Maintaining a competitive edge

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"Withers & Rogers’ clear advice and swift action was invaluable in securing Intellectual Property protection for our improved clamp and we are confident that this protection will be a major commercial advantage as the new standard is adopted."
Geraint Evans, Managing Director
P&B Weir Electrical

P&B Weir Electrical is a major supplier of electrical safety equipment to the rail and electricity supply industry.

The issue

The company manufactures earthing clamps that are used during the installation and maintenance of power cables, among other products. The company instructed us to help protect the IP rights relating to an improved clamp it had designed to meet a new, higher industry standard. This protection would help to deter competitors from copying the design, maintaining the company’s competitive edge in the market.

The solution

We identified the patentable technical features of the clamp and filed patent applications to protect these. A Registered Community Design was also sought to protect its unique appearance. These were filed very quickly to ensure that protection was in place ahead of trials of the new clamp by a customer.

The outcome

The client was granted a Registered Community Design for the new clamp, which would have deterred competitors from producing identical copies. A UK patent has also been granted.

The patent will delay competitors’ entry into this market as they take time to develop their own products and it could also lead to substantial royalties for P&B Weir if they are able to license the new technology.