Dan Thornton

Partner, Patent Attorney @Mewburn Ellis

Manchester, GB

I am a patent attorney with a somewhat unusual, and I think valuable, experience. I have spent several years seconded into a large client. I have experienced first-hand the pressures and issues faced by an in-house IP team in a large corporation, all while also operating as a patent attorney in a large private practice IP firm. My experience has given me a keen interest in the \"why\" of IP. I am not particularly interested in IP for IP\'s sake. The process must be one with a goal in mind. After all, IP is a tool to achieve other commercial targets, not an end to itself. Keep beyond IP goals in mind and more relevant, and valuable, IP will be created. This doesn’t happen by accident though; it takes care and attention. Two categories of business particularly interest me. The first is SMEs and start-ups wondering how they can really use IP to grow and achieve their goals. Seeking investment. Using PatentBox. Developing in-house systems and strategies to capitalise on the ideas and intelligence of the workforce. All these things are important. For SMEs and start-ups, I am developing experience in delivering IP Audits for those lucky enough to obtain the government funding. The second is larger companies. Perhaps those with existing IP strategies and systems, but who may be concerned that they are not making the most of the IP they create. Perhaps concerned about potential actions of their competitors too. Designing and setting up in house systems to deliver what the business needs is important to me. Both developing Freedom to Operate (FTO) processes in congested fields, and delivering invention capture systems at scale, are exciting aspects of my job and those I would particularly like to continue.

Queen Mary University of London

Postgraduate Certificate, Intellectual Property Law

The University of Manchester

MPhys, Physics, Astronomy

The University of Manchester

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Astrophysics