Synopsis
Intellectual Property (IP) is one of the major outputs of all Research and Development (R&D) organisations, yet remains an area most scientists are unfamiliar with. SCI’s Young Chemists’ Panel in collaboration with UK-based patent and trademark attorneys and litigators, EIP, will hold this one-day workshop to introduce patent law and IP to those with a scientific background.
Attendees
This event will bring together R&D and legal staff covering a broad spectrum of industries and is particularly relevant to those who wish to learn more about patents and IP in their field. This highly successful event has proved popular with previous attendees and speakers alike, as a chance to gain insight into the world of patents and IP from leading professionals in their field.
Exhibition and Sponsorship
For further information and prices, please email conferences@soci.org.
Programme
Tuesday 16 April 2024
- 09.00
- Registration and refreshments
- 09.20
- Introduction and welcome
- 09.30
- What is a patent, how do you get one, who owns it, how long does it take, how long does it last, what rights does it give you and what does it all mean?
What is a patent? Dr Darren Smyth
- 10.00
- Who should be included as an inventor of a patent? Issues relating to ownership of patents and the importance of inventorship and experimental records.
Inventorship and ownership of patents, Jared Barnard
- 10.30
- What is a patentable chemical invention? What are the requirements for patentability?
Patentability before the patent office, Dr Darren Smyth
- 11.00
- Refreshment break
- 11.30
- Litigation case studies of patent validity
Patentability when you are in court, Dr Robert Lundie Smith
- 12.00
- Relative strengths of patents; strategies to cover your product's unique selling point; how to decide which countries to seek protection; building a patent portfolio for optimum effect.
Patent filing strategies; a pharmaceutical industry perspective, Dr Jen Le Mière
- 13.00
- Lunch
- 14.00
- How to read and interpret a patent specification. Patents as a source of information. Varieties of patent claims used in a chemical context. Timing of patent filings for optimising protection and value.
Patent specifications and chemical claims, Dr Darren Smyth
- 14.40
- How to proceed when your patent is infringed - or you are accused of infringing. What constitutes patent infringement? Strategies to avoid infringement. Unitary Patent.
Infringement and enforcement, Dr Robert Lundie Smith
- 15.20
- Refreshment break
- 15.50
- What happens when a patent is litigated in the US and how you can prepare now for when your patents are litigated. Discussion of the duty to disclose relevant information to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office when obtaining a U.S. patent
US patent litigation, Jared Barnard
- 16.30
- Before litigation: monitoring for infringement/infringers; how your (written) past may come back to haunt you & discovery; dealing with experts; managing multi-country litigation.
Patent litigation from an in-house perspective, Dr Jen Le Mière
- 17.10
- Panel session
- 17.30
- Networking reception
Further details will be announced in due course.
Venue and Contact
Booking Process/Deadlines
Booking terms and conditions
CPD Info
SCI Members attending this meeting are able to claim CPD points.

Organising committee
Joseph Howard, SCI / Bio-Techne
William Waddington, SCI / Pfizer
Fahima Idiris, SCI / Pharmaron