Kate is an IP specialist with particular experience in licensing, dispute resolution and transactional matters.
Kate joined Stevens & Bolton in 2017 as a trainee solicitor and qualified in 2019 as an associate in the intellectual property team. She obtained the Postgraduate Diploma in Intellectual Property Law from the University of Oxford in 2022.
Kate advises businesses on the protection and exploitation of the full spectrum of IP rights. With particular expertise in the life sciences sector, she regularly drafts and negotiates pharmaceutical patent and know-how licence agreements. Her experience on contentious matters includes disputes relating to trade marks, copyright and breach of confidence. Kate also has extensive experience providing specialist IP advice on corporate transactions.
Recent highlights include:
- Supporting a global biotechnology company with its patent and know-how licensing operations, including drafting and negotiating complex cross-border research agreements and commercial licences with major pharmaceutical companies
- Advising a global supplier of maritime solutions on the IP aspects of its acquisition of a key software and IT services company, including compiling a comprehensive pre-transaction report on a high-value and complex collaboration agreement
- Acting for an innovative plasma-based medical solutions company in drafting and negotiating a patent licence agreement in respect of its proprietary technology for use in the field of disinfection/sterilisation
- Advising the shareholders of a specialist carbon footprint advisory business on the IP aspects of its sale to a major professional services company
- Representing a European luxury retail company in a dispute concerning infringements of its UK and EU trade marks
Kate is a member of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI) and the Society of Junior IP Practitioners (IPSoc). She is also a member of the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion forum. Kate has written articles for legal and industry publications including Pharmaceutical Market Europe, MinuteHack and Intellectual Property Magazine, and contributes to the firm’s patent licensing podcast.