Managing IP is delighted to announce the publication of IP STARS 2019 rankings of the leading firms for copyright and related rights work. This year, we featured more than 40 jurisdictions. This is the third set of results from the research for the 2019 edition of IP STARS, which started in September 2018. The trade mark rankings and patent rankings were published in February and March, respectively.
IP STARS is not a directory of all firms offering IP services and therefore many firms, including those that participated in the research, have not been listed.
Congratulations to all the firms listed this year.
Methodology and rankings
The research for the rankings was conducted rigorously and impartially by our team of researchers in London, New York and Hong Kong. No firm can pay to be included or to influence the results. There is no fee to pay to participate in our research.
Each year our research analysts obtain 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 and IP office data) and existing data we hold on firms.
For the copyright rankings, our analysts evaluated non-contentious and contentious copyright and related rights work across all copyright-based sectors, including entertainment, media and software. Notably, the majority of the firms listed also demonstrated that they can advise rights holders and users on modern copyright issues in the digital age.
Firms are ranked alphabetically in tiers, or as highly recommended or recommended. The total number of firms listed varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. We hope to feature more jurisdictions in the future. Readers should also note that we have a general intellectual property ranking table for some jurisdictions.
The aspects assessed for the rankings include expertise, workload, market reputation/track 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. This makes IP STARS the most comprehensive and authoritative guide yet published.
For the avoidance of doubt, our rankings do not suggest or indicate that the IP expertise or services of the listed firms are limited to the practice area in question, and Managing IP does not recommend or endorse a particular firm for any IP work. IP STARS rankings are subject to change each year.
The 2019 rankings are based on information available at the time the research was completed (January 2019). Except for firm name changes, any subsequent information that could have an impact on these rankings will be considered during the research for the 2020 edition of IP STARS, which starts in September 2019.
What to expect in the coming months
The IP STARS Trade Mark/Copyright Handbook (global edition) and the US edition of IP STARS will be published in May while the Patent Handbook will be available in July. The practitioner listings (‘the IP Stars’) for 2019 will be confirmed next month. IP STARS Handbooks are widely distributed and copies can be found at IP industry events we attend such as the INTA Annual Meeting.
The IP STARS Handbook includes all the relevant firm rankings, the list of the leading IP practitioners (including the Top 250 Women in IP and Corporate IP Stars), and our editorial commentary on some of the ranked firms. The contents of the handbooks, pertinent market feedback on some of the ranked firms, and the remaining US firm rankings will be available online in the summer. The second edition of Managing Intellectual Property Rising Stars will be published later in the year.
Follow us on Twitter (@IP_STARS) or visit our news page for updates and announcements. If you have any feedback or questions about IP STARS please contact the research editor, Kingsley Egbuonu kingsley.egbuonu@managingip.com
