SERVICES / FRACTIONAL PATENT COUNSEL
Fractional in-house patent counsel.
Experienced patent and IP support alongside your business, without appointing a full-time in-house patent attorney. RIDAN IP helps startups, scale-ups and SMEs connect IP decisions with engineering, product development and commercial plans.
WHAT FRACTIONAL SUPPORT MEANS
Continuity across IP decisions.
Fractional in-house patent counsel is an external patent attorney working closely with a business to provide some of the capability of an internal IP role. The value comes from understanding the products, people and priorities well enough to help as decisions arise.
Dr Ritchie Daniel can work alongside founders, leadership, engineering, product and R&D teams, as well as legal teams and existing external advisers. Regular invention discussions, product reviews and portfolio decisions can help turn separate patent instructions into a coherent plan.
Which businesses benefit?
The model can suit a startup preparing for a first product launch or investment, a scale-up developing several technologies, or an established SME with an active engineering team and no dedicated patent function. An existing IP team may also need additional capacity for a defined programme or period of growth.
For a single filing or isolated question, a patent instruction or defined piece of IP advice may be sufficient. Fractional support becomes useful when continuity and knowledge of the business improve the decisions.
HOW RIDAN IP CAN HELP
Practical support across products and portfolios.
Invention capture and prioritisation
Work with technical teams to identify developments worth assessing, review upcoming disclosures and prioritise protection around product milestones and commercial value.
Strategy, portfolios and budgets
Align filing, prosecution and portfolio decisions with product plans, target markets and available resources. Review existing rights and planned expenditure as priorities change.
External attorney management
Coordinate instructions to external patent attorneys and foreign associates, bring business context to their work and review reporting, costs and next steps.
Clearance and competitor awareness
Plan freedom-to-operate work, consider relevant competitor patents and help engineering and leadership teams understand product risks, design alternatives and where further analysis is needed.
Investment and due diligence
Review the portfolio, ownership records and protection gaps before investment or a transaction. Help the business prepare clear information and address priorities identified through due diligence.
Collaborations and know-how
Consider IP and disclosure issues involving suppliers, development partners and manufacturing teams, including registered designs and confidential know-how. Coordinate with other advisers where appropriate.
FLEXIBLE WORKING
Support that fits the business.
The scope can range from a defined project to regular involvement or embedded support. The starting point is the work that needs doing and how closely the attorney needs to work with your team.
A defined project
A portfolio review, development programme, clearance project or preparation for investment.
Regular support
Continuity through invention reviews, portfolio and budget discussions, and input at product milestones.
Embedded capacity
Closer involvement alongside engineering, leadership or an existing IP team for an agreed purpose.
Responsibilities, availability, reporting and fees are agreed around the business's needs.
PRIVATE PRACTICE AND IN-HOUSE EXPERIENCE
Work directly with an experienced patent attorney.
RIDAN IP is an independent practice based in Bath, England. Ritchie is a UK Chartered Patent Attorney, European Patent Attorney and UPC Representative with a PhD and MEng in Mechanical Engineering. He combines private-practice experience with more than three years in-house at Dyson, working with engineers and business leaders.
That background informs a practical approach to invention capture, portfolio choices and product risk, particularly for engineering and physical-product businesses. Read about Ritchie's background.
For more context, see when fractional in-house IP support makes sense and preparing your IP portfolio for investment.
CONTACT
Discuss your IP priorities.
Start with a high-level description of the business, the decisions ahead and your current IP support. Please flag any urgent deadline. Confidential technical detail can follow after conflict checks.