Venner Shipley LLP

Alex Brown

Alex is a European and Chartered Patent Attorney in our Mechanical team. Alex specialises in mechanical and electromechanical inventions, and has particular experience in the fields of manufacturing, packaging, industrial machinery, medical devices, fluid flow control systems, image reproduction technology and automotive and aerospace technology. Alex is experienced in providing his clients with practical and commercially-focused patent advice, with clients ranging from individuals and small businesses to large multi-national corporations. Alex has extensive patent drafting and prosecution experience before the UK and European patent offices, including oral proceedings, opposition and appeal proceedings at the European Patent Office. Alex also has experience advising on patent validity and infringement, providing freedom to operate opinions and detailed IP due diligence reports. Alex is also a Registered Design Attorney and has extensive experience of advising on the protection of designs and dealing with registered design applications. He also regularly advises on the protection, enforcement and infringement of both registered designs and unregistered design rights in the UK.

Camilla Sexton

Since qualifying as a chartered UK trade mark attorney in 2001, Camilla has been advising clients in relation to all aspects of trade mark protection, including searching, registration, watching, enforcement, dispute resolution and general portfolio management.  Her experience ranges from clients who are individual entrepreneurs, through small and medium-sized enterprises to listed companies. Her advice encompasses national and international protection and she advises at all stages of a brand from its inception through to enhanced protection for a well-established brand. Over the years Camilla has worked with clients in a wide variety of sectors and she has particular expertise in the fields of entertainment, gaming, pharmaceuticals, beauty, hospitality and beverages.

Catrin Petty

Catrin is a European and Chartered Patent Attorney in our Chemical and Life Sciences team. Catrin specialises in drafting, filing and prosecuting patent applications in a variety of fields, including agrochemistry, drug delivery, food technology, graphene and carbon nanotube technology, nanoparticle technology, peptide and peptoid chemistry, pharmaceuticals, polymer technology, vaccine stabilisation and medical devices. In particular, she has a detailed understanding of small molecule chemistry having worked as a chemist in a multinational pharmaceutical company before training as a patent attorney. A number of small molecule patent applications draft by Catrin have subsequently been licensed by large pharmaceutical companies in multimillion-pound deals. Since becoming a patent attorney Catrin has worked with a large variety of clients including lone inventors, universities and SMEs, as well as large multinational pharmaceutical companies. In working with these clients, Catrin has frequently advised them on their overall IP strategy and worked to ensure that it matches their commercial aims. In addition to drafting, filing and prosecution, Catrin is also able to give advice on patent infringement and validity. Catrin is passionate about ensuring that lone traders and new startups have the knowledge they need to leverage their IP. Accordingly, she regularly gives talking about the basics of intellectual property and how to use it to add value to a company. This has included giving guest lectures to entrepreneurship students at the University of Surrey.

David Birchall

David is a solicitor (non–practising) and a chartered UK trade mark attorney and has been working in trade mark prosecution and related intellectual property fields since 2000. He specialises in the management of trade mark portfolios, prosecution of UK, European Union and international marks and co-existence arrangements. He works closely with trade mark attorneys in foreign countries in relation to the prosecution and management of trade mark registrations in those countries and has particular expertise in the field of worldwide licence recordals. David also handles domain name disputes and formal complaints to domain name authorities. David started his career as a solicitor in a London law firm where he specialised in trade mark licensing and prosecution. He then spent three years working as an in-house trade mark adviser for well known sports brands before joining Venner Shipley at the beginning of 2012.

Gloria Parmesan

Gloria is a chartered UK trade mark attorney with over 20 years’ experience of advising clients in relation to all aspects of trade mark management including brand clearance, trade mark registration, enforcement, dispute resolution and general trade mark portfolio management. Her clients range from individuals, SME’s to owners of major multi-national brands. Gloria has particular expertise in managing global clearance, rebranding and trade mark protection programmes for multi-national businesses in the insurance and investment sectors. She provides commercially focused and strategic advice tailored to meet a client’s specific needs.

Ian Grey

Ian is a European and Chartered Patent Attorney and heads up our Mechanical team. Ian specialises in the drafting, filing and prosecution of British, European and International patent applications relating to mechanical and electromechanical type inventions and acts for a diverse range of clients including some large corporations and other UK companies working across the broad spectrum of mechanical engineering. Ian has particular experience in advising on the most cost-effective way in which to obtain and maximise protection for their inventions as well as on avoiding infringement of competitors’ intellectual property rights. Although he deals with a wide variety of technology in the mechanical field, Ian has particular experience in medical devices, packaging and packaging machinery, consumer products, large-scale printing press machinery and aviation. In addition to his patent practice, Ian has extensive knowledge in the field of law relating to designs and regularly files and prosecutes UK design applications, as well as advising clients on potential infringement and validity issues of both registered and unregistered design rights.

Jan Walaski

Jan heads up the Electronics, Software and Communications team, having stepped down from his position as Managing Partner, which he held from 2015 to 2021. He is a European and Chartered Patent Attorney and solicitor. Prior to his legal career, he gained industry experience as a control engineer in one of the UK’s largest chemical/pharmaceutical companies, working mainly on control technology and software simulation of manufacturing processes. Jan specialises in patent prosecution and advice in the electronics and software fields. He enjoys the variety and challenge of working in new fields of technology and has gained experience over a wide range of technical subject matter, including cryptography, digital systems, display technology, telecommunications, operating system software and fuel and battery cell technology, to name but a few.  He also has substantial experience of prosecuting applications in the challenging area of business related software, where he has acted for a betting exchange as well as providers of trading, gaming and other internet based platforms. Jan has extensive experience of European prosecution, opposition and appeal procedures and is increasingly involved in litigation matters, both before the EPO and in infringement proceedings before the UK courts, as part of Venner Shipley’s legal team.

John Chettle

John is a European and Chartered Patent Attorney with expertise in the software and engineering fields.  He has a background in physics and is a specialist in autonomous and electric vehicle technology, unmanned aerial vehicles, electronic and computer-based object recognition, robotic control, deep learning and neural networks, mobile operating systems, and IoT devices. John works closely with in-house IP counsel, inventors and overseas colleagues to prepare and prosecute families of patent applications in often fast moving areas.  He thrives on helping organisations to obtain the IP that will help them maintain control in their sector, protect them from threats, and give freedom of opportunity.  He has been recommended as a Key Individual in the Legal 500 PATMA: Patent Attorneys and is described by his clients as doing ‘an excellent job of providing clear and thoughtful strategies’, ‘always suggesting strategies that make sense’, and giving ‘calmly delivered advice that keeps us looking forward’. In addition to his wide experience of patent matters, John is an experienced UK designs attorney and an IP Litigator (patent).

Kirsty Dolphin

Kirsty is a European and Chartered Patent Attorney in our Chemical and Life Sciences team with a particular focus on the Biotech sector and Antibodies and Cell and Gene Therapy. Kirsty has experience of drafting patent applications, prosecuting them around the world and regularly handles Oppositions and Appeals before the European Patent Office. Kirsty’s practice covers inventions across a broad range of the biotechnology sector such as gene therapy, vaccines, antibodies, recombinant DNA technology, immunology, siRNA, sequencing and screening methods and diagnostics.  Kirsty also has experience in handling SPCs and large freedom to operate and due diligence projects. Prior to joining private practice, Kirsty worked in-house at Procter & Gamble where she was responsible for multiple areas of the fast moving consumer goods market. Working in-house gives Kirsty first-hand knowledge of clients’ commercial needs. She advises with a strong sense of commercial awareness leading to strong relations with clients both locally and abroad be that lone inventors, SMEs, large multinationals or her network of foreign associates.

Oliver Anderson

Oliver is a European and Chartered Patent Attorney in our Electronics, Software and Communications team. Oliver has been working with patents in the fields of electronics, software, telecommunications and engineering. He provides advice on all aspects of patent procedure, both in Europe and worldwide, and has experience of working with clients of all sizes. He has drafted and prosecuted patent applications for many different types of computer-implemented invention, particularly relating to software, mobile devices, telecommunications and audio and image processing. He also has experience with, among other fields, medical devices and electricity metering, and enjoys the diverse nature of his work. In addition to drafting and prosecution, Oliver also provides due diligence services, such as patent infringement and validity opinions, and advice in relation to portfolio management and third party patents.

Paul Derry

Paul is a European and Chartered Patent Attorney. Paul worked previously in the patent department of an electronics and defence company and as a patent examiner at the UK IPO. Paul specialises in inventions relating to mobile telecommunications, mobile phones, user interfaces, Bluetooth, software and business methods, digital electronics, payment processing networks and electronic transaction processing, medical devices including medicament delivery devices, data storage, lighting control systems, RF circuits, antennas, and satellite positioning systems. He has drafted hundreds of patent specifications and has prosecuted many patent applications directly before the UK and European patent offices, and before the US, Chinese, Korean, Canadian, Australian and Japanese patent offices through associates. In addition to his patent creation experience, Paul has handled numerous opposition and appeal cases before the EPO, and is experienced in landscaping, freedom-to-operate searching and advice, IP audits, and assisting clients with their internal IP systems and procedures.  He also advises on patent transactions and licensing. Paul considers education and training to be of the utmost importance. He helps to train patent attorneys and regularly provides seminars on patent law. A number of Paul’s articles have been published in the press, and he has provided law and skills tutoring to in-house patent professionals of a multinational client company. Paul has also been involved in the setting of the finals patent examinations which lead to qualification as a UK patent attorney.

Peter Thorniley

Peter is a partner in our Electronics, Software and Communications team. He is a European and Chartered Patent Attorney with a background in physics, particularly in theoretical physics. Peter has long enjoyed a practice which consistently engages with the cutting edge of technology. This has encompassed a broad range of technical subject matter, including telecoms and aerospace, but has always included a specialisation in data processing and computer programs more generally. In recent years, Peter has been pleased to put his mathematical expertise to work in the fascinating area of machine learning and neural networks in particular. Peter is passionate about this revolutionary technology and is proud to be a part of the community supporting its development. Peter has extensive experience supporting patent prosecution strategies of multinational corporations. He also has a strong background supporting the university sector and spin-out companies arising from this area. As well as prosecuting applications in the UK and Europe, he has extensive experience managing international portfolios, particularly in the US, China, Japan, Korea, Canada and Australia. He is proactive in providing commercial as well as legal insight, and has extensive experience of freedom-to-operate and due diligence processes. He has also worked to support clients involved multi-jurisdictional patent litigation. Peter lectures on the subject of computer-implemented inventions at Queen Mary University of London.

Philip Harrison

Philip is a European and Chartered Patent Attorney in our Electronics, Software and Communications team. He specialises in the fields of electronics, fast moving consumer goods (FMCGs), machinery, packaging, telecommunication and software. He has particular experience in subject matter relating to consumer electronic devices, analogue and digital circuit design, antennas, integrated circuit fabrication, optics, satellite technology and digital signal processing. Philip enjoys the challenges involved in pursuing the broadest patent protection for clients and attends hearings at the European Patent Office relating to both the examination of patent applications and post-grant oppositions. He has significant experience in handling multi-jurisdictional due dilligence matters, in client patent portfolio review and analysis, as well as in advising clients on the patentability of software implemented inventions in the UK and Europe. He also works closely with patent attorneys in countries including the United States, China, Japan, Russia and Australia on matters relating to the prosecution of patent applications, as well as the infringement and validity of third party patent applications, in those jurisdictions.

Rob Sayer

Rob is a European and Chartered Patent Attorney in our Electronics, Software and Communications team. Rob previously worked for another large patent firm and in-house for a leading telecoms provider. Prior to joining Venner Shipley, Rob co-founded and was a partner in a small patent firm in Surrey. Rob specialises in inventions in the electrical and electronics fields, mainly in the areas of telecommunications, analogue and digital circuitry, RF systems and antennas, satellite positioning systems, mobile telephones, mobile network infrastructures, artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, data analytics and electronic payment systems. He regularly drafts and prosecutes patent applications before the UK and European Patent Offices, and works with overseas attorneys to secure protection in numerous countries including the US, China, and Japan. In addition to his patent work, Rob also advises on copyright and design matters.

Robert Peake

Robert is a Partner in our legal services team, focusing on intellectual property disputes. Robert is an English solicitor and qualified Canadian lawyer with over a decade of litigation experience, in particular in relation to patents, trade marks, and copyright, as well as broader commercial and regulatory disputes, often with multi-jurisdictional aspects.  Robert is fully bilingual, practising in English and in French, and holds degrees in common law and civil law. In non contentious matters, Robert assists clients with commercial arrangements for the creation and exploitation of intellectual property rights, including development agreements, licences and assignments. Robert regularly advises start-ups and SMEs on preliminary aspects to development work, including the protection of confidential information and contractual arrangements with consultant inventors and other third parties. He also has experience of advising clients on marketing and promotional matters, including comparative advertising and the use of social media. Robert also advises clients on a range of regulatory matters, data protection and cyber security compliance, as well as regulatory investigations. Robert regularly assists clients in navigating UK data protection laws, including the drafting of relevant policies and contractual arrangements such as data processing agreements, often with particular regard to international data transfer issues. Robert has a keen interest in the regulation of new technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learning; he completed his LLM at the London School of Economics, and has returned as a guest lecturer on the Cyberlaw master’s course

Siân Gill

Siân is a European and Chartered Patent Attorney in our Chemical and Life Sciences team. She specialises in the drafting, filing and prosecution of patent applications in a broad spectrum of technical fields that includes pharmaceuticals, formulation technology, drug delivery, molecular biology, biological assays, gene sequences, DNA sequencing technologies, array technologies, genomics proteomics, stem cells, diagnostics, cancer therapeutics, immuno-therapeutics, cell culturing technology and equipment, medical devices, food products and processing, filter technology and packaging technology. She has considerable experience of opposing and defending patents granted by the European Patent Office, including high-profile cases relating to blockbuster drugs for treating respiratory disorders. Siân regularly attends hearings before Examining and Opposition Divisions of the European Patent Office in Munich and The Hague, as well as Appeal Board hearings. In addition, Siân manages the prosecution of patent portfolios stretching around the globe, working closely with a network of overseas attorneys. Siân works closely with clients to ensure that they get the most out of their intellectual property, making sure that key development work is adequately protected and devising IP strategies to give them a competitive advantage. Most importantly, Siân assists clients to align their IP with the overall commercial and strategic aims of their business. She strives to consistently provide proactive, business-relevant advice by not only getting to know her clients’ technology and business, but also those of their competitors. Siân regularly provides advice to clients on potential infringement and validity of IP rights, helping clients to understand and negotiate the IP rights in their fields of interest and activity.

Simon Taor

Simon is a European and Chartered Patent Attorney in our Electronics, Software and Communications team. In addition to working with large multinationals, he has a large amount of experience working with universities, tech start-ups and SMEs. He has a vast amount of experience drafting and prosecuting UK and European patent applications in a number of fields from general mechanical and electrical work through to Internet related subject matter and computer implemented inventions.  In particular, he has worked on patent applications related to semiconductor devices, optical devices, display devices, energy storage devices, fault protection systems, data processing, electronic payment methods, and mobile telecommunications. In addition, Simon is an expert on essentiality evaluations for patent Standards, and he has carried out essentiality evaluations in a number of fields, including mobile telecommunications, mapping technologies and optical discs. Simon also has a large amount of experience filing UK and European Community design applications.

Yoann Rousseau

Yoann is a chartered UK trade mark attorney with extensive knowledge of trade mark and copyright law. Prior to joining Venner Shipley, Yoann was in-house IP Counsel for a well-known, pan-European, telecom retail company for several years. He brings a commercial approach to provide both practical and proactive advice to clients. Yoann advises on all aspects of trade mark law and practice, including management and organisation of IP portfolios, clearance for use and registration of new marks, prosecution and enforcement of intellectual property rights. He has extensive experience in contentious trade mark proceedings, such as oppositions and cancellation actions before the UK and EU Intellectual Property Offices, including trade mark hearings before the UK Intellectual Property Office. Yoann also advises on domain name disputes (before ICANN and Nominet) and has particular expertise in drafting and negotiating trade mark licences and assignments.