Terms & Conditions

To ensure a relaxed yet efficient relationship with our Clients, we set out below our Terms of Business. Your understanding and observance of them will help the relationship to be successful. All professional work we carry out will be in accord with these terms.

1. We welcome work from both new and existing clients. Nonetheless, we reserve the right to decline to accept work, and may have to do so, for example, if a conflict of interest with another client will arise. All information received by us and not already in the public domain, will be kept confidential until such time as it enters the public domain (e.g. when a patent application is published). This does not preclude us delegating work to another qualified patent agent or trade mark attorney or his/her firm to act in regard to any matter.
   
2. We rely on clients to give us timely, complete, and accurate information and instructions. Patent Offices often impose time limits. We accept no liability if you do not provide clear and complete instructions early enough for us to act within official time limits. We will normally tell you of time limits, and of actions or instructions that are required, but we do not undertake to give reminders.
   
3. We require you to notify us promptly of any change of personnel or address, or of any change in ownership of rights. Many such changes have to be officially registered. Also, please remember that the obtaining of patents, trade marks and design rights can take many years.
   
4. We require you to confirm all oral instructions in writing.
   
5. If requested we will give approximations of future costs. They will be given in good faith based on knowledge existing at the time, but they are not binding as costs may be affected by matters beyond our control, and the amount of work likely to be involved often cannot be accurately forecast.
   
6. All actions and attention provided by us are chargeable. These include telephone calls, reminders and reporting on communications that we may receive as your agent or as an official Address for Service. The charging basis we generally adopt is a combination of (i) time charges, (ii) standard charges for particular kinds of work, and (iii) costs including disbursements and official fees. Overseas disbursements charged to us are converted to sterling with an on-cost factor inter alia to accommodate potentially unfavourable currency fluctuations.
   
7. We may require payment on account, particularly in respect of large items such as fees and expenses to be incurred in foreign filings and actions.
   
8. Our invoices are payable net, by return. We are entitled to charge interest at Barclays Bank base rate on any overdue account.
   
9. If payment is not made in due time we reserve the right to suspend further work: It is important to note that rights may be lost if this happens.
   
10. Unless some other arrangement is specifically agreed, in advance, in writing by us, the organisation or person who gives us instructions will be regarded as responsible for paying us.
    
11. Our files may be destroyed when no longer current. Please therefore tell us if you require the return of any papers or other materials you supplied to us. We reserve the right to retain any papers, Certificates and materials until all payments due to us have been made. Our own files remain our property. If work is transferred from us to another representative, the files remain with us; access to them will be provided subject to a charge for the work involved.
    
12. As we always try to provide an excellent professional ser
    vice to all our clients, we do need to know if you are at any time dissatisfied with the service you have received from us. Should that arise, we will seek to settle the matter to your satisfaction in direct discussion with you. If after this you remain dissatisfied, you should contact the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents which will consider your complaint and seek to resolve the issue. The Chartered Institute’s complaints system is subject to scrutiny by the Legal Services Ombudsman to whom, if necessary, one may refer the way in which the Chartered Institute has handled a complaint. No material change to the above terms is valid unless agreed in writing by a partner.
    

Yours faithfully

Bromhead Johnson

Further information, advice, and an indication of likely costs, can be obtained from Bromhead Johnson or any other Patent Agent/Attorney

© E. Eder 2004 and Bromhead Johnson 2008