Glasgow IP firm Murgitroyd buys Scottish peer in third key acquisition in eight months

Murgitroyd, the Glasgow-headquartered intellectual property business, has bought a Scottish peer, marking the firm’s third acquisition within eight months.

The purchase of IP specialist firm Creation IP, which is also based in Glasgow, is the latest step in Murgitroyd’s growth and expansion strategy.

Creation IP’s client list includes a broad spectrum of “innovative companies”, ranging from Scottish-based spin-outs and start-up businesses through to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and US-based corporates. The firm has grown consistently since it was founded in 2012.

Bosses at Murgitroyd said Creation IP’s clients were highly complementary to Murgitroyd’s client base, with the latter’s broader scope of IP services and deeper attorney capacity and capability creating “significant post-deal growth potential”.

John Collins, Gordon Stark and Bryn Williams. Picture: Peter Devlin

Meanwhile, Creation IP’s specialism in attracting start-up, spin-out and scale-up businesses will ensure that the combined business stays connected with new and emerging companies with high growth potential, they added.

Financial details surrounding the latest acquisition have not been disclosed.

Creation IP is jointly owned by its founders, Bryn Williams and John Collins, both experienced patent attorneys who started the business ten years ago having previously worked together at another UK IP firm. Creation IP has 12 team members, all of whom are transferring to Murgitroyd upon completion of the acquisition.

The business will move from its current base in Hillington Park Innovation Centre to Murgitroyd’s head office five miles away in central Glasgow. The acquisition takes Murgitroyd’s headcount to more than 450.

Gordon Stark, chief executive of Murgitroyd, said: “Creation IP is a great fit for Murgitroyd, bringing a talented team and innovative clients to the business. Their focus on building strong, long-lasting, trust-based relationships with clients aligns closely with our own approach and is evidenced by Creation IP’s strong track record of supporting exciting and innovative companies who are bringing new products and services to the market.

“The broader scope of IP services and pan-European presence which Murgitroyd can add means that collectively we can do much more to help Creation IP’s clients protect their innovation, while our shared outlook on the value of our people will help build a stronger and better business.”

He added: “Bringing Creation IP on board marks another important step in Murgitroyd’s strategy to build the IP firm of choice for the world’s most innovative businesses.”

Williams said: “This is an exciting new chapter in the Creation IP story and we are thrilled to be teaming up with Murgitroyd, one of the world’s most trusted IP companies.”

Co-director John Collins added: “By joining forces, we can now provide our clients with an even broader range and depth of services to protect their ideas, innovations and inventions and we are confident that the Creation IP team will make a significant contribution to Murgitroyd’s ambitious growth plans for the future.”

The announcement follows the acquisition by Murgitroyd of Hanna Moore + Curley (HMC), one of Ireland’s top patent and trade mark attorney firms, announced at the start of last September, and of UDL Intellectual Property, the UK-based IP practice, with that deal unveiled on November 1, 2021.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We’re more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers. If you haven’t already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription: www.scotsman.com/subscriptions