Powell Gilbert LLP

Partner specialised in intellectual property; extensive experience of developing strategies for, and managing multi-jurisdictional patent disputes in a variety of sectors; has worked in this field in, Germany, the Netherlands, France and Australia and has represented clients in the UK and Australian courts and European Patent Office as well as coordinating proceedings globally. Co- editor of Commentary on the Rules of Procedure of the UPC. Extensive experience of confidentiality and copyright disputes as well as arbitration and mediation in IP and technology contract disputes.

Ari Laakkonen

Specialises in electronics patent litigation and IT disputes, as well as advising on general IP and related competition law matters, FRAND issues, portfolio/licensing analysis and provides general strategic advice for complex multi-patent, multi-jurisdictional cases. Has huge breadth of experience in electronics, telecoms and other sectors, derived from his in-depth technical knowledge (PhD, Computer Science) and from experience both in-house and independent legal counsel. Solicitor advocate with rights of audience at all court levels.

Bethan Hopewell

Partner specialising in contentious intellectual property matters; practice covers full range of IP rights; particularly experienced in advising on multi-jurisdictional patent disputes, licence disputes and freedom to operate issues; works across a variety of industry sectors including pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, medical devices, industrial processes, electronics and telecommunications; represents clients before UK High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, European Patent Office, UK Intellectual Property Office.

Bryce Matthewson

Partner experienced in patent litigation, having represented clients in the pharma and biotech fields as well as in the medical devices, gaming, banking and FMCG sectors. He has additionally co-ordinated a number of multi-jurisdictional matters across various European jurisdictions on behalf of various life sciences clients and has also obtained experience as a patent litigator in South Africa and other African countries . Prior to undertaking his legal studies, Bryce obtained a degree in Chemistry and Applied Chemistry which provides him with a solid technical foundation. Joined Powell Gilbert in 2016 and became a partner in 2024.

Joel Coles

Partner specialising in intellectual property litigation. He is an experienced patent litigator who has worked on a number of the recent leading cases in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology fields. His strong life sciences background has been of particular relevance for his recent work relating to pharmaceutical, biotechnology and healthcare technologies, including vaccines, small molecule drugs, biologics, DNA sequencing, and genetic engineering. In particular, Joel has represented clients before the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in two of the leading cases relating to the validity and infringement of second medical use (Warner-Lambert v Actavis) and biotechnology patents (Regeneron v Kymab). He has also worked on a number of electronics and mechanical engineering patent cases, and has experience of handling multi-jurisdictional patent actions. In addition to representing clients in litigation before the UK Patents Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, Joel has represented clients in European Patent Office opposition proceedings, and advises on patent litigation strategies, freedom to operate, and patent term extensions, including supplementary protection certificates.

Penny Gilbert

Partner specialising in advising on IP rights including patent litigation, licence disputes and freedom-to-operate issues, primarily in life sciences. Particularly experienced in advising on multi-jurisdictional patent litigation strategy. Has represented clients before UK High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, European Patent Office, UK Intellectual Property Office and on references to the CJEU and EFTA court. Solicitor advocate and qualified mediator.

Pete Damerell

Partner at Powell Gilbert specialising in advising clients in complex patent disputes and co-ordinating parallel patent litigation in a number of jurisdictions (including the Unified Patent Court, UPC); practice covers a broad range of technical areas and industry sectors, including medical devices, pharmaceuticals/ biotechnology, IT/electronics and industrial processes.

Rajvinder Jagdev

Rajvinder advises clients on a range of IP matters, particularly in the electronics, telecommunications and computer software sectors. Rajvinder’s expertise in computer science and electronics means he can quickly grasp and analyse technically complex patents and hone in on the pertinent details. His in-house experience and general commercial knowledge of the IT, electronics and telecommunications sectors assists in providing legal advice in a commercial context. Rajvinder regularly advises on and coordinates multi-jurisdictional matters, in particular where there are parallel proceedings in the German Courts and also in the US (both in the District Courts and before the ITC). In addition, Rajvinder routinely advises at the pre-action stage on litigation strategy to help formulate efficient and effective IP enforcement campaigns. Rajvinder has worked on patent cases involving Blu-ray laser technology, mobile telephony standards, mobile data streaming and caching, user interface design, networking protocols, medical imaging devices and audio-visual network streaming protocols and codecs.

Siddharth Kusumakar

Partner specialising in patent litigation in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical devices fields. Provides strategic advice in large scale multi-jurisdictional disputes with parallel European, US, UPC and European Patent Office actions, and particularly known for managing and coordinating pan-European litigation strategies for international clients. Has successfully acted in some of the most high-profile patent cases to come before the UK courts in recent years, including in two landmark UK Supreme Court decisions (Warner-Lambert v Actavis and Regeneron v Kymab). As a UPC legal representative, is currently acting in some of the first cases to be brought before the new Unified Patent Court.

Simon Ayrton

Partner specialising in intellectual property litigation. Work covers advising on full range of intellectual property including patents, trademarks, copyright, designs and confidential information. Cases include Research Corporation’s Patent (licence of right under the SPC for Carboplatin), IBM v Phoenix (trademark infringement and passing off), Rambus v Micron and Hyundai (patent infringement), Gillette v Corsair (passing off), Monsanto and Searle v Merck (patent infringement), Allergan v Pharmacia (patent infringement), Duracell v Round Imports (trade mark infringement), Sony Computer Entertainment v Ball (circumvention of copy protection measures), Aerotel v Telco (business method patents), Dr Reddy’s v Eli Lilly (patent revocation), Philips and Others v Alba (patent exhaustion and competition), Apple v Nokia (patent infringement), HTC v Apple (patent revocation), Unwired Planet v Huawei (patent infringement and FRAND), Vestel v HEVC Advance (FRAND licensing), Seoul Semiconductor v General Electric (patent revocation) and AutoStore v Ocado (patent infringement)

Tess Waldron

Partner specialising in intellectual property litigation who has represented clients in front of the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court and has significant experience in the coordination of complex, multijurisdictional disputes. Tess also acts for life sciences and consumer electronics companies in wider commercial disputes and negotiations, including in relation to FRAND licensing. She is a qualified solicitor advocate and has represented clients in the High Court as such. Prior to becoming a solicitor, Tess qualified as a doctor and spent three years working in hospital medicine. This experience provides her with valuable background and context, in particular when advising clients operating in the life sciences sector.

Tim Whitfield

Partner advising on contentious IP matters, with a focus on patent litigation across a wide range of technical areas, including pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, medical devices, consumer and engineering products, industrial processes, electronics and telecommunications. Represents clients in cases before the English courts and the European Patent Office. Has experience of IP related damages claims, licensing disputes and IP-related arbitrations, and has particular expertise in advising clients on the coordination of international patent litigation strategy and managing multi-jurisdictional disputes.

Tom Oliver

Specialises in intellectual property litigation. Advising across the range of intellectual properties rights, focussing on high value patent disputes but also including trade mark, confidential information, copyright and passing off disputes. Extensive experience in devising multi-jurisdictional patent litigation strategies and co-ordinating with legal teams across Europe and North America, including secondment to a leading German patent litigation firm.

Zoë Butler

Specialises in contentious intellectual property matters; practice covers full range of IP rights, acting for clients across a broad range of technical areas and industry sectors, from IT/electronics to biotech/ pharma. Particularly known for her expertise in advising clients in complex patent disputes, with experience before UK High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, European Patent Office, UK Intellectual Property Office; and extensive experience of co-ordinating parallel litigation in a number of jurisdictions. Also advises on related issues arising from international technology standards, such as patent pools, licensing and FRAND, and counsels on patent litigation strategy, including pharmaceutical lifecycle management, with a wealth of experience in providing freedom to operate and due diligence advice. Teaches on the Oxford University Diploma in IP law and is a contributor to the CIPA Guide to the Patents Act.

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