Dan is a Partner and a leading patent litigator, specialising in life sciences and biopharmaceutical disputes. He has extensive experience in high-stakes patent and Supplementary Protection Certificate (SPC) litigation before the English courts and the Unified Patent Court (UPC).
He acts for major global pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in cases of significant technical and commercial importance. Notable instructions include representing Pfizer in its multi-faceted dispute with GSK concerning RSV vaccines, as well as in major UPC proceedings such as Pfizer v GSK and Syngenta v Sumi Agro. He is one of the few UK-based litigators to combine substantial national court experience with UPC trial work, giving him rare insight into the developing interaction between UK and pan-European patent enforcement strategies.
Dan regularly leads complex cross-border litigation strategies for global clients, coordinating parallel proceedings across Europe (including UPC actions and EPO opposition work), North America, Asia and Australia. Clients value his ability to combine rigorous legal and technical analysis with commercial awareness, ensuring that patent enforcement and defence strategies are aligned with broader product life-cycle, regulatory and business objectives.
He also advises clients on the protection and strategic use of confidential information and trade secrets, including the development of internal policies and governance frameworks.
Areas of expertise include:
Patent infringement and validity litigation before the High Court (Patents Court), Court of Appeal and Unified Patent Court (UPC)
Coordination of multi-jurisdictional enforcement and defence strategies (including UPC and EPO opposition work)
Urgent injunctive relief in complex patent disputes
SPC and regulatory exclusivity strategy in the life sciences sector
Freedom-to-operate (FTO), exclusivity and patent life-cycle assessments
Patent entitlement, ownership, chain-of-title and inventor compensation matters
Strategic advice on product launch, at-risk launch, litigation readiness, and regulatory interface issues
Licensing, settlement negotiation and dispute resolution in IP-intensive sectors
Advising agritech clients on enforcement of plant variety rights and related exclusivity regimes
Protection and strategic management of confidential information and trade secrets, including the development of internal policies and governance frameworks
Beyond his client work, Dan is active in shaping the IP policy landscape and serves on the BioIndustry Association (BIA) IP Advisory Committee, where he leads its SPC and Exclusivity Sub-Committee and engages with the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) and industry stakeholders on legislative and policy initiatives.
A frequent speaker at industry and professional conferences, he is recognised as a thought leader in the evolving European patent litigation landscape.
Key cases
AstraZeneca v Hansoh
Pfizer v GSK (UPC)
GSK v Pfizer (UPC)
Syngenta v Sumi Agro (UPC)
Pfizer v GSK
MSD v Pfizer
MSD v Wyeth
Eli Lilly v Genentech
Regeneron & Teva v Rinat Neuroscience
Chugai v UCB
Sun Pharma & Almirall v Janssen Biotech
Background
Dan graduated from the University of Durham in 2011 with a first-class BSc in Physics. He trained and qualified as a solicitor at a magic circle firm before joining Marks & Clerk Law in 2016.
Outside of Work
Dan loves to travel, enjoys countryside walks with his family, and is a passionate rugby fan.
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