Colin Birss QC


Called to the Bar 1990 and took silk in 2008

Appointments

Member of the Professional Conduct and Complaints Committee of the Bar Standards Board
Standing Counsel to the Comptroller General for Patents, Designs and Trade Marks 2003-2008


Education and Work
1986, Downing College, Cambridge - MA (1st class) in Natural Sciences (Metallurgy & Materials Sciences)
1986 - 1988, Management Consultant (Andersen Consulting)
1988, City University - Diploma in Law
1989, Middle Temple - Stanley Levy Prize
1990, Pupillage with Andrew Waugh and Guy Burkill

Practice Area
Colin Birss has an established practice in the field of intellectual property; including patents, trade marks and passing off, copyright and designs; and also information technology law. He appears regularly before all the appropriate English courts and tribunals and also has an established practice before the European Patent Office.

Professional Associations
Intellectual Property Bar Association, Chancery Bar Association, AIPPI, TIPLO, Bar European Group

Publications
Editor of Terrell on the Law of Patents (15th and 16th editions)

Recent Cases
Cases before United Kingdom courts
Patents

• Aerotel; Macrossan - software and business methods - Court of Appeal [2007] RPC 7
• Angiotech v Conormed - drug eluting stents - House of Lords, Court of Appeal and Patents Court [2008] RPC 28
• Beloit v Valmet - paper making machinery - Court of Appeal and Patents Court [1995] RPC 705
• CFPH LLC’s Application- software patents - patentability
• Consafe v Emtunga - offshore accommodation unit - Patents Court - [1999] RPC 154
• Dr Reddy's v Eli Lilly - olanzapine - Patents Court - [2008] EWHC 2345 (Pat)
• Fujitsu’s Application - computer software - Court of Appeal [1997] RPC 608
• Glaxo SmithKline -v- Cipla - salmeterol and fluticasone - Patents Court
• GSK v Sanofi - streptococcus vaccine - Patents Court [2006] EWHC 2333
• Haberman - practice - Patents Court and EPO (2003)
• ICI v Montedison - acrylic polymer - Court of Appeal [1995] RPC 449
• Kimberly Clark v Procter & Gamble - surge management means - Court of Appeal [2000] RPC 422
• Kirin-Amgen v Boehringer Mannheim and TKT - erythropoietin - Patents Court, Court of Appeal and House of Lords [1997] FSR 289, [2002] RPC 1, [2004] UKHL 46
• Lilly-ICOS v Pfizer - cGMP PDE 5 inhibitors - Patents Court [2001] FSR 16 and Court of Appeal
• Lilly v Human Genome Sciences - Neutrokine alpha - Patents Court [2008] EWHC 168 (Pat)
• Mayne -v- Pharmacia - Epirubicin - Patents Court [2004] EWHC 2458 (Ch)
• Merrell Dow v Norton - terfenadine- House of Lords, Court of Appeal and Patents Court [1996] RPC 76, [1995] RPC 233 and [1994] RPC 1
• Monsanto v Cargill - GM soya - Patents Court
• Nokia v Interdigital – mobile telephones - Patents Court, Court of Appeal [2007] FSR 23
• Nutrinova v Scanchem - acesulfame-K synthesis - Patents Court [2001] FSR 797
• Pavel v Sony - personal stereo - Court of Appeal and Patents County Court [1995] RPC 500
• PCME -v- Goyen - electronics - Patents Court - [1999] FSR 801
• Rocky Mountain Traders v Hewlett Packard - CD labelling device - Patents Court [2000] FSR 411 and Court of Appeal
• Scinopharm -v- Lilly - Gemcitabine - Patents Court [2009] EWHC 631 (Pat)
• SmithKline Beecham -v- Apotex - paroxetine - Patents Court and Court of Appeal
• SmithKline Beecham -v- Connaught - pertactin - Patents Court [1999] FSR 384
• Takeda Ltd v Comptroller - Supplementary Protection Cert. Patents Court
• Texas Iron Works Patent - offshore oil tools- Court of Appeal and Patents County Court [2000] RPC 207
• Uni-continental -v- Eurobond - adhesive delivery system- Patents Court - [1999] FSR 263
• Unilever v Procter & Gamble - without prejudice threats - Court of Appeal [2000] FSR 433

Trade Marks and Passing Off
• AMBA trade mark - opposition - High Court (1998) and Registry - unreported
• Avnet Inc v Isoact - trade mark - internet service provider - High Court [1998] FSR 16
• Burberry v London House - counterfeiting - High Court (2008)
• Chocosuisse v Cadbury - passing off - Court of Appeal and High Court [1999] RPC 826
• ELLE trade marks - trade mark opposition - High Court and Registry (2007) and (1997)
• Harrods v Harrodian School - passing off - Court of Appeal and High Court [1996] RPC 697
• HFC Bank v Midland Bank - passing off - High Court [2000] FSR 176
• JERYL LYNN trade mark - High Court [1999] FSR 491
• NAD Electronics v NAD Computer Systems - trade mark infringement and passing off - High Court [1997] FSR 380
• OPEN COUNTRY trade mark - opposition - Court of Appeal (1999), High Court [1998] RPC 408 and Registry [2000] RPC 477
• Parfums Givenchy v Designer Alternatives - trade mark infringement- Court of Appeal and High Court [1994] RPC 243
• Prudential v Prudential - trade mark and passing off, practice, High Court and Court of Appeal (2003)
• REACT trade mark - Registry and Appointed Person [1999] RPC 529 and [2000] RPC 285
• The Sun trade mark - Registry and Appointed Person (2003)
• Unilever Plc’s Trade Mark - Viennetta trade mark - High Court [2003] RPC 35

Copyright and Designs
• Anya -v- Wu - moral rights subsisting in scientific papers - High Court (2004)
• Baby Dan v Brevi - design right in child safety gates - High Court [1999] FSR 377
• Jo-Y-Jo v Matalan - copyright in ladies fashion garments - High Court (1999) - unreported
• Mark Wilkinson v Woodcraft - design right in kitchen designs - High Court [1998] FSR 63
• Mod Tap v BI - registered design - [1999] RPC 333
• Nanjing Automotive v Shanghai Automotive - copyright and design right; car parts (2006)
• Pioneer Oil Tools - copyright licence of right [1997] RPC 573
• Scholes v Magnet - design right in window features - High Court [2000] FSR 432
• Sterling Fluid Systems - copyright licence of right [1999] RPC 775

Cases before the European Court of Justice
• Pharmacia Italia C 31/03

Cases before the European Patent Office
• Angiotech – drug eluting stents
• Baxenden Polyisocyanate blocking agents
• Biogen PL-promoter
• Board of Regents for Illinois Univ. - Ribozymes
• Cadbury – low fat chocolate
• Carroll Products - Acrylic display system (T883/97)
• Celltrix - TGF 2
• CFPH - software patent
• CPC - Plant growth regulants
• Cytec - u.v. absorbers
• Eli Lilly - Streptomyces shuttle vector
• Erythropoietin/Kirin Amgen (T412/93)
• Exxon - Double containment systems
• Fischel - Radioactive stents
• Fluoxetine/Orion (T84/96)
• G4/97 “straw man” opposition (Enlarged Board of Appeal)
• Gene Shears - Ribozymes
• Net 1 Corp - Smart cards
• Pfizer - PDE5 inhibitors
• Plant Growth Regulator/Union Oil (T13/93)
• Polypeptide isolation/Berlex (T746/94)
• Protecting bacteria/Eli Lilly (T609/90)
• USA NIH - TGF