Region Area

Barristers

Brian Nicholson KC

Brian Nicholson KC

Position

Senior barrister specialising in all areas of intellectual property and related fields including: patents; design right; copyright; information technology; breach of confidence and privacy; trade marks and passing off. Particular specialisation in complex electronic and computing technology cases. 

Previous cases include:Dr Reddy's v Warner Lambert (damages inquiry), Facebook v Voxer (telecommunications messaging patent), Claydon v Mzuri (patents relating to agricultural machinery), IPCom v Vodafone (Appeal), IPCom v Vodafone (Patents Court), TQ Delta v ZYXEL (Digital Subscriber Line patents), Garmin v Philips (GPS fitness tracker patent), Clearswift v Glasswall (patents, software), Apple v Qualcomm (patents, telecoms, FRAND), American Science v Rapiscan (x-ray patents); Warner Lambert v Dr Reddy’s (pharmaceutical patent); Magmatic v PMSL (design right); Unwired Planet v Samsung & Google (telecoms patents); Philips v Nintendo (computer game patents); Nokia v HTC (telecoms patents); IPcom v HTC (telecoms patent infringement and validity); BSkyB v Microsoft (trade mark infringement and passing off); Virgin Atlantic Airways v Zodiac [2013] UKSC 46 (aeroplane seat patents); 3i infotech v Royal Bank of Scotland (computer contract); Covatec v Smith & Nephew (medical device patent); IPCom v Nokia (FRAND inquiry); Apple v Samsung (mobile telephone technology); Sandisk v Kingston (portable memory technology); IPcom v Nokia (mobile telephone patents); Global Coal v London Commodity Brokers (traders licensing agreements); Cranway v Playtech (internet gaming patent); Navitaire v Easyjet (copyright in software, user-interfaces and database), Intel v Via (CPU Patents); Zipher v Markem (printing apparatus patents); Microsoft v Digital Now (software authentication devices); Nokia v Interdigital (mobile telephone patents); Thomson v Pace (MPEG Video patents); Samsung v Ericsson/Sony Ericsson (mobile telephone patents); Siemens v Thorn (PCB coating patent appeal); Trafalgar v Hamdi (Supreme Court of Gibraltar, confidential information).

Career

Qualified 2000, Lincoln’s Inn. Standing Counsel for the Comptroller-General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (2014-2019).Silk, 2019.

Memberships

Intellectual Property Bar Association; Chancery Bar Association; Chartered Engineer; European Engineer; FRSA; FRI; MIET; MBCS; MIEEE; MACM.

Education

The Blue School; University of Bath (1995 B Eng (Hons) 1st; 1998 PhD, ‘Artificial Intelligence for the Robust Optimisation of On-Line Control System Stability’); City University (1999 Diploma in law); ICSL; Lincoln’s Inn Scholarships: Cassel, Sunley, CPE and Hardwicke. .

Mentions

London Bar

Intellectual property

Leading silk2
Brian Nicholson KC – 11 South Square ‘Brian is outstanding in all respects. An exceptional advocate with mastery of highly complex technical subject matter, phenomenal strategic insight and great to work with all round, he is masterful in cross-examination and oral submissions in High Court litigation.'