Mr David Cochrane > Spoor & Fisher > Pretoria, South Africa > Lawyer Profile

Mr David Cochrane

+27 12 676 1001 d.cochrane@spoor.com

Work Department

Patent Chemical

Position

David Cochrane, Patent Attorney, has a BSc (Chem) and an LLB from the University of the Witwatersrand. He is an Attorney of the High Court of South Africa. David has over two decades of experience in domestic and international patent matters, including the preparation and prosecution of patent applications.

An expert patent attorney, he specialises in filing applications in the pharmaceutical, nuclear medicine, chemical, petrochemical, agrochemical, explosives, metallurgical and biochemical fields, as well as plant breeders’ rights.

Career

David completed a BSc degree at the University of the Witwatersrand in 1991 and an LLB degree at the same institution in 1994. He joined Spoor & Fisher in 1995, and qualified as an attorney in 1997 and as a patent attorney in 1998. David became a partner of Spoor & Fisher in 2004. David practices in the Chemical Patent Department at Spoor & Fisher where he specialises in the drafting and prosecution of patent applications locally and internationally. He also specialises in Plant Breeders’ Rights.

Professional activities

• Author of plant breeders’ rights chapter in Dean & Dyer: Intellectual Property Law in South Africa (Oxford University Press), 2014
• Lecturer and Examiner: SAIIPL plant breeders’ rights law and practice
• Guest lecturer on patent protection for LLM students: Stellenbosch University

Market Recognition

• World’s Leading IP Strategists – IAM Strategy 300, 2019-present
• Best IP Practitioners – World IP Review Leaders, 2016-present
• Listed – Patent Star in Managing Intellectual Property IP Stars, 2014-present
• Listed – IAM’s World Leading Patent Professionals, 2011-present
• World’s Leading Practitioners – Euromoney’s Expert Guides: Patents, 2017-2021
• Listed – IAM’s Global Leaders 2021-present
• Best Lawyers – Intellectual Property Law: South Africa, 2022
• IAM Strategy 300- World’s leading IP strategists 2024
• Ranked- IP Stars 2024

Languages

English, Afrikaans

Memberships

• Fellow – South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law (SAIIPL)
• Member – International Federation of Intellectual Property Attorneys (FICPI)
• Member – Japanese Chamber of Commerce (CCIJ)
• Member – South African Plant Breeders’ Association (SAPBA)
• Member – Plant Breeders’ Rights Committee at SAIIPL
• Member – Legal Practice Council (LPC)

Education

BSc (Chem) LLB. Patent Attorney, Attorney of the High Court of South Africa.

Leisure

Spending time with his family. David keeps fit by riding his mountain bike and kitesurfing. David enjoys adventure holidays like overland trips that take him camping in Botswana and Namibia.