Welcome to IP STARS. Managing IP is delighted to announce the publication of the IP STARS 2020 rankings of the leading firms for copyright and related rights work.
IP STARS is an exclusive rankings publication: we do not rank all firms and individuals offering IP services. Congratulations to all the firms ranked this year.
Below you will find information about the copyright rankings and what to expect next, including the research for the 2021 edition.
Jurisdictions covered
This year’s copyright rankings cover more than 40 jurisdictions, some of which are featured below. For these jurisdictions, our research analysts evaluated and ranked firms for both contentious and non-contentious work. Read our research methodology below.
To check if a firm or individual in a particular jurisdiction is ranked this year, please use the region dropdown menu above to find their jurisdiction and see all the 2020 rankings or enter their name in the search bar.
Read about the other firm rankings we have published this year here.
AMERICAS
ASIA PACIFIC
EUROPE
What to expect next
Although we have two more rankings to publish to complete the 2020 edition, we will soon launch the research for the 2021 edition (see our updated timetable below). Any research information not used for this year’s edition will be considered during the research for the 2021 edition.
- August: 2021 edition research forms (see here) and registration (see here)
- September 1: 2021 edition research starts and our submission portal opens
- September: Rising Stars list 2020
- September 17: Q&A webinar for the 2021 edition research
- October 31: Submission deadline for the research forms for the 2021 edition
- December: 2020 firm rankings for IP transactions work
Please note that this timetable is subject to change.
Follow our announcements
Sign up to receive our monthly newsletter (here) or keep an eye on our news page and social media channels (Twitter and LinkedIn) for updates. Our marketing/business development team will contact all ranked firms and individuals.
Research methodology
The research for IP STARS rankings is conducted rigorously and impartially by our team of researchers in London, New York and Hong Kong. Each year we request information from thousands of firms, IP practitioners and their clients through interviews, email and online surveys. Before compiling the rankings, our research analysts also conducted their own independent research, including an analysis of publicly available information (such as court or IP office data) and existing data we hold on firms.
The aspects assessed for the firm rankings include expertise, workload, market reputation/record, outcomes achieved for clients, and unique strengths in a given practice area. Judgements about which firms to include in the rankings, and which tier and practice area they should be in, take account of all this information.
Firms are ranked alphabetically in tiers, or as highly recommended or recommended. The total number of firms listed varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. In most jurisdictions, the patent and trade mark rankings are split into prosecution and contentious work and we only have one table for copyright and related rights work. However, in smaller jurisdictions we evaluated and ranked firms for their IP practice as a whole.
Our prosecution ranking takes account of pre and post-registration work including office proceedings and portfolio management advice, whereas the contentious ranking covers all relevant disputes in that practice area. Where appropriate, some firms have been ranked for both practice areas.
For the copyright and related rights rankings, our analysts evaluated non-contentious and contentious work across all copyright-based sectors, including entertainment, media and software. Notably, the majority of the firms ranked also demonstrated that they can advise rights holders and users on complex copyright-related issues in the digital era.
The 2020 rankings are based primarily on information available at the time our market feedback research was completed (January 2020). Except for firm name changes, any subsequent developments or information that could influence our rankings will be considered during the research for the 2021 edition of IP STARS, which starts in September 2020.
For the avoidance of doubt, the ranking tables do not suggest or indicate that the expertise or services of the listed firms are limited to the practice area in question, and Managing IP does not recommend or endorse any particular firm for IP work.
No firm can pay to be included or to influence the results, and there is no fee to pay to participate in our research. The Managing IP awards and IP STARS rankings are not influenced by any commercial relationship, including advertising, with Managing IP or IP STARS.
Participation in our research does not guarantee ranking. The IP STARS rankings are subject to change each year. More information about our research methodology and the practice areas we cover are available on our website.
If you have any feedback or questions about IP STARS, please contact our research editor, Kingsley Egbuonu.
About IP STARS
IP STARS is the leading specialist guide to IP law firms and practitioners worldwide. The guide is an exclusive rankings publication: we do not rank all firms and individuals offering IP services.
Managing IP published its first legal directory in 1994 and rebranded it as IP STARS in 2013. The research for the guide covers a variety of IP practice areas and more than 70 jurisdictions, making it the most comprehensive and widely respected rankings publication in the IP industry. The IP STARS rankings are based on a weighted evaluation of information from different sources, including work data submitted by firms, independent research findings, and market feedback.