Trade Mark Formalities Officer – Leeds office

HGF is looking for a Trade Mark Formalities Officer to join us in our Leeds office.  This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys being highly organised and is methodical in their approach to work, to provide a high quality, timely and comprehensive trade mark formalities service to our clients.  You will handle a varied Trade Marks portfolio and will relish the challenge of taking responsibility for your own caseload in addition to the buzz of working to tight deadlines, in an open, highly collaborative environment.

About HGF

HGF is one of the UK’s leading intellectual property rights specialists, with 15 offices across Europe.  At HGF we manage the company with an unconventional hierarchy to give every individual, regardless of position both a voice and room to progress. Our team makes us what we are, and at HGF each team member is valued for their individual skills.  For this reason, we do everything we can to support you, both in your day-to-day work and at the training events and seminars we hold throughout the year.  At HGF we are committed to supporting inclusivity in the workplace which fits directly into our core values.  We believe that IP can provide a rich and rewarding career, have a reputation for looking after our staff, and offer a great workspace with a wealth of benefits to ensure that you can develop and improve your industry skills as the firm grows.

Main Duties Include

• Provide an administration service for the legal formalities of clients’ trademarks and designs in Britain, Europe and beyond to ensure valuable intellectual property rights are not lost.  This is done mainly over the internet to strict rules which vary for each country.
• Ensure trade mark filing, action and renewal deadlines are met to 100% accuracy.
• Ensure the legal and fee requirements of each trade mark are met according to the requirements of the relevant country.
• Prepare and execute all the legally required documentation needed to support the filing and renewal of trademarks and designs, as well as providing administrative formalities support in opposition and other litigation matters.
• Timely production and filing of documentation, either directly with relevant national authorities or indirectly by instruction of a local attorney.
• Maintain the computerised record system for trademarks and designs.
• Liaise with partners and associates here and abroad, to ensure actions assigned to them are progressed within the required timescales and update them on progress.
• Continual development of a sound understanding of trade mark formalities, renewal rules and legislation in the range of countries in which we regularly file trademarks and designs, to provide a professional service to clients.

The ideal candidate will have experience of the filing, prosecution and renewal of trade marks, as well as maintaining, monitoring and updating a trade marks management system. Experience of liaising with internal stakeholders and external suppliers, clients and Trade Mark offices throughout the world is also required. A proven track record of meeting deadlines, high levels of accuracy and excellent attention to detail is also required.

The candidate will have an in depth working knowledge of trade mark formalities and preferably will have either gained or sought to gain the CITMA Administrators’ Certificate.