Matthew Birch

Matthew works in the firm’s Engineering and Tech teams. The bulk of his practice involves drafting and prosecuting UK and European patent applications across a wide range of subject-matter, with a particular interest in the medical device and renewable energy sectors. He regularly appears before the Opposition Divisions and Technical Boards of Appeal at the European Patent Office.

Matthew has considerable experience managing and prosecuting patent families globally, including successfully instructing appeals before the Japanese Patent Office (JPO) and the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO). He frequently deals with UK and EU designs, and has a particular interest in the UK Patent Box and tailoring the prosecution of his clients’ patent applications towards benefitting from the system. Matthew is experienced in providing infringement and validity opinions and guiding his clients strategically through complex business situations. He is also knowledgeable in regulatory matters relating to medical devices, including the new EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR) and In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation (IVDR).

More recently, Matthew has supported the firm’s Dispute Resolution team, acting both in the UK and overseas, and was a key member of a team that succeeded in a Patents Court trial involving two patents as well as registered and unregistered designs.

Matthew enjoys building close relationships with his clients and spent an extended period in Cincinnati working at the headquarters of a major US client to gain a better understanding of its business.

Matthew is a member of the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO) Industrial Designs Committee.

Matthew joined the firm in 2009 after graduating from the University of Bristol with a first class MSci degree in Physics, specializing in condensed matter physics and nanotechnology. His final year research, for which he was awarded a prize by the Department of Physics, investigated the use of pulsed laser deposition in the synthesis of ZnO nanorods and the effect of the nanorods on the efficiency of inorganic photovoltaic cells.

Outside the office, Matthew is an accomplished trumpeter and violinist and has won national competitions as a solo performer. He is also a keen runner and triathlete and completed Ironman Wales in his home town of Tenby in Pembrokeshire.