David Wilson

David leads the Dispute Resolution team at Carpmaels & Ransford and has over 25 years’ experience of handling complex patent disputes involving multi-jurisdictional litigation between major science and technology companies, in particular in the pharmaceutical and telecommunications sectors. He was awarded IP Lawyer of the Year: Pharmaceuticals in the 2020 LMG Awards.

David has represented clients in some of the UK’s largest patent cases (including successfully acting for his clients all the way up to the Supreme Court in what is now the leading UK case on claim construction).  David is also registered as a legal representative at the UPC and hence able to represent clients in pan-European patent litigation at this new court. He has particular expertise in litigating patent-related disputes where they arise in the context of existing license agreements and in negotiating high-value licenses and settlement agreements for his clients.

Known for “regularly engaging in multi-jurisdictional litigation between companies in the pharmaceutical and telecoms sectors, David makes even the most complex patent disputes look easy” (IAM Patent 1000 2020). Clients in Chambers & Partners 2021 comment that “he has amassed a lot of good experience working for innovators.” and “I was impressed by his calm demeanour.” During his career he has advised on ground-breaking cases which include securing victory for his clients in Kirin-Amgen, Inc. v Hoechst Marion Roussel Ltd. [2004] UKHL 46, the UK’s leading authority on patent claim construction.

After obtaining a first-class degree in Chemistry, David worked in the immunodiagnostic industry before converting to law. He first qualified as a barrister before also qualifying as a solicitor. David’s experience in industry has given him a strong understanding of both the technical and commercial objectives of his clients.