Gowling WLG

Firm overview:

Full-service law firm Gowling WLG is relied on for patent prosecution, enforcement, litigation and transactional work by an international client base. The firm directly files patents for clients in Canada, China, Singapore and UAE; in the UK and Europe it works with an established network of attorney firms to provide filing services for both national and European patents as well as unitary patents.

The UK patents team is sought out by clients ranging from startup innovators, universities and research institutes to multinational corporations. Capabilities include patent strategy, portfolio management and technology transfer consultancy.

For clients who find themselves at the sharp end of a patent dispute, Gowling WLG has extensive experience of handling critical matters including ‘bet the company’ litigation. The team has successfully represented clients in all levels of court and administrative tribunals. Notable achievements include representing InterDigital in its standard-essential patent (SEP) litigation with Lenovo; in July 2024 the UK Court of Appeal handed InterDigital a royalty uplift in a landmark ruling.

Team overview:

Huw Evans heads the patent litigation (UK) team and is described as “bright and thoughtful”, handling “interesting cases”. Evans is recognised for his work in the life sciences and healthcare sectors, as well as technology where he has assisted clients in navigating complex FRAND negotiations.

There have been a number of notable departures from the firm over the past year or so. IP transactional specialist Mathilda Davidson left the firm to join Osborne Clarke, and former head of life sciences, Jenny Davies, is now at Cooley. Former partner Matt Hervey also left the firm last year and is now at Human Native AI.

Key matters:

• SEP litigation—InterDigital

In July 2024, the UK High Court delivered a landmark ruling in the high-profile licensing dispute between tech rivals InterDigital and Lenovo. The court raised slightly the royalty rate payable by Lenovo following a complex five-day trial.

InterDigital, which was represented by Gowling WLG, described the decision as a “comprehensive win” in its favour.

Alexandra Brodie and Michael Carter led the Gowling WLG team.

Clients:

InterDigital