Harper Macleod LLP caters to major domestic and international clients across a wide array of key economic sectors, spanning music, sport, and government authorities, with a particularly strong reputation for trade marks, patents and legislative implementation. Jamie Watt leads the offering and brings considerable strength in the life sciences, music and entertainment industries. Commercial litigator E-Ming Fong regularly handles high-profile IP disputes before the Court of Session, while Tom Thomas specialises in high-value technology contract work, servicing major software developers and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) service providers in the private sector, as well as having a strong niche in relation to broadcasting in the sports sector.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘Always attentive to customers' needs.’

  • ‘Jamie Watt is instrumental in navigating complex issues for his client's business.’

  • ‘Collaborative team and easy to work with.’

  • ‘Jamie Watt and Tom Thomas are very approachable, which makes it easy to work with them.’

  • ‘Jamie Watt is an excellent commercial lawyer offering sound, sensible and pragmatic advice that goes to the heart of the issue at hand.'

  • 'Jamie Watt's communication style is efficient and to the point, which makes it clear and easy to understand.’

  • ‘Jamie Watt is an excellent professional, smart, responsive and pragmatic.’

  • ‘Great, efficient and clear service supporting a consolidated global intellectual property portfolio.’

Key clients

  • Forest Research
  • Scotch Malt Whisky Society
  • Celtic Football Club
  • Aqua Pharma Group
  • The Musicians Union
  • Publishing Scotland
  • The Society of Authors
  • Scottish Mountaineering Trust
  • Timorous Beasties
  • Barrhead Travel

Work highlights

  • Acted for the Musicians Union in relation to the proposed reform of UK copyright law.
  • Act for Aqua Pharma Group in relation to its worldwide IP and commercial requirements.
  • Acting for Celtic Football Club in relation to its  brand protection requirements.

Lawyers

Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Harper Macleod LLP
Partner Jamie leads the firm’s intellectual property & technology (IP&T) team, as well as the life sciences group. He is a specialist in both intellectual property law and cybersecurity, accredited by the Law Society of Scotland, and a specialist in international trade marks, certified by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). His expertise includes trade marks & brand management (including anti-counterfeiting), patent law, pharmaceuticals and medical devices (including their regulatory regimes), aquaculture and marine technology, blockchain and decentralised network innovation, software, IT/ICT and the internet, and music, entertainment, sports and publishing. In addition, the European Commission has recognised Jamie as an expert in intellectual property under the Horizon programme, and previously under Framework Programmes FP5 to FP7. He has advised both the European Commission on commercialisation policy and the OECD on open access policy. He has also assisted extensively with the development of IP related legislation at both the Scottish and UK parliaments. Prior to joining the firm he was the in-house IP manager at a leading Scottish university.  He has also worked in-house for a major independent record label and an artist management company. Jamie has extensive experience of cross border work and foreign jurisdictions, particularly the US, Netherlands, India and China. He also coordinates the Netherlands country desk, part of Harper Macleod’s international offering. He contributes regularly to journals such as Sports Law and Taxation on international IP related matters. Jamie is rated as an expert in trade mark matters by World Trade Mark Review, which comments that he “is highly skilled and experienced within the trademarks field, and has an impressively broad practice”. Jamie is rated as an expert in trade mark matters by World Trade Mark Review, which comments that he “is highly skilled and experienced within the trademarks field, and has an impressively broad practice”. He was named as an IP Star by Managing IP magazine in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Jamie Watt

Other key lawyers

E-Ming Fong, Tom Thomas