High-Tech & Engineering

What exactly is High-Tech and Engineering?

Engineering is, by definition, the blending of design, machines, structures and technology and spans a countless number of industries and markets, including electrical engineering to software engineering, chemical engineering and mechanical engineering. High-Tech Engineering generally involves leading-edge technologies which are used to produce quality precision-engineered components and mechanical assemblies that have a game changing impact in their sector.

We would regularly see the like of software, cloud-based technology, artificial intelligence, telecoms and lighting (among many other products) being included in this sector.

Green Technology

In recent years, Green Technology has become more and more important in terms of our impact on the planet. Companies and individuals have an obligation to be more responsible in how we use our resources; natural (limited) and otherwise (potentially destructive). Green Technology is about the long and short-term impact an invention has on the environment. Green Technologies are environmentally friendly inventions that often involve energy efficiency, recycling, safety and health concerns, renewable resources, and more.

Why is IP for this sector so important?

Having established that your invention is commercially viable, applying for a patent is a critical step in its development. A patent application is necessary for inventions that are viable business opportunities and will give your business an advantage over its competitors. It will protect your technology from being exploited (made, sold, used or copied) and will safeguard the commercial benefit for the life of the patent. The absence of a patent leaves you vulnerable to the reverse engineering of your manufacturing processes and copying your product. This will have been done with much less of a financial commitment in terms of R&D, which opens the market to a lower selling price.

The longer the R&D cycle, the greater the requirement for capital investment. In many cases, patents are sometimes the most critical means of recouping your initial investment and the IP itself is an essential element of a successful business model.

High-Tech and Engineering; IP for Strategy

A strategic patent policy adds considerable value to a tech company, even if there is no intention of enforcing or licensing patents. By filing patents that you might not use because they reach optimal standards, or you simply choose not to use, restricts the ability of competitors to establish which of your inventions are commercially viable.

Successful patent applications, when combined with thought leadership and marketing, helps establish your company as an industry trailblazer, further boosting commercial opportunities.

Our Specialist team

Led by one of our founding Directors, Michael Lucey,  our specialist High-Tech and Engineering team each hold their own qualifications in Technology-based disciplines and, prior to transferring their skills to that of a Patent Attorney, spent many years gaining invaluable experience working in the technology industry. Between them, they specialise in electronics and photonics, applied computing, software, optoelectronics and mechanical engineering.