Major UK merger: AA Thornton joins forces with Venner Shipley
As of December, patent attorney firms AA Thornton and Venner Shipley will merge and operate under the Venner Shipley name. It is one of the largest mergers in the UK IP market in recent years. With this step, both law firms are combining their capacities in the European IP business and for UPC advice.
20 November 2024 by Laura King
The two UK IP firms have joined forces. Following the merger, the new constellation will have a headcount of 230, including 46 partners. It will maintain six offices across the UK in London, Cambridge, Guildford, Manchester, Tunbridge Wells, and Oxford, as well as offices in Munich and Alicante.
According to a press release, the firm will provide full service in IP, covering patents, trademarks, design, copyright and litigation, including pan-European services from Germany and Spain.
When asked by JUVE Patent about the reasons for the merger, Venner Shipley’s managing partner Siân Gill said, “Bringing together the experience of the two firms enhances our ability to support clients with European IP rights, including representation before the Unified Patent Court. By combining our expertise, we can offer more comprehensive assistance in UPC-related patent litigation, strategy, and enforcement across Europe strengthening our capacity to handle patent disputes under the new UPC system.”
Venner Shipley bulks up
AA Thornton was founded in 1911 and has offices in London, Oxford and Alicante. It is active in patent, trademarks and design law with a team of 24 UK and European patent attorneys and lawyers. The patent attorney practice is known for work concerning chemistry, digital communication and computer technology, as well as energy and environmental technology. Some well known clients include Allegro MicroSystems, Chevron Phillips Chemical, T-Mobile.
Adrian Bennett, managing partner at AA Thornton, says, “We are delighted to join Venner Shipley. Together, we will be able to offer our clients a rich pool of talent with further resources.”
Full-service IP firm Venner Shipley provides IP advice in science, technology and design. It is particularly well known for work concerning pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, digital communication and computer technology, as well as electronics. It also has an advisory focus on AI patents. The firm has represented high-profile clients such as Google, Nokia, Regeneron, Biogen, and Procter & Gamble.
One prominent case was the UK High Court hearing in Philip Morris vs BAT over heat-not-burn patents in November 2023. Venner Shipley partner and patent attorney Phil Harrison was part of the team representing BAT alongside Kirkland & Ellis.
Sian Gill
Siân Gill says, “Our shared values and complementary strengths will allow us to continue growing in a highly competitive market. The combination ensures we remain at the forefront of IP law, providing the resources and expertise to support clients across all sectors.”
Front and centre at UPC
Furthermore, AA Thornton has 10 patent attorneys registered as UPC representatives, while Venner Shipley has 57, bringing the new total to 67. The move to shore up forces comes as the UPC finds its feet and judgments are coming thick and fast.
The firm recently played a role in the high-profile Ocado case concerning transparency and access to documents. Freshfields partner Chris Stothers had requested access to the documents in Ocado vs Autostore. The case made it all the way to the UPC Court of Appeal. Venner Shipley partner and patent attorney Peter Thorniley was part of an eight-strong team representing Stothers at the hearing in Luxembourg in March. Judges dismissed Ocado’s appeal in April.
Venner Shipley patent attorneys are also involved in other UPC cases. However, they are not acting as main representatives, for example in Playtech Software vs ccc or Oppo vs Panasonic, but are providing advice in the background. JUVE Patent does not have any details about the UPC advisory activities of AA Thornton.
Growth course
Venner Shipley has undergone a period of growth in recent years, having bolstered its London biotech practice in 2021 with Kirsty Simpson (now Kirsty Dolphin). It also strengthened the Munich office with German and European trademark and design attorney Mechthild Liebelt.
Prior to this, Venner Shipley acquired trademark and patent attorney firm Brookes IP, which advised on patents and trademarks focusing on medical devices and advanced engineering.
However, the firm’s Munich office lost counsel Michael Fischer to Forrersters last October. He had worked alongside UK partner Pawel Piotrowicz on the ground-breaking EPO case G 1/19 regarding the patentability of computer-implemented simulations.
