Venner Shipley LLP

Electrical, electronics, telecoms and IT.

Partner Mike Jennings  leads AAThornton’s highly rated Electrical Patents group. He specialises in patent protection, patent oppositions and IP strategy advice for a range of technologies including areas of physics, electrical engineering and computer-related inventions.

Mike has more than 20 years' experience handling patent drafting and prosecution of European, UK and PCT patent applications in areas such as computer systems, storage and software including computer modelling and simulation, automated controls, electromagnetic and optical sensing technologies for locating hydrocarbons and for detecting gases, and telecommunications. Mike handles a substantial opposition case load and has an enviable success rate in EPO oppositions and appeals thanks to commitment and proactivity.Mike also advises on software patentability and infringement and validity of patents.

Mike's clients include multinational corporations and leading companies in the UK and many other countries, including clients in the oil and gas industry, the telecommunications sector, engineering, gas detection, consumer electronics and computing.

Joined the patent profession in 1990 and spent his early years in private practice with a leading UK firm and with IBM before two years with Spruson & Ferguson in Sydney, Australia. Mike gained several years' experience as an in-house senior patent attorney for IBM in the UK, handling invention reviews, patent drafting and prosecution and as lead attorney in patent licensing. He joined AA Thornton in 2007 and became a partner in 2008.

Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA), including Computer Technology Committee; European Patent Institute (EPI); AIPPI; and appointed to quality working group within Standing Advisory Committee before the EPO (SACEPO) for 2017-2020, liaising between industry and EPO management.

University of Bristol (BSc Hons Physics).

Mike grew up on the south coast of England and loves messing about in boats with his very active family.