Notwithstanding the difficulties that can be encountered in seeking patent monopoly in the Fin-tech and insurance technologies sector, Mathys & Squire has an enviable reputation for discovering features that are protectable by patents and securing valuable patent protection. This arises from our deep understanding of inventions on the edges of patentability and our near-obsessive quest for the nuggets of innovation that often lie well hidden in the processes or software of a given client.

By working closely with inventors, we are able to quickly focus our efforts in describing and protecting the innovative features.  Such a focused approach also allows material that would likely be non-patentable to be left out of a patent application and maintained as trade secrets.  This keeps costs low and avoids, in effect, donating the non-patentable subject matter to the public and to competitors.

An area of expertise that we have developed which is of particular interest to our clients in the Fin-tech and insurance technologies sectors is the obtaining of patents suited for securing the valuable Patent Box tax benefits in the UK. This typically involves gaining a thorough understanding of a client’s underlying business and revenue streams so as to ensure maximum Patent Box coverage at minimum cost.

In a sector where patents are increasingly prevalent, we are often called upon to assist clients in developing non-infringing solutions (where sometimes we have been involved in the inventive process itself) and in negotiating appropriate licences.

Other forms of intellectual property protection can also be valuable, in particular, registered designs for consumer-facing products. For example, if a user interface is particularly striking or enables an efficient user journey, such design aspects can be protected quickly and inexpensively by design registration in addition (in appropriate circumstances) to patent registration.

Clients that we have advised include HSBC, UBS, Man Group, FfastFill and Retirement Advantage.

Meet the team Make an enquiry