Commercial firm Matheson's IP practice is one of the best places to go in Ireland for contentious trade mark or copyright advice. The small team of four lawyers works from the firm's Dublin base, but it also has offices in London, New York and California. Apart from patent filing, the firm covers the full range of IP advice. UPC, Diageo and Danone are among its clients.
Head of IP Alistair Payne and senior associate Gerard Kelly are the firm's most prominent figures. Payne, in particular, is frequently praised and noted for being a good litigator.
The pair often works together. One ongoing case, which is due before the Commercial Court in 2013, sees the pair representing Calor Teoranta. The firm's client launched a trade mark infringement suit after it discovered its spent gas cylinders were being refilled and sold.
One long-running case for the IP team is the UPC file-sharing dispute. The firm successfully defended its client in the original matter, but has had to offer further guidance to UPC after a recent statutory instrument to permit injunctions against ISPs was introduced in Ireland.
Another high-profile matter for the firm came in summer 2012 when Gerard Kelly was instructed to act for UEFA and monitor the local market for any ambush marketing during the European Championships.