John chairs the management committee at J A Kemp. He advises a wide range of clients, from multinational corporations to startups, including those that have expanded into extensive foreign filing programmes. Known for his pragmatic and cost-conscious approach, he excels in drafting applications that capture the essence of an invention and in efficiently managing prosecution strategies.
John also has a strong interest in protecting computer-implemented inventions. He has written extensively on the European Patent Office’s (EPO) approach to software patents and regularly presents on the topic. His practical approach focuses on presenting inventions effectively in drafting and argument to achieve meaningful protection.
He also handles litigation and enforcement matters, including proceedings before the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (IPEC) and the Patents Court. He has successfully resolved many disputes without litigation, using alternative dispute resolution methods such as mediation and UK Intellectual Property Office (UK IPO) Opinions. As a registered European Patent Litigator, he is qualified to represent clients before the Unified Patent Court (UPC). He has also conducted numerous EPO appeal proceedings, including inter partes and ex parte cases. Notably, he acted for the opponent in the landmark G0004/97 Enlarged Board of Appeal decision, which confirmed the legitimacy of strawman oppositions.
John has extensive experience in recovering lapsed patents and applications through restoration and restitution procedures at the UK IPO, the EPO and other European offices. He successfully represented the proprietor in Ament’s Patent [1994] RPC 647, which overturned UK IPO practice by establishing that lack of funds could, in certain circumstances, justify restoration of an inadvertently lapsed patent.
Year joined firm: 1988
- Masters Degree in Physics, University of Oxford
- Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA)
- Member of the Institute of Professional Representatives before the European Patent Office (EPI)
- Director and Deputy Chairman of PAMIA Limited (the UK patent attorney profession’s mutual insurer)
- Member of the Union of European Practitioners in Intellectual Property (UNION)
- Member of the Society for Computers and the Law
