(Research Triangle Park, N.C.) European Patent and Trademark Attorney firm Murgitroyd & Company has won the 2009 WORLD Leaders International IP Award in the Private Practice Patent Excellence/Litigation category for the Europe/Middle East/Africa region. Winners were nominated and selected by a record number of intellectual property (IP) professionals casting votes in the internationally renowned competition, which is in its sixth year.

The firm beat-out seven other nominees for the award, primarily due to its U.S. business office’s innovative work in developing an IP Portal which consolidates and manages foreign filings for busy in-house IP departments.

William Barrett, vice president of Intellectual Property for RTP-based Advanced Liquid Logic, Inc., said Murgitroyd & Company’s IP Portal service has helped to significantly reduce his company’s foreign patent expenses, allowing it to pursue a broader foreign patenting strategy than could have been achieved using more traditional law firm services.

“These cost savings, coupled with a high standard of customer service, flexibility, and willingness to listen to clients make Murgitroyd a first-in-class provider,” Barrett said.

The annual World Leaders International IP Awards recognize excellence in specialized categories across Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and North America. Deputy Chairman of the Board David Castle accepted the award on behalf of Murgitroyd & Company at a December 2 ceremony in London attracting intellectual property practitioners from around the world.

“Having peers nominate and vote for us is extraordinarily rewarding and validates the work we are doing with our IP Portal,” Jamie LeLiever, Business Development Manager for Murgitroyd & Company’s U.S. operations, said. According to LeLiever, IP Portal allows sophisticated IP users to benefit from Murgitroyd & Company’s buying power, centralized coordination, quality foreign agent network monitored under ISO 9001:2008 guidelines, global IP expertise and single bill for filing in U.S. dollars.

“The IP Portal has provided our company with assurance that we are receiving high quality patent national filing services at the best rates possible,” said Cheryl J. Tubach, Chief Intellectual Property Counsel for the J.M. Huber Corporation in Atlanta, Ga., adding, “We have been able to streamline our billing processes and create transparency in billing related issues.”

Murgitroyd & Company has been expanding its Research Triangle Park operation recently with new hires, and has been hosting industry events such as an October IP lunch-and-learn with John Yates, Principle Examiner for the European Patent Office, at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, with plans for an early 2010 event with a guest speaker from the Japanese Patent Office.

For a live web demo of the IP Portal service, email ipportal@murgitroyd.com or call Jamie LeLiever at (919) 806-4258.

Murgitroyd & Company is among the largest and most progressive European Patent & Trademark Attorney firms, with 95 Attorneys and local representation in 14 offices throughout Europe.  The firm is committed to an active and growing presence in the United States via its Research Triangle Park, North Carolina office providing access to its considerable range and depth in IP-related expertise. Murgitroyd & Company was voted the 2009 WORLD Leaders International IP Award in the Private Practice Patent Excellence/Litigation category for the Europe/Middle East/Africa region; won the 2009 Managing Intellectual Property Magazines Scottish IP Firm of the Year Award; has been upgraded to the ISO 9001:2008 accreditation level; and the Legal 500 recommends the firm and ranks it among the top-tiered firms in Europe. For more information, visit www.murgitroyd.com.

The 2009 WORLD Leaders International IP Awards are presented by IP World, part of the Informa Law division of Informa UK Limited, a leading international business information provider. IP World comprises of a free news service plus subscriber access to Trademark World, Patent World and Copyright World. IP World includes three leading IP magazines; Trademark World, Patent World and Copyright World. The Worlds provide a unique service to the IP community, delivering in-depth news analysis and features on the latest developments in intellectual property law.