Following the strategic acquisition of Paterson IP, Stefan Paterson has joined the Principal team here at Integrated IP.

As a leader of the next generation of IP professionals, Stefan takes a sophisticated approach to IP that takes a holistic view of intangible assets. His cutting-edge expertise and commercial nous made the move to Integrate IP a natural step. As Stefan says:

“The IP profession tends to focus on specific aspects of IP without having regard for areas surrounding IP. I see this as a failure because IP protection strategies need to fit into and support other intangible asset protection strategies. For example, a patent on its own is commercially useless. But a patent that has developed with a deep understanding of a company’s intangible assets, in conjunction with the commercial purpose of having a patent, offers far greater value. The same also applies to other forms of IP such as trade secrets – a properly executed trade secret policy needs to consider all inputs and outputs to maximise value and de-risk the asset.”

Stefan is also a pioneering expert in the protection of space technology, an industry that is rapidly growing. His work on the protection of space technology is remarkable and is a testament to his ability to look across divergent issues and marry them together.

“I’ve always had a fascination with space. Looking at the commercialisation of space from an IP perspective meant I quickly realised that few people had properly looked at how IP protection strategies need to be formulated for space technology, given the impact of space law. This realisation sent me down a path of research and discovery over the past few years, allowing me to develop entirely new protection strategies. This learning gave me a much greater appreciation of the need to look at all intangible assets surrounding technology and not just the technology itself, which totally changed the way I look at IP. The advantage of understanding the unique way space technology needs to be protected is that it provides great value to any client, not just those in the space sector.”

Stefan’s technical background broadens Integrated IP’s technical expertise into chemistry and chemical engineering. It also supplements our expertise in nanotechnology, materials, medical devices, additive manufacturing, mechanical devices, construction materials, mining technologies, and metallurgy renewables, and oil and gas.

The inclusion of Stefan as a leader of the next generation of IP professionals brings in a unique skill set that will serve IIP and its clients well into the future.