Lord Kitchin: life at the UK Supreme Court

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2025

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Lord Kitchin: life at the UK Supreme Court

Lord Kitchin

The only justice with an IP background tells Managing IP how legal teams should test their arguments, that he balances reasoning and personal experience, and why he’ll be completely excluded from an upcoming FRAND trial

“I think it is reason, but without losing your humanity,” says Lord Kitchin when asked about his approach to UK Supreme Court cases. “It must primarily be analytical, but obviously your experience and sensitivities as a person can be brought to bear.”

Sitting in his office at the court, Kitchin is talking through a range of topics, from the dos and don’ts at trial, to how the justices operate, to the “enormous fun” he has had as a judge and barrister.

For IP specialists, all eyes are on the Unwired Planet v Huawei trial, which will be heard in October. The FRAND dispute has generated a lot of attention – from as far afield as China – and the court’s decision could have a highly significant global impact on this field.

In our exclusive interview, Kitchin tells us why he won’t play any role in the case and that, even if he did, his views wouldn’t necessarily “carry the day,” despite his expertise.  

To find out why, and hear Kitchin’s views on other issues including international collaboration between judges and why the UK Supreme Court is an innovator, read the full interview tomorrow, August 7 on managingip.com.

The previous two interviews in this series – with Mr Justice Arnold and the late Mr Justice Carr – can be found here and here.

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Lawyers at Lavoix provide an overview of the UPC’s approach to inventive step and whether the forum is promoting its own approach rather than following the EPO
Andrew Blattman, who helped IPH gain significant ground in Asia and Canada, will leave in the second half of 2026
The court ordering a complainant to rank its arguments in order of potential success and a win for Edwards Lifesciences were among the top developments in recent weeks
Frederick Lee has rejoined Boies Schiller Flexner, bolstering the firm’s capabilities across AI, media, and entertainment
Nirav Desai and Sasha S Rao at Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox explore how companies’ efforts to manage tariffs by altering corporate structures can undermine their ability to assert their patents and recover damages
Monika Żuraw, founder of Żuraw & Partners, discusses why IP should be part of the foundation of a business, and taking on projects that others walk away from
Lawyers say attention will turn to the UK government’s AI consultation after judgment fails to match pre-trial hype
Susan Keston and Rachel Fetches at HGF explain why the CoA’s decision to grant the UPC’s first permanent injunction demonstrates the court’s readiness to diverge from national court judgments
IP, M&A, life sciences and competition partners advised on deal that brings together brands such as ‘Huggies’ and ‘Kleenex’ with ‘Band-Aid’ and ‘Tylenol’
Stability AI, represented by Bird & Bird, is not liable for secondary copyright infringement, though Fieldfisher client Getty succeeds in some trademark claims
Gift this article