Top 10 Intellectual Property Law Firms in Nigeria

Intellectual Property covers areas of civil and criminal legal dealings related to copyright, patent and trademarks. Advisory work and litigations concerning trade secrets and other intellectual property rights also feature. Below are ten of the outstanding law firms practicing Intellectual Property Law in Nigeria.

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Kabbiz Legal & Advisory

Website: https://kabbizlegal.com

Practice areas

Our comprehensive range of IP services are as follows:

• Industrial Designs: Including Filing and registering local and foreign industrial designs in Nigeria, Processing applications for the registration and renewal of Industrial Designs, Performing Registry searches for the availability of Industrial Designs for registration, Processing Industrial Design renewals, and Taking out Action against third-party infringers.
• Trademarks: Including Preliminary legal advisory on Trademarks, Clearance searches, Filing and registering Trademarks in Nigeria and ARIPO, Conducting Trademark opposition proceedings, Performing searches for the availability of Trademarks for registration, Renewing Trademarks, Instituting proceedings against third-party infringers, Office Actions, and Amendment of Trademarks and other details in registered Trademarks.
• Patents: Including Registering Patents, Assisting clients with the payment of annuities for their Patents, and Third Party and other Office Actions.
• Copyrights: Including Registration of copyrights and Taking out actions against infringers.

Contact us

Kingsley Ani is in charge of the IP & Technology practice at Kabbiz Legal & Advisory. Ani has considerable experience advising manufacturing companies and Brands in North America and Asia on the protection of their IP portfolio in Nigeria. The Firm can be contacted via [email protected].

10. G. Elias

G. Elias is a leading Nigerian business law firm founded nearly 30 years ago. Our intellectual property practice is perhaps our most international and pan-African practice. We are recognized intellectual property experts and we work frequently to protect intellectual property rights in multiple jurisdictions where intellectual property rights are key, and on:

• filing, registration and renewals of trademarks, patents, designs, copyright and domain names
• IP portfolio management
• searching and clearance
• disputes and enforcement including online
• commercialisation of IP rights (advising on franchising licensing)
• “due diligence” and IP audits
• drafting and negotiating of IP agreements
• foreign advisory currency remittances to licensing

Contact

If you would like to discuss your intellectual property matters with our team, get in touch today to arrange an initial consultation by completing our online enquiry form or calling us on +234 1 4607890 or +234 1 2806970.

9. SPA Ajibade & Co

Our intellectual property unit is involved in the maintenance, protection and enforcement of our clients’ industrial and intellectual property rights either in isolation or as an offshoot of related transactional matters. Some of these areas include Entertainment and Media, Art, Sports, Trademarks, Copyright, Patents and Trade Secrets as well as licensing and ancillary international trade issues.

We are particularly skilled in all maintenance work at the Nigerian Trademarks and Patents Registry involving the application for, publication, registration and renewals of trademarks.

Contact

John Onyido is the partner in charge of the Firm’s Intellectual Property and Technology Department and is currently overseeing our nascent Energy, Infrastructure and Natural Resources sector. John has garnered considerable experience and expertise in the field of Intellectual Property Law both in the general maintenance of various IP rights and related litigation.

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8. Allan & Ogunkeye

At Allan & Ogunkeye clients benefit from our well established expertise and extensive practice of Intellectual Property law. We provide a wide range of services which includes:

• Trademarks, Patents and Industrial Designs Registration, Maintenance, Protection and Enforcement.
• Copyright Protection and Enforcement
• Trade Dress and Trade Description protection and enforcement

7. Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie

Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie has developed considerable experience with various aspects of intellectual property protection and product and brand management in Nigeria.

The team has assisted diverse clients in the FMCG, food and beverages, cosmetics and other sectors, by introducing various brands and products into the Nigerian market and protecting their branding rights. The team routinely advises clients on the registration of trade and service marks at the Nigerian Trade Marks Registry.

The team provides additional services including registration, enforcement, transfer and revalidation of trademarks; registrations and renewals of patents and designs, advising on third party and office actions, preparing and registering technology transfer agreements at the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), registration with the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), as well as advising on franchising and distributorship arrangements in Nigeria.

6. Denton ACAS

Protecting ideas, concepts, operating plans and know-how can become a difficult challenge for many businesses.

At Dentons ACAS-Law, we recognise the importance of the protection of intellectual property rights. Our clients benefit from our well established expertise and extensive practice of intellectual property law.

The firm’s practice within this specialty is diverse and includes working with clients to ensure the safe-keeping of internal business operating information, product or service information, works of authorship and advertising including the protection of trademarks, service marks and trade names.

5. Aelex

ǼLEX is a leading Commercial & Dispute Resolution law firm. We are one of the largest full-service law firms in West Africa with offices in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja in Nigeria and Accra, Ghana.

We provide legal services involving commercial practice areas that cover a broad spectrum of matters relating to Project Finance, Litigation & Arbitration, Oil & Gas, Agriculture, Capital Market & Securities Law, Power, Tax Law, International Trade Law, Securities Law, Energy & Infrastructure, Banking & Finance Law, Aviation & Maritime Law, Intellectual Property Law, Technology Law, Telecommunications Law, Media & Entertainment and Financial Technology.

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4. O. Kayode & Co.

We are, first and foremost, an intellectual property law firm. We provide “one-stop shopping” for IP services, plus a customized set of corporate and commercial services essential to national and international intellectual property owners. 

With a continent as large as Africa, comprising more than fifty different governments, it is no wonder that our clients consider pursuing an IP strategy in Nigeria and Africa. At O. Kayode & Co we have been honing our skills for nearly twenty five years and we know our environment well. Protecting intellectual property in Africa can and should be done.

Our lawyers have been effective in situations where others have given up. Clients value our knowledge and commitment to protect their interests. Our office is located in Lagos, the commercial hub of Nigeria, from where we have access to the business side of protecting and enforcing your Trademarks, Patents and Designs.

3. Banwo & Ighodalo

The Intellectual Property and Technology Group (IPTG) works with clients to attain effective protection for their brands, intangible assets, concepts and business operating plans.

We provide well thought through, practical and commercially sensible legal solutions to clients with respect to their intellectual property and technology acquisition needs. This entails provision of legal advice on their Intellectual Property (IP) rights in relation to brand names and their usage, creative works and inventions, product development, licensing and exploitation of intellectual property rights and acquisition and transfer of technology.

2. Aluko & Oyebode

We are the premier IP legal team to turn to in Nigeria, Africa when establishing and protecting your invaluable intellectual property rights, both here in Africa and worldwide. Our expert IP team is recognised by Chambers Global Guide 2018 as a leader in copyright law and intellectual property rights.

Our comprehensive range of intellectual property rights services includes:

• Conducting opposition proceeding
• Drafting, reviewing, and amending all business and legal documents related to intellectual property rights
• Filing trademark applications for trademark registration in Nigeria
• Handling trademark matters, including renewal and cancellation
• Investigating the ownership of intellectual property rights
• Performing searches for availability of trademarks
• Providing services designed to protect trade and software secrets
• Processing patent applications etc.

1. Jackson, Etti, & Edu

Our Intellectual property protection specialists have amassed vast experience over the years in a wide range of trademark issues and have built a strong team to deal solely with the prosecution of trademarks and other issues arising there from. Our aim is to always provide prompt excellent trademark services.

Trademarks

Our Trademark team provides the following services:

• Preliminary advice on registrability and other general advisory work
• Clearance searches
• Registration
• 3rd Party and other Office Actions
• Amendment of trademarks etc.

Patents

We have a deep appreciation of Patent rights, as valuable business assets for both organizations and individuals who seek to establish effective and lawful barriers to competition. We therefore encourage our clients to seek patent protection for their innovations before same are adopted or exploited by the competition. Obtaining this protection provides them with a legal recourse to recover damages in the event of patent infringement.

Designs

A registered design protects the aesthetic appearance of an article. The Nigerian Patents & Designs Act allows for the registration of 2 different types of designs:

• Combinations of lines or colours or both (e.g. Textile Designs)
• Three-dimensional designs ( e.g. product packaging )