JUVE Comment

The UK patent attorney firm has a well-known focus on advising pharmaceutical and biotech companies. It continued this work at the UPC. Right from the start, its regular clients Healios and Osaka University involved the firm in revocation actions brought by Astellas over two biotech patents. The patent attorneys had already defended both patents against Astellas’ challenges at the EPO. The two proceedings at the Munich central division are so far the only UPC cases in which the firm’s partners are the main representatives. Nevertheless, like its UK competitors Marks & Clerk and Carpmaels & Ransford, J A Kemp consistently exploited its life sciences connections for the UPC from an early stage.

J A Kemp partners are also operating in the background in two other major pharmaceutical disputes, in which large law firms have the lead in the courtroom. In both, J A Kemp’s patent attorneys are also defending the patents-in-suit at the EPO against oppositions from competitors.

All in all, J A Kemp is one of the most present UK law firms at the new court, albeit with significantly fewer cases than Carpmaels & Ransford. The pharmaceutical industry has not yet fully discovered the new court, and the firm has therefore not yet been able to realise the potential of its client base, with big-name clients such as Amgen, Eli Lilly, Gilead, GSK, Regeneron and UCB.

Strengths

Pharma and biotech disputes for patent holders.

Team

64 patent attorneys

Clients

Healios and Osaka University against Astellas over biotech patents for a method of producing and purification of retinal pigment epithelial cell.