Carpmaels & Ransford LLP

John Brunner

John has extensive experience assisting tech and healthcare companies in all aspects of the patent lifecycle in the UK, Europe and globally, from invention mining, drafting and prosecution through to opposition, invalidity and enforcement proceedings. In particular, IAM in the Patent 1000 has noted his ‘superb’ ability to prosecute patent applications in Europe. In the healthcare space, John built the foundational patent portfolio for a top 10 pharma company for their various drug delivery platforms and defended them at opposition. In recent years, he acted in multiple EPO opposition cases against Huawei in relation to various software patents. He has also acted for LifeScan at the EPO in relation to their glucose management diagnostics technology, both on prosecution and opposition matters. More recently, he has been brought in to handle the European patent portfolios of fast-growing and innovative companies, such as Align Technology, Quantum-Si and Auris Health. John also acts for J&J Vision in relation to their ophthalmic laser surgery and intra-ocular lens technology. John advises a range of companies, from start-ups to multinationals, on a range of European IP issues, including infringement and enforcement of patents and design rights, and licensing issues. He is routinely brought in to handle complex FTO and clearance projects for a variety of US and European companies across the healthcare sector. As the lead patent attorney on various litigation cases in the UK, including Align Technology v ClearCorrect in relation to the former’s Invisalign® technology, and AMO Development v Alcon in relation to Alcon’s LenSx® ophthalmic laser surgery platform, John has brought in-depth technical knowledge and strategic perspectives to bear on these cases from a European standpoint. John is an Engineering graduate of the University of Oxford, where he specialised in biomedical engineering and electronics. He is a council member of the UK Group of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI). Prior to joining Carpmaels & Ransford, he worked for a leading technology product development consultancy in Cambridge.

Hugh Goodfellow

Hugh is the Managing Partner at Carpmaels & Ransford and a Partner in the Life Sciences team.  He has a large prosecution practice, spanning Europe and beyond, and he is a regular visitor to the European Patent Office (EPO), handling many oppositions and appeals. He has pan-European expertise in the filing and prosecution of supplementary protection certificates nationally, as well as considerable experience before the European Court of Justice, including the widely cited Queensland (C-630/10), Neurim (C-130/11) and Abraxis (C-443/17) referrals. Hugh has an “expansive practice” (IAM Patent 1000) with clients ranging from large and long-established global companies (e.g. Janssen, Takeda, Bristol Myers Squibb, Regeneron and Vertex) through to growing biotech companies (e.g., Akari, Radius Health, Hubrecht Organoid Technology, Translate Bio and Westway Health). During his career, he has been responsible for establishing the filing strategy and generating IP portfolios for a number of start-ups, guiding some of these clients all the way from early conception, through financing rounds and subsequent public flotation. His particular area of current focus includes biologics – in particular, therapeutic antibodies, complex immunology, biosimilar defence work and stem cell technology. Collectively, these experiences have developed Hugh’s ability to consistently and successfully protect foundation intellectual property and forecast potential future problems from the viewpoint of both IP generation and freedom to operate. Hugh has been noted as a “top-tier advisor” who “seamlessly links the firm’s prosecution division with its dispute resolution arm” (IAM Patent 1000). Hugh received his BA (Hons) in Biochemistry and his MA and DPhil from the University of Oxford. His experience at the bench was spent investigating mechanisms of drug resistance in cancer cells. In addition to his work at Carpmaels & Ransford Hugh is a trustee for the UK charity Pancreatic Cancer Action.