J A Kemp

Firm overview:

One of the largest European patent and trademark attorney firms, J A Kemp serves clients across three broad groups: biotechnology and life sciences; chemistry and pharmaceuticals; and engineering and IT. A peer says they have found the firm to be “a valuable partner across all IP issues” and appreciates its “excellent support and advice”.

Clients relying on the team’s broad patent expertise and academic excellence include Abbvie, Amazon, Cambridge and Oxford universities, GSK, Regeneron and L’Oréal. J A Kemp drafts, files and prosecutes patent applications in Europe and internationally, manages patent portfolios and advises startups and spin-outs on protecting and exploiting their intangible assets. A client appreciates the “coherent, affordable IP strategy” devised for them by the team.

J A Kemp also advises on contentious IP matters in the UK courts and around the world. The firm boosted its litigation offering in March 2024 with the hire of John Hornby, who practised as a barrister in the early years of his career and was one of the first solicitor advocates. J A Kemp is also one of the few traditional patent prosecution firms in Europe that is undertaking litigation at the Unified Patent Court (UPC), with 66 attorneys registered as representatives before the new forum.

Team overview:

J A Kemp has a dominant position in the economically vibrant ‘golden triangle’ between London, Oxford and Cambridge, with offices in all three locations and additional capability in Paris and Munich.

Notable partners include Amanda Simons and Chris Milton, who are “thorough and prepared” according to an industry peer. Simons heads up the Chemistry and Pharmaceuticals group and assists a significant number of startups in the Oxford area and beyond with developing their IP, as well as representing clients at opposition before the EPO.

Based in London, Milton has been a partner since 2015 and advises on a wide range of chemical technologies. He has considerable experience in contentious matters before the EPO, and his work includes high-profile cases in the anti-viral field.

London partner Graham Lewis leads J A Kemp’s team handling supplementary protection certificates (SPCs) and regulatory matters for pharmaceutical and agrochemical products, particularly biologics. A peer says he combines “intelligence, insight and experience to provide great strategic advice”.

Another partner, Ravi Srinivasan, is known for his expertise in chemistry and work in the pharmaceutical companies. Srinivasan has an impressive international reputation for patent filings, with experience in patent prosecution before the Indian Patent Office.

Key matters:

• Prosecution, portfolio strategy and EPO proceedings—Genmab

J A Kemp represents Denmark-based global biotech company Genmab, which specialises in antibody therapeutics. The work includes handling European patent families that are of significant commercial importance to the business. The team has achieved the grant of patents at the EPO in difficult cases, and advised Genmab on strategies for obtaining SPCs across Europe to strengthen its portfolio further.

Genmab also trusts the team with representation in opposition and appeal proceedings at the EPO, both offensive and defensive. J A Kemp also advises on due diligence matters relating to potential partnerships and acquisitions.

Partners Graham Lewis, Marc Wilkinson, Pamela Tuxworth, Chris Milton and Feng Rao handle the work for Genmab.

• EPO opposition work—Regeneron

J A Kemp has advised leading US biotech company Regeneron since the early 1990s. The company launched its first major drug, Eylea, in 2012 and is now a top-tier biotech employing over 11,000 people.

The team’s work has included successfully representing Regeneron at the EPO in many oppositions, as well as advising on SPCs and other matters relating to its platform technologies and pipeline of emerging antibody drugs. Work for Regeneron is handled across four J A Kemp offices and across all its technical teams.

The lead partners for Regeneron are Graham Lewis, Vicki Allen, James Nicholls, and James Fish.

• Defence of GSK patent

J A Kemp has worked on a patent for client GSK covering its anti-HIV drug Triumeq since 2019, when representation for defending the patent was transferred to the firm from Potter Clarkson. Since then, the team has defended the patent against multiple complex attacks as well as handled an appeal, in which the patent was upheld as granted in October 2024.

Partner Ravi Srinivasan and associate Jenny Soderman are key team members for the matter.

Clients:

Abbvie, Almirall, Amazon, Aqualisa, AstraZeneca, Autovista, BASF, Bicycle Therapeutics, Brother Industries, Cambridge University, Cell Therapy, Durect, Eli Lilly, Freeline, Genmab, Genomics, GSK, InDex Pharma, IOBiotech, Lanzatech, L’Oréal, Lockheed Martin, MIPS, Oxford Nanopore Technologies, Oxford University, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Ricoh, Roche, Samsonite, Stanford University, Sumitomo Chemical Company, UCB, Verona