencers and liability in the world of fashion: The Georgia Aldridge case Rebecca Field (nee Tilbury) and Lee Curtis interview Theo Barclay of 4 New Square on the recent IPEC case of Fendi Italia SRL, Loewe S.A., Christian Dior Couture S.A, Celine S.A and LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE against Rolo Fashion Limited and Georgia Aldridge regarding the sale of non-genuine branded fashion products by the social media influencer Georgia Aldridge. We delve into the facts of the ...
Social media influencers and liability in the world of fashion: The Georgia Aldridge case
HGF Presents
Sep 7 2026

G1/24 - Claim interpretation at the EPO

The order of G1/24 has recast the way in which the language in patent claims is to be interpreted in Europe. This video explores how patent claims were interpreted prior to G1/24 and how the order of G1/24 has changed patent practice in Europe. Additionally, the video explores some of the consequences of this change and provides some suggestions as to how patent drafting might be adapted to take these changes into account.
Robert Walton
Rob Walton

Partner

G1/24 - Claim interpretation at the EPO