Cheltenham based IP attorney, Albright IP, has ranked in the top 50 of the country's IP attorneys.

According to the Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys Review (CITMA) Albright IP has been a firm which has helped to drive the record number of filings of Registered Designs in the UK in recent years.

Out of some 1,500 patent attorneys registered in the UK, Albright IP was ranked 28th for filing UK registered designs and a 40th for filing registered community designs (RCDs) last year.

The CITMA article, highlights how Albright IP contributed to the continued rise in design filings.

According to the UK IPO, UK trademark and design applications have hit record highs and have been increasing year on year since 1995.

Robert Games, managing director of Albright IP, said: "It's fantastic to see that we are delivering above and beyond so many larger firms. I think the increase we are seeing in businesses filing registered designs has a lot to do with preventing copying, because registered designs provide great protection against direct or close copies.

"The test for infringement refers to creating, 'a similar overall impression', and so registered designs provide great protection against any knock off products. Not only are they long lasting but with the recently reduced UK IPO filing fee, registered designs are a relatively inexpensive right to obtain and are very good value for money."

Case law has also been a driver, highlighting the importance of using an attorney to provide accurate advice on what to register.

High profile cases such as the Magmatic vs PMS International, are a stark reminder for companies of the consequences for getting it wrong.

"Attorneys have a duty to explain to the client what form of protection they think is available or appropriate," added Mr Games.

"Generally speaking if there's a new part or a new visual aspect, then a registered design should always be advised.

"This type of advice is where we excel. Through our sister product design company, Duku, we're involved in the development of products from the very start. This has given us a really good understanding of the effort that goes into producing a high quality visual product and explains why we always push our clients to file registered designs."

Headquartered in Cheltenham, Albright IP employs 27 people and has seen significant growth over the past few years. The firm now works with over 2,000 companies across the world, including Europe, the US and China.