Intellectual Property Law

Overview

At Nzamba Kitonga Advocates LLP our Patent and Trademark Agents cover all fields of technology, providing competent and relevant advice for the protection of your innovations. Our clients retain our services to register, prosecute, defend and assert patents, utility models, trademarks and design rights.

We also provide expert opinion in IP adjudication at national and international courts, and official patent and trademark institutes. Due to our exceptional international credentials and experience, we often support our in-house counsel clients on issues arising from national and international Patent, Trademark, Unfair Competition and Data Protection matters.

We are multilingual with multicultural expertise maintained through our regional network, advising domestic and foreign corporations, law firms, tech start-ups and individual innovators.

Sectors We Advise

Computing
Biotechnology
Chemistry
Electrical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Pharmaceuticals

International Representation

Our patent counsel represent client interests across the following organisations, ensuring comprehensive protection from local to global level.

KIPI

Kenya Institute of Industrial Property

Local protection of innovations within Kenya.

ARIPO

Africa Regional Intellectual Property Organization

Protection of innovations within the African continent.

WIPO

World Intellectual Property Organization

Global protection for international innovations.

Our Services

We offer the following services under our patent practice:

Patent Drafting

A strongly drafted patent is essential to the success of any filing made at the patent office. The examination process is rigorous and can take a fair amount of time. Poorly drafted patents may result in rejection — bearing in mind that once a patent grant is published, others may file opposition to the claim.

Prior Art Search

Our team draws experience from different technical fields which is essential to providing an effective patent searching service. We use global databases including Google Patents, USPTO, Espacenet, JPO, Micropatch, Patent Lens, Patent Buddy, IP.com, Google Scholar, IEEE, ACM, Springer, and research papers from various technical journals and conferences.

Patent Filing

Our team of experienced patent counsel and agents will walk hand in hand with clients through this complex process — from the application, examination, and eventual grant of the patent claim. In cases where client claims are rejected, our counsel are also equipped to prosecute and defend appeals before the KIPI tribunal.

National Phase & Patent Translation Services

Because the bulk of our patent practice involves national phase filings, we have set up a dedicated translation department to support our team with expert staff on patent translations, elaborate quality standards, and terminology and stylistic variations in accordance with client demands.

IP Due Diligence

We assist corporations assess the value of their IP assets. Often technology companies are sitting on valuable IP assets without being aware of it. Our team undertakes due diligence on current IP assets and advises on various aspects of commercialisation, thereby assisting our clients to maximise the value of their innovation.

Licensing & Assignment

Many innovators are persons with technical skills who often lack the wherewithal to commercialise their inventions. Our IP counsel assist innovators in negotiating IP licensing deals, ensuring that client interests are safeguarded and they benefit from the commercialisation of their inventions.

Infringement Litigation

Our counsel are experienced litigators of infringement suits as well as IP Arbitration and Mediation — protecting innovators and inventors who have invested in R&D from counterfeiters of their products and services.

Careers