Jeremy is a European and UK patent attorney, and is a Partner specialising in high-profile oppositions and appeals at the European Patent Office. Highlights include a successful opposition of Virgin Atlantic’s business class aircraft seating patent, which had previously been upheld as valid by the Court of Appeal in England. This resulted in an award of £49 million in damages being overturned in a landmark decision of the UK Supreme Court.
Jeremy is active in the field of medical devices, handling multiple attacking and defensive oppositions involving some of the largest companies in this field. As well as leading cases at the EPO, he has provided litigation support for corresponding cases at the UPC and in European national courts, working closely with top-tier litigators in various countries, including being part of the team for a successful preliminary injunction trial in Denmark.
In the field of communications, Jeremy has successfully defended European patents against oppositions filed by the European Union and the European Space Agency. He has also led a team that successfully defended a patent relating to a hairspring in a mechanical watch, in a case involving the largest companies in the Swiss watch industry.
Jeremy has handled legally complex cases with enlarged four-member Opposition Divisions and five-member Boards of Appeal, including prior use allegations and the cross-examination of witnesses. He has had cases reported in the EPO’s Case Law of the Boards of Appeal book as well as various IP websites and blogs.
A significant proportion of his practice involves working with patents originating from the US. Jeremy regularly advises practitioners in the US on how to draft and prosecute patent applications ready for success at the EPO, and gives talks at various IP conferences.
Other career highlights include co-ordinating a worldwide patent filing strategy in the smart card field covering over 90 countries, and helping a start-up company to raise investment on the BBC’s Dragons’ Den programme for a children’s carry case product.
His physics degree gives him a broad base from which to specialise in various fields according to his clients’ needs.