The national trade mark rankings, which we first revealed in the spring edition of the Managing IP magazine, feature the leading firms for trade mark filing/prosecution and contentious work. The rankings cover jurisdictions in Africa, Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Middle East.
These are the first confirmed ranking results from the research for the 2020 edition of IP STARS, which started in September 2019. We have more rankings to announce in the coming weeks and months and therefore we will continue with our research. Any research information not considered for this year’s edition will be used for the 2021 edition.
Unless and until we say otherwise in an official announcement on our news page, readers should please note that any other rankings or related information on our website are from the 2019 edition of IP STARS.
To check to see if a firm has been ranked this year for trade mark work, enter the name in the search bar or use the regional navigation tab above to see the jurisdictions we currently cover and the 2020 trade mark firm rankings we have published.
IP STARS is not a directory of all firms and individuals offering IP services. Participation in our research does not guarantee ranking.
Congratulations to all the firms ranked this year.
What to expect next
The current individual practitioner rankings and editorial commentary (i.e. under the 'Review' tab) on a firm’s page are from the 2019 edition of IP STARS. The individual practitioner rankings for 2020 (Trade Mark Stars and Patent Stars) will be confirmed and announced this month. We will publish a separate announcement concerning the individual practitioner rankings this month and will start updating the editorial commentary in May.
Our marketing/business development team will contact the relevant ranked individuals directly in due course.
In April, we will publish the trade mark firm rankings for California, District of Columbia, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and New York and the general IP rankings in other existing jurisdictions such as Greece and Pakistan and new jurisdictions such as Bolivia and Paraguay.
Managing IP will reveal the 2020 firm rankings for patent work in the summer issue of the magazine; the patent rankings will be published on this website in June. The IP STARS Trademark Handbook (global edition) and the US edition of IP STARS will be available in May, whereas the Patent Handbook (global edition) will be published in July.
The IP STARS Handbook includes all the relevant firm rankings and the list of the leading IP practitioners. Our handbooks are widely distributed and free copies are available at notable IP industry events we attend.
Read our full publication timeline here.
If you have any feedback or questions about IP STARS, please contact us at research@managingip.com
About IP STARS
IP STARS is the leading specialist guide to IP law firms and practitioners worldwide. Managing IP published its first legal directory in 1994 and rebranded it in 2013 as IP STARS. The research for IP STARS covers a variety of IP practice areas and more than 70 jurisdictions, making it the most comprehensive and widely respected guide in the IP profession.
Methodology
The research for these rankings was 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. For most jurisdictions the rankings are split into prosecution and contentious work. However, in smaller jurisdictions we evaluated and ranked firms for their IP practice as a whole.
The prosecution ranking takes account of pre and post-registration work including office proceedings and portfolio management advice, whereas the contentious ranking covers trade mark-related disputes including anti-counterfeiting work. Where appropriate, some firms have been ranked for both practice areas.
These rankings are based on information available at the time the research was completed. Except for firm name changes, any subsequent developments or information that could influence our trade mark 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. The Managing IP awards and IP STARS rankings are not influenced by any commercial relationship, including advertising, with Managing IP or IP STARS. There is no fee to pay to participate in our research.
IP STARS rankings are subject to change each year. Click here to learn more about our research.