What Wilson Gunn does

Wilson Gunn is a UK intellectual property law firm founded in 1864, headquartered in Manchester, and operating as a limited liability partnership (LLP). The firm provides a comprehensive suite of IP services across eight core practice areas: patents, trade marks, designs, copyright, IP management, IP commercialisation, IP enforcement, and IP consultancy. It serves clients ranging from individuals and SMEs to universities and multinational corporations across 14 sectors including Automotive, Healthcare, Retail, Fashion, Food & Drink, Industrial Biotechnology, Software & Communications, and Advanced Materials.

The firm operates from six UK offices (Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Chesterfield, London, Glasgow) with representation rights at UKIPO, EPO, WIPO, and EUIPO. Its technical depth is built on a team of Chartered Patent Attorneys, European Patent Attorneys, and former in-house counsel from major corporates (Cadbury, Kraft Foods, Tata Steel, British American Tobacco, Rolls-Royce, Unilever). The firm is regulated by IPReg and epi, and is consistently ranked in The Legal 500, Chambers and Partners, IAM Strategy 300, IP Stars, and IAM Patent 1000.

Wilson Gunn's business model is professional services billing: clients are charged at hourly rates for attorney time, plus disbursements for official fees and foreign associates, with a free 30-minute initial consultation offered to prospective clients. GTM is direct enterprise/specialist field sales through the firm's six offices, supplemented by content marketing (webinars, IP insights articles), social media, and industry event participation. Revenue is not publicly disclosed and the firm is entirely partner-owned with no external investment, parent company, or M&A activity disclosed in the input.

Name

Wilson Gunn

Legal name

Wilson Gunn LLP

Website

https://wilsongunn.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1864

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Wilson Gunn is a UK intellectual property law firm founded in 1864, providing patent, trade mark, design, copyright, IP enforcement, and IP consultancy services to individuals, SMEs, universities, and multinational corporations across 14 sectors from six UK offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Patent and Trade Mark Attorney Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (54111), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Patent Prosecution & Portfolio Management (BPAHAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

IP Search, Watch & Competitive Intelligence (BPAHAMAI), Copyright Services & Content Protection (BPAHAMAC), IP Valuation, Damages & Royalty Analysis (BPAHAMAH)

Keywords

• Patent attorney services
• Trade mark registration
• Intellectual property law
• IP enforcement
• Patent prosecution

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Services Fees: Wilson Gunn charges for professional time spent on client work, including consultations, patent and trade mark filings, oppositions, enforcement, and advisory services. Fees are calculated at appropriate hourly rates for professional time, with basic charges for routine administrative matters like filing applications and paying official fees. The firm also charges for disbursements including official fees and foreign associates' fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Wilson Gunn is a UK firm of patent and trade mark attorneys providing a full range of intellectual property services across eight practice areas: Patents, Trade Marks, Designs, Copyright, IP Management, IP Commercialisation, IP Enforcement, and IP Consultancy. Services cover patent drafting and prosecution, trade mark registration and portfolio management, design protection, copyright advisory, global IP portfolio maintenance, commercialisation through licensing and sale, contentious proceedings and oppositions, and strategic IP consultancy, delivered across multiple UK offices with international reach.

Product overview

Wilson Gunn is a firm of patent and trade mark attorneys providing a comprehensive suite of intellectual property services. The firm offers eight core services including Patents, Trade Marks, Designs, Copyright, IP Management, IP Commercialisation, IP Enforcement, and IP Consultancy. These services are delivered across multiple UK offices (Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Chesterfield, London, Glasgow) and serve clients across diverse sectors including Automotive, Healthcare, Retail, Packaging, Fashion, Food & Drink, and Industrial Biotechnology. The firm has been operating since 1864 and is regulated by the Intellectual Property Regulation Board (IPReg) and the Institute of Professional Representatives before the European Patent Office (epi).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Patents Intellectual property service for protecting inventions and innovations through patent filing, prosecution, opposition, and enforcement, delivered by qualified Chartered Patent Attorneys and European Patent Attorneys for businesses across multiple sectors.
• Trade Marks Intellectual property service for protecting brands, logos, and trade marks through registration, portfolio management, and enforcement for businesses seeking to secure brand identity.
• Designs Intellectual property service for safeguarding product designs against imitators and copycats through registered and unregistered design protection.
• Copyright Service assisting clients in understanding and managing the automatic copyright protections that apply to their creative works.
• IP Management Service ensuring clients' intellectual property rights are carefully monitored, maintained, and managed across jurisdictions throughout the life of the IP.
• IP Commercialisation Service helping clients benefit from their intellectual property assets through licensing, sale, and broader commercial exploitation strategies.
• IP Enforcement Legal guidance through the process of enforcing or defending intellectual property rights in opposition, cancellation, and contentious proceedings.
• IP Consultancy Strategic consultancy bringing fresh perspective to intellectual property portfolio management, optimisation, and longer-term IP strategy for businesses.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple clients report exceptional responsiveness and peerless customer service
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Potter Clarkson: Nottingham-headquartered patent and trade mark attorney firm with strong technical focus. Comparable mid-sized UK IP firm serving similar client types across engineering, chemistry, and life sciences sectors.
• Mathys & Squire: Established UK IP firm providing patent, trade mark, and design services across multiple technology sectors. Direct competitor to Wilson Gunn in the mid-tier UK IP attorney market with similar sector breadth and client types.
• Carpmaels & Ransford: London-based patent and trade mark attorney firm renowned for life sciences and chemistry work. Direct peer to Wilson Gunn in technical patent prosecution, particularly in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology sectors where both firms have deep benches.
• Kilburn & Strode: London-headquartered patent and trade mark attorney firm with a strong technical and engineering focus. Direct competitor to Wilson Gunn for mid-market UK patent prosecution and international portfolio management.
• Boult Wade Tennant: Established UK patent and trade mark firm with offices in London, Oxford, Cambridge, Munich, and Madrid. Direct competitor to Wilson Gunn in the European patent attorney market, with a comparable full-service IP offering.
• Mewburn Ellis: Long-established UK firm of patent and trade mark attorneys with comparable practice mix to Wilson Gunn. Direct peer across patent prosecution, trade marks, and IP portfolio management for clients in similar technology sectors.
• Withers & Rogers: UK patent and trade mark attorney firm with offices across the country. Direct peer to Wilson Gunn in offering full-service IP protection and advisory services to similar client profiles including SMEs and multinational corporations.
• Marks & Clerk: One of the world's largest IP firms with UK origins; provides patent and trade mark attorney services across Europe, Asia, and North America. Direct competitor to Wilson Gunn in UK patent and trade mark work, but operates at significantly larger global scale.
• HGF Limited: Major UK-headquartered IP firm offering patent, trade mark, and design attorney services with a strong technical sector focus. Direct competitor to Wilson Gunn with a similar full-service IP offering and comparable multi-office UK footprint.
• J A Kemp: Leading UK patent and trade mark attorney firm with a particularly strong biotech and chemistry bench. Direct peer to Wilson Gunn in technical patent prosecution for life sciences and chemistry clients, with comparable London and Oxford presence.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wilson-gunn
• Xx.com/wilsongunn
• Facebookfacebook.com/Wilson-Gunn-439852192738089

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wilson Gunn