James is an Intellectual Property Litigation partner heading up our legal services team. He has extensive experience in commercial litigation, intellectual property and alternative dispute resolution (ADR). His practice has covered a wide variety of IP disputes, and ancillary issues in commercial litigation, employment, and insolvency affecting intellectual property rights. He focuses on intellectual property disputes; and has been involved in cases such as the Supreme Court decision in R. v. Prudential on the issue of whether legal professional privilege applies to non-lawyers representing the interests of the IP community, the House of Lords decision in RPR v Yeda concerning patent entitlement to a cancer therapy, Icescape v Ice-World concerning patent interpretation under the doctrine of equivalence, CCH v the Law Society of Upper Canada a decision of the Canadian Supreme Court concerning copyright in judgments, trade mark cases such as the Enterprise Court decision protecting the Dyno-Rod mark from rogue plumbers, as well as design and confidential information disputes in the High Court.
James leads a team with vast experience in contentious and non-contentious data protection matters. James has advised international entities on cross border data use for over 15 years, and is often engaged in regulatory defence matters, he also gave advice to the Government on the 2018 Data Protection Act, and continues to advise them on data protection and reform. His work also extends to compliance in regards to data protection for advertising and promotions, as well as issues with data capture for those dealing in virtual currency and customer data. He has been an ad hoc advisor to various UK MPs and MEPs on a range of IP and dispute issues. Through his engagement with policy makers he has extensive Government relations experience and advises clients on how to prepare for legislative changes and regulation compliance.
James is a qualified mediator, listed with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office, CIArb, Clerksroom and a number of other ADR providers. He also spent two years chairing the International Trade Mark Association’s ADR committee. Since 2014 James has held appointment as a Chairman of Police Tribunals, a junior judicial role. James has experience with IP crime cases, and has trained several police forces on data protection matters.
James has truly global experience appearing as an advocate in courts in the USA, Canada and the Falkland Islands, he has also worked on disputes in Gibraltar, the Isle of Man, Germany, France, Austria and Spain.
James’ writing has been featured in numerous publications inter alia; International Company and Commercial Law Review, Commercial Litigation Review, World Intellectual Property Report, EIPR, AIPPI, Canadian Intellectual Property Journal, ABA IPL Section, BioScience Law Review, the Law Society of Upper Canada Intellectual Property Law Year Review, Oxford Journal of IP Law & Practice, and in the Federated Press Federal Intellectual Property Review Journal.
He is also the author of several books: Tumbridge’s Guide to Legal Qualification: The Common Law World, published by Carswell; a co-author of Drafting Patents for Litigation and Licensing, published by Bloomberg; co-author of Privilege and Professional Confidences: An International Review, published by Bloomberg, and co-author of ‘A Practical Guide to the Ownership of Employee Inventions – From Entitlement to Compensation’ published by Law Brief.
Network Memberships:
- American Bar Association (ABA)
- Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA)
- Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (CITMA)
- Intellectual Property Bar Association
- Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO)
- International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI), UK Council Member
- International Bar Association (IBA), ADR Committee Member
- International Intellectual Property Law Association (IIPLA)
- Committee Member at International Trade Mark Association (INTA)
- International Federation of Intellectual Property Attorneys (FICPI)
- Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitration (MCIArb.)
- UNION of European Patent Attorneys
- The Intellectual Property Lawyers’ Organisation (TIPLO)
