JUVE Comment

First and foremost a leading commercial set, Brick Court Chambers has certainly spent the past 12 months showcasing its credentials in IP advocacy, particularly on the side of telecommunications, including FRAND disputes, and high-tech litigation. Although it has a clear focus on competition and antitrust law and their application to patent disputes, the chamber’s barristers have been highly visible in the UK’s leading disputes on SEPs and FRAND. Indeed, the set’s barristers have acted for both the NPEs and the mobile phone manufacturers in the high-profile disputes between Unwired Planet and Huawei, and Conversant against Huawei and ZTE. Alongside 8 New Square, Brick Court was the most prominent set to appear in this ground-breaking litigation.

The set has also maintained its visibility in mobile communications disputes at the Court of Appeal. A stand-out is the complex litigation between Mitsubishi and Sisvel against several claimants, all of which are mobile phone manufacturers. In the entire proceedings, only two barristers from other chambers appeared alongside four of Brick Court’s advocates.

As such Brick Court Chambers is clearly excellently positioned to build on this knowledge of FRAND and competition, and to appear in future SEP/FRAND proceedings.

Recommended individuals

Nicholas Saunders

Team

5 QCs, 1 junior

Clients

Supreme Court: Unwired Planet (claimant, Sarah Ford) against Huawei (Mark Howard) over FRAND; Conversant (claimant, Colin West) against Huawei (defendant, Mark Howard) and ZTE over FRAND. Court of Appeal: HTC (defendant, Colin West) against IPCom; Mitsubishi and Sisvel (claimant, Sarah Abram) against Archos, Sun Cupid, NUU, OnePlus, OPlus, Reflection Investment, Oppo, Xiaomi (defendants, Daniel Piccinin, Colin West, Nicholas Saunders) over telecommunications patents; High Court: Apple (defendant, Sarah Love) against PanOptis over SEPs and FRAND.