Catherine Howell

Managing Associate, Solicitor
London

Catherine Howell

Catherine is an IP solicitor, and has experience of proceedings in the High Court and the Court of Appeal, as well as cross-border disputes. She currently focuses on multi-jurisdictional patent litigation. Catherine has also advised clients on trademark and copyright disputes.

In addition, Catherine worked on secondment to a multinational semiconductor company. She spent four months in the commercial law department where she concentrated on giving data protection advice and reviewing licence agreements.

Catherine has a degree in Biochemistry from the University of Bristol and an MSc in the Management of Intellectual Property from Queen Mary, University of London. She has also completed the Graduate Diploma in Law and the Legal Practice Course which she passed with distinction.

Before joining EIP Catherine completed an internship with an expert witness for a high profile German patent infringement case, and also advised on patent protection and copyright infringement issues to creative businesses through the University of the Arts London’s Own-It programme.

Experience

  • Conversant Wireless Licensing v Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd & Ors. [2018] EWHC 808 (Pat)
  • Unwired Planet International Ltd & Anor v Huawei Technologies Co Ltd & Anor [2018] EWCA Civ 2344
  • Unwired Planet International Ltd v Huawei Technologies Co Ltd & Ors [2017] EWCA Civ 266
  • Unwired Planet International Ltd v Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd & Anor [2017] EWHC 711 (Pat)
  • Unwired Planet International Ltd v Huawei Technologies Co Ltd & Ors [2016] EWHC 94 (Pat)

Recent work

  • Acting for Unwired Planet and Conversant Wireless in successful Supreme Court proceedings against Huawei (and ZTE for Conversant) on the issue of FRAND in the context of Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) in the field of telecommunication. (link)
  • Acted for Unwired Planet in successful Court of Appeal proceedings against Huawei for standard essential patent and FRAND litigation. (link)
  • Acting for Unwired Planet International Limited in patent and FRAND litigation in the High Court against Google, Samsung & Huawei (patents concerning Android, 2G, 3G and LTE technologies)
  • Urgent anti-suit proceedings for both Unwired Planet and Conversant Wireless
  • Acting for Conversant Wireless in patent and FRAND litigation against Huawei and ZTE and the related jurisdictional challenge
  • Acting for Conversant Wireless in patent litigation against Apple

Published articles

  • October 2021
    Newsflash, Rhodia v Neo: An exceptional course for confidentiality (link)
  • 31 July 2016
    JIPLP, Pain for Pfizer—claims of pregabalin patent deemed insufficient (link)

Education and qualifications

  • 2018 — 2019
    Postgraduate Diploma in Intellectual Property Law and Practice, University of Oxford
  • 2014 — 2015
    Legal Practice Course, BPP University
  • 2013 — 2014
    Graduate Diploma in Law, BPP University
  • 2012 — 2013
    MSc in Management of Intellectual Property, Queen Mary, University of London
  • 2009 — 2012
    BSc Biochemistry, Bristol University

Career history

  • 2023 — present
    Managing Associate, EIP
  • 2020 — 2023
    Senior Associate, EIP
  • 2017 — 2020
    Associate, EIP
  • 2015 — 2017
    Trainee Solicitor, EIP

Awards and recognition

  • Ranked as "Rising Star", IP Stars 2023 (link)
  • Ranked as "Rising Star", IP Stars 2022 (link)
  • Ranked as "Rising Star", IP Stars 2021 (link)
  • Ranked as 'Trailblazer', WIPR Diversity, 2021 (link)
  • Ranked as "Rising Star", IP Stars 2020
  • Ranked as "Rising Star", IP Stars 2019

Languages spoken

  • Welsh