GLASGOW-based intellectual property firm Murgitroyd has acquired a practice based in England as the firm continues with its consolidation drive in the sector.
Murgitroyd said the acquisition of UDL Intellectual Property would make the enlarged group one of Europe’s largest IP firms.
The price of the deal was not disclosed but looks likely to have been more than £10 million.
All 80 UDL staff members, including 12 partners will remain with the enlarged business. Total employee numbers at Murgitroyd will increase by around 20 per cent as a result, to 440.
Murgitroyd de-listed from the stock market in 2019, following its acquisition by London-based private equity firm Sovereign Capital Partners for £65 million.
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Mugitroyd chief executive Gordon Stark said of the UDL deal: “This is a significant step forward in enhancing the scale and reach of Murgitroyd in the UK and strengthens our overall presence in Europe. UDL has an excellent reputation for advising innovative companies.”
He added: “We are leading an emerging trend of consolidation within the IP sector, where scale brings a greater depth of technical and legal expertise and breadth of services as, increasingly, clients require a one stop, multi-sector, multi-service approach.”
The deal comes weeks after Murgitroyd bought Hanna Moore + Curley, which it described as one of Ireland’s leading patent and trade mark attorney firms.
UDL has headquarters in Leeds and other offices in Bristol, Cardiff, London, Milton Keynes, and Newcastle. Murgitroyd said it specialises in the preparation, filing and prosecution of patents and trade marks, representing clients before the UK, European and international intellectual property offices.
Following the UDL deal, Murgitroyd has 20 offices across the UK and European Union. It also has client liaison offices in the US and China.
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