Recent cases

Optis Cellular Technology LLC & Ors v Apple Retail UK Limited & Ors [2021] EWHC 3121 (Pat)25 November 2021James Abrahams QC, James Whyte and Michael Conway appeared for the Claimants (“Optis”) and Lindsay Lane QC appeared as lead counsel for the Defendants (“Apple”) in Trial C in the ongoing proceedings between these parties.  The wider proceedings relate to 8 telecommunications patents claimed to be standard-essential patents owned by Optis and the potential licensing […]
Optis v Apple [2021] EWCA Civ 161910 November 2021Mark Chacksfield QC, Tom Jones and Henry Edwards appeared for the claimants/respondents (“Optis”) in an appeal brought by the defendants (“Apple”) against the judgment of Birss J in which he found one of Optis’ patents to be valid, essential and infringed by Apple through dealings in their iPhones and iPads. In the appeal, Apple argued […]
BASF Corporation & Ors v Carpmaels & Ransford (a firm) [2021] EWHC 2899 (Ch)29 October 2021Henry Ward appeared for the Defendant (“Carpmaels”), with John Wardell QC and Nick Zweck, in legal proceedings brought by the Claimants (“BASF”) for professional negligence. Carpmaels failed to appeal an EPO decision revoking a patent for lack of inventive step, various internal safeguard systems having failed.  The patent was for an emissions treatment system and […]
Optis v Apple [2021] EWHC 2759 (Pat)11 October 2021Isabel Jamal and Jennifer Dixon appeared for the Claimants (“Optis”) in the consequentials hearing following the judgment of Meade J in Trial F in these proceedings. At Trial F, the judge held that the Defendants (“Apple”) needed to give an undertaking to take the FRAND licence set by the Court at a future trial (“Trial […]
Royalty Pharma Collection Trust v Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH [2021] EWHC 2692 (Pat)8 October 2021Andrew Lykiardopoulos QC appeared with James Segan QC for the Claimant, Royalty Pharma Collection Trust (“Royalty Pharma”), and Adrian Speck QC and James Whyte appeared for the Defendant, Boehringer, in proceedings concerning the payment of royalties in relation to a patent licence agreement. In 2005, Boehringer was granted a non-exclusive licence in relation to patents […]
Waymo LLC v Wayve Technologies Limited4 October 2021This Appointed Person Appeal (from a decision of a Hearing Officer in UK IPO Trade Marks Registry) concerned the Trade Mark Application for the mark “Wayve” to be registered for inter alia “software for self-driving cars or autonomous vehicles” (Class 9) and “arrangement of transport” (Class 39).  Iona Berkeley represented Wayve Technologies Ltd who was […]
Optis v Apple [2021] EWHC 2564 (Pat)27 September 2021Isabel Jamal and Jennifer Dixon appeared for the Claimants (“Optis”), with Isabel as the lead advocate on the FRAND parts of the case and Sarah Ford QC as the lead advocate on the competition law parts of the case, in a trial determining whether or not the Defendants (“Apple”) were entitled to rely on Optis’ […]
Advanced Bionics v Med-El Elektromedizinische Gerate31 August 2021Andrew Lykiardopoulos QC led the counsel team for the claimants, Advanced Bionics, in this successful application for expedition of a patent trial.  The patent, held by the defendant, Med-El, is entitled ‘MRI-Safe Disk Magnet for Implants’ and has particular application for cochlear implants.  Advanced Bionics seeks to invalidate the patent and/or to establish that Advanced […]
FibroGen and Astellas Pharma v Akebia and Otsuka24 August 2021Michael Conway acted on the counsel team for Astellas, one of the appellants in this appeal against the judgment of Lord Justice Arnold in [2020] EWHC 866 (Pat) concerning six patents in two families (referred to as Family A and Family B). The Patents claimed the use of compounds with broadly defined structural features that […]
Liverpool Gin Distillery and Halewood v Sazerac5 August 2021Daniel Alexander QC and Maxwell Keay acted for the respondents, Sazerac, in this unsuccessful appeal against a finding that the appellant, Halewood, had infringed Sazerac’s trade marks.  Sazerac owns two trade marks consisting of the words EAGLE RARE in respect of whisky in class 33.  Halewood had launched a Tennessee straight bourbon whiskey under the […]