Bethan is a leading patent litigator whose practice spans the full breadth of complex IP disputes. Her doctorate in molecular biology gives her exceptional depth of expertise in the life sciences sector, and she applies the same analytical rigour to technically demanding cases across electronics, mechanical engineering and SEP/FRAND disputes.

Bethan has been at the forefront of some of the most significant patent litigation in the UK, acting for clients in landmark cases spanning pharmaceutics, molecular diagnostics, biotechnology and high-profile SEP/FRAND disputes. She has appeared before all levels of the UK courts, including three cases that reached the Supreme Court – among them the leading UK authorities on industrial application and the infringement and validity of second medical use patents. She also acted in the first plant varieties case to be heard by the UK courts, further illustrating the breadth and significance of her practice.

Multi-jurisdictional strategy is a core strand of Bethan’s work. She regularly leads large-scale, cross-border litigation campaigns, coordinating parallel proceedings before the European Patent Office, national courts across Europe, the US and beyond. She has also developed a substantial practice before the Unified Patent Court, advising clients on this rapidly evolving forum from its inception.

Beyond her casework, Bethan lectures widely on IP law and is a tutor on the Oxford University IP Law and Practice diploma course.

Bethan has been an integral part of Powell Gilbert since its founding in 2007 and became a partner in 2016.

Key Cases

• Illumina v Element (UPC – DNA sequencing platforms)
• Gilead v Academy of Military Medical Sciences (anti-virals)
• Sun Pharma v Incyte (deuruxolitinib)
• Nador Cott Protection v ASDA (Plant Breeders’ Rights)
• Nador Cott Protection v Sainsburys (Plant Breeders’ Rights)
• Tesla v InterDigital & Avanci (SEP/FRAND – Avanci 5G Vehicle rate)
• UCB & LTS Lohmann v Luye (Rotigotine patches)
• 10x Genomics v NanoString (UPC – In situ hybridisation technology)
• Gilead v NuCana (therapeutic nucleoside analogues)
• Royalty Pharma Collection Trust v Boehringer (patent licence dispute – DPP-IV inhibitors)
• Illumina v MGI (gene sequencing technology)
• GSK v Fibrogen (anaemia therapeutics)
• Chugai Pharmaceutical v UCB (patent licence dispute – antibody technology) 
• Illumina v Ariosa & Premaitha (non-invasive pre-natal testing)
• Unwired Planet v Huawei & Others (telecommunications)
• ​Merck Sharp & Dohme v Royalty Pharma Collection Trust (DPP-IV inhibitors)
• Warner-Lambert v Actavis & Others (pregabalin)
• Wobben Properties v Siemens & Others (wind turbines)
• Rovi v Virgin Media & TiVo (electronics)
• Eugen Seitz v KHS Corpoplast & Norgren (PET plastic technology)
• HTC v Gemalto (telecommunications)
• Eli Lilly v Human Genome Sciences (neutrokine alpha)
• Eli Lilly v Human Genome Sciences (SPCs – neutrokine alpha)
• Sandoz / ratiopharm v Napp (patents – controlled release oxycodone formulations) 
• Dr Reddy’s v Eli Lilly (olanzapine)
• Monsanto v Cargill (GM crops)
• Ferag AG v Muller Martini Ltd (print trimming machinery)*
• Roche v Chiron (SPCs – trastuzumab and enfuvirtide)*

*Prior to joining Powell Gilbert