Darren Smyth

As head of the EIP Elements practice group, Darren has technical expertise in a range of fields, including pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, food chemistry, polymers, oligonucleotides, organic LEDs, semiconductors, metallurgy, batteries, and process chemistry.

He has 20 years of experience in private practice, having joined EIP from a position as Partner at the largest IP practice in the UK. Darren has considerable experience in handling difficult cases, contentious matters, and complex advisory work. He has particular experience of opposition and appeal hearings at the EPO, and has advised in relation to patent litigation in the UK and other European countries. Darren also has recognised expertise in the field of registered designs.

Darren is on the editorial board of the Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice, to which he also frequently contributes. He blogged for The IPKat from 2012 to 2017 and also maintains a personal blog as IP Alchemist. Darren is a founding committee member of IP Out, the LGBT+ networking group within the IP Inclusive initiative which promotes diversity and inclusion within the UK Intellectual Property professions, and was a speaker at its inaugural event.