Carpmaels & Ransford

Firm overview:

Carpmaels & Ransford combines litigation with a well-established patent prosecution practice, as well as transactional expertise, to offer a full intellectual property service to clients. A peer suggests that the firm has “reinvented” itself into a more modern legal outfit over the last decade or so, and says admiringly that Carpmaels has “nailed” the expansion of its litigation capabilities.

The firm manages global patent portfolios for market-leading brands, and is “extremely strong” on the life sciences side, according to an industry peer. Another counterpart notes the firm’s understated excellence, commenting that they are “quietly going about their business, really nicely”.

Alongside its drafting and prosecution work, Carpmaels advises on a range of non-contentious patent matters, for example assisting a major pharmaceutical client with a collaboration and licence agreement for an innovative cell-based product. US corporate clients with affiliates in the UK and elsewhere in Europe regularly call upon the team to draft multi-party agreements regarding patent rights in Europe.

The firm has been growing its contentious practice and now has a deep bench of experienced litigators. The team is skilled at handling UK litigation, EPO oppositions, cross-border disputes and Unified Patent Court (UPC) cases. Carpmaels was the first UK law firm to conduct UPC proceedings independently, without co-counsel from local firms, when it represented Curio Bioscience in its dispute with 10x Genomics over alleged infringement of a European patent.

Team overview:

From offices in London, Dublin and Munich, the team is well placed to assist clients with European patent matters.

Managing partner Hugh Goodfellow, part of the life sciences team, has a large prosecution practice that spans Europe and beyond. A regular visitor to the EPO to handle oppositions and appeals, Goodfellow also has pan-European expertise in the filing and prosecution of supplementary protection certificates.

Dispute resolution partner Agathe Michel-de Cazotte joined Carpmaels & Ransford in 2022, bringing rich and diverse experience in the European courts. She has represented clients in EPO oppositions for over a decade, and has a particular interest in the UPC, having acted for clients in the court since its opening.

Another team member with UPC expertise is partner Cameron Marshall, who focuses on the life sciences field and mostly acts for blue-chip pharmaceutical companies including Novartis, Merck, Gilead, and Lilly. Often lead counsel at the EPO, Marshall has acted for Novartis and Curio in two high-profile UPC disputes.

Partner Daniel Wise is rated highly by peers, who “come across him a lot in contentious hearings”. Wise specialises in biologics and pharmaceuticals, with a particular focus on protein therapeutics, medicinal chemistry and vaccine technology.

Key matters:

• 10x Genomics v Curio Bioscience

Cameron Marshall led a Carpmaels & Ransford team to represent Curio Bioscience after 10x Genomics brought a claim against its rival in December 2023 for alleged infringement of a European patent directed to spatial detection of nucleic acid in tissue.

The case was interesting for three reasons; it was the first time a UK law firm has conducted UPC proceedings independently; the UPC’s Court of Appeal issued its first decision granting a change of language in the proceedings; and Carpmaels and Curio viewed the result as a win, even though it was reported as a win for the other side.

The court ruled largely in favour of 10x Genomics, although it found only one of the two main patent claims to be infringed. Marshall told WIPR following the decision that the ruling “wasn’t a problem for us” and that Curio was “quite happy”.

• Technical expertise—Novartis and Genentech

The life sciences proficiency of Carpmaels’ team was called upon in Novartis and Genentech’s dispute with Celltrion over a generic version of an asthma drug.

The UK High Court ruled in favour of patent holders Novartis and Genentech earlier in 2025, determining that Celltrion had infringed a patent covering omalizumab.

In September last year, the UPC declined to impose a preliminary injunction, when the Dusseldorf Local Division ruled that there was insufficient evidence the patent would be infringed by a biosimilar.

In the UPC proceedings, Freshfields represented Novartis and Genentech with a team from Carpmaels supporting on technical issues.

Clients:

Curio Bioscience, Genentech, Novartis