Profile description
Guy is an experienced intellectual property practitioner with a substantial and broad practice ranging from patents, copyright, trade marks, designs through to franchising, competition law and commercial disputes. He has appeared in most tribunals including the High Court, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court, European Court of Justice, European Patent Office, the Trade Mark Registry, VAT Tribunal and Crown Court.
He has a strong scientific background having read physics and computing at University. He has even written a solicitors’ discovery programme and a chambers’ fee billing programme as well as a complex 3 dimensional graphic modelling programme (in the days when this was cutting edge!)
He has been involved in many reported cases ranging from complex patent disputes through to VAT cases. He relishes being involved in cases which require cross-disciplinal skills believing that one can be too specialized. This has resulted in him being involved in a leading VAT case in the High Court. Yet, he is as proud of those cases where he has achieved a good result for his client without needing to go to court.
He is widely regarded as having a very hands-on and commercial attitude to cases. In early years, he had an extensive criminal practice which honed his advocacy skills. He is now a Grade A Inner Temple Advocacy Teacher and his skills as a cross-examiner have often been remarked upon (see Testimonial & Directory Quotes). He is also Cheif Examiner of the CIPA Litigation Skills Course.
He is the chief author of Intellectual Property in Europe (4th edition, published November 2014, Sweet and Maxwell), a book often cited in Advocate-General’s Opinions and is the text book in several European universities. For more information see http://intellectualpropertyineurope.com/
Guy has an enviable track record as a mediator having settled every case bar one in the last five years. This includes very recently successfully mediating a heavy music publishing and bitter dispute between a famous living composer and a leading music publisher. The mediation took place over two days. He has also sat as an arbitrator in an IT licensing dispute.
He is the Chairman of the Code of Practice Committee of National Office Animal Health – a post whose predecessors have been Mr Justice Laddie, Mr Justice Kitchin and Mr Justice Arnold!
He lectures frequently around Europe trying the delicate task of weaving humour with topical IP issues.
He is consistently recommended in Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 for intellectual property and information technology.
He is also involved in a number of start-up technology and fashion businesses where he sits on the board advising on IP aspects.
