Steven Baldwin
Overview
Steven Baldwin is a partner in Kirkland’s IP Litigation Team in London with significant experience representing clients in patent, life sciences regulatory, copyright, trademark and trade secrets matters. His practice focuses primarily on complex cross-border telecommunications (SEP/FRAND) and life sciences patent disputes and former employee trade secrets cases. Steven has developed a particular interest in, and deep knowledge of, the law governing supplementary protection certificates and is recognised as a thought leader and regular writer, speaker and commentator on the topic.
Steven’s case experience covers a broad range of technical fields including 3GPP, 3GPP2, DMR, TETRA and other wireless (standardised and non-standardised) mobile telecommunications technologies, organic chemistry, antibody biologics, biological product development and screening platforms, formulation science, next generation cancer treatments, and e-cigarette/vaping technologies.
Steven also has significant non-contentious IP experience including billion-dollar IP portfolio purchases, global strategic IP portfolio strategies, and business-critical licensing deals, as well as advising on image rights, sponsorship and global celebrity advertising campaigns for world-renowned soccer clubs and automotive clients.
Steven was recognized as a Rising Star in IP by Managing Intellectual Property in the 2018–2020 editions, and as a Recommended Individual in JUVE Patent 2020.
Experience
Representative Matters
Since joining Kirkland, Steven has been involved in the following matters:
- Advising Delta on the win of a significant victory in trademark case.
- Advising Galderma Group AG on the structuring and implementation of its IPO on the SIX Swiss Exchange.
- Advising Lenovo on the win of the global FRAND determination case against InterDigital.
- Acting for multinational telecommunications companies in their defences of multiple SEP infringement and global FRAND licensing actions.
- Advising a multinational life sciences company in relation to clearing the path in the UK.
- Advising multiple multinational life sciences companies in relation to regulatory approval in the UK and EU.
- Advising a multinational telecommunications company regarding litigation relating to (non-SEP) mobile telecommunications technology and trade secrets.
- Coordinating global litigation for a multinational company relating to next generation consumer products.
- Acted for an EQT-led consortium on the CHF 10.2 billion exclusive negotiations to acquire Nestlé Skin Health, a leading global skincare company.
- Advising on freedom to operate in relation to robotic storage technology.
- Advising a multinational real estate investment and luxury hospitality brand in protecting the misuse of its trade marks and goodwill.
Prior to joining Kirkland, Steven also worked on the following matters:
- Acted for another multinational telecommunications company in defending a market-leading global FRAND and SEP infringement action, including a jurisdictional challenge made against the English Court’s ability to grant global FRAND licences.
- Teva v Boehringer Ingelheim — acted for Boehringer Ingelheim in its global formulation patent and SPC litigation against Teva in relation to BI’s blockbuster SPIRIVA® COPD inhalation product worth over $3 billion in sales worldwide.
- Pfizer v Amgen — acted for Pfizer in a revocation action brought against Amgen to clear a path for Pfizer’s anti-PCSK9 hypercholesterolaemia antibody treatment.
- MedImmune v Novartis — acted for Novartis in its revocation action against MedImmune in relation to Phage Display screening technology.
- Acted for a global pharmaceutical company on product lifecycle management, vaccines platform technology and patent and SPC litigation relating to a blockbuster antibody product.
- Acted for a global pharmaceutical company on achieving freedom to operate in the UK in relation to a blockbuster biologic next generation cancer treatment.
- Acted for a global pharmaceutical company on a UK infringement and revocation action regarding a formulation patent covering a well-known topical product.
- Acted for a global pharmaceutical company on a business-critical licensing dispute in relation to a complex and high-value global licence of a globally-renowned antiseptic product
- Acted for multiple quantitative hedge funds in former employee cases relating to the misuse of business-critical trade secrets.
Prior Experience
Allen & Overy LLP, London, 2010–2018
More
Thought Leadership
Publications
“Trade Secrets 2022: Law and Practice”, Chambers and Partners Practice Guides, 2022
“Patent Litigation 2021: Trends and Developments”, Chambers and Partners Practice Guides, 2021
“UK continues to retain role as a go to forum for SEP holders seeking worldwide royalties”, AIPLA Standards and Open Source (SOS) Committee Newsletter, 2020
“Trade Secrets 2020: Law and Practice”, Chambers and Partners Practice Guides, 2020
“Asking AI to explain itself – a problem of sufficiency”, Managing Intellectual Property, 2020
“From Takeda to Teva v Merck: Are we treading the right path on combination product SPCs?” (Part 2 of 2) European Intellectual Property Review, 2017
“The definition of product in the SPC Regulation: (Part 1 of 2) What's in a name?” European Intellectual Property Review, 2017
“Teva v Gilead, Abraxis v Comptroller and Wobben v Siemens kick of 2017's patent cases”, The IPKat, 2017
Seminars
Speaker, “SEP case law developments in the EU (UK, France and Netherlands)”, Fair Standards Alliance General Assembly, 2020
Speaker, “Should FRAND Licensing Rates be Global?” and “An International Trade and Enforcement Perspective on FRAND”, OxFirst Intellectual Property and Competition Forum, Brussels, 2020
Speaker, “SPCs - Recent Developments”, EPLAW Congress, Brussels, 2019
Speaker, “Introduction to SPCs and Second Medical Use”, ERA Conference, Brussels, 2018
Speaker, Roundtable on Pharmaceutical Incentives, ERA Conference, Brussels, 2018
Speaker, “Identifying the Effects of Brexit on the Protection and Enforcement of IP Rights”, The Knowledge Group, Webcast, 2017
Speaker, “Update and forecast on SPCs”, EPLAW Congress, Brussels, 2016
Press Mentions
Quoted "A (hitchhiker’s) guide to willingness in FRAND", Managing Intellectual Property, March 2021
Quoted "Bombshell IP Ruling Could Start Race to International Courthouses", Law.com, August 2020
Quoted "Lawyer reactions: Unwired Planet ‘brings certainty’", Intellectual Property Magazine, August 2020
Quoted “SPC decision spells bad news for second medical use”, Managing Intellectual Property, July 2020
Quoted “Court of Appeal rules Xiaomi may continue to sell products in the Netherlands”, JUVE Patent, March 2020
Quoted “COVID-19: Patents are not adequate incentives for vaccine research”, Managing Intellectual Property, March 2020
Quoted “What Brexit Will Mean For Intellectual Property Law”, Law360, January 2020
Quoted “Untangling the wires of global FRAND”, JUVE Patent, October 2019
Quoted “FRAND At UK's Top Court: What You Need To Know”, Law360, October 2019
Quoted “In-House Counsel Should Pay Attention to Court Rulings in FRAND Litigation”, Corporate Counsel, August 2019
Quoted “Stockpile fears - The SPC manufacturing waiver has now come into effect, with both the generic and innovator industries unhappy with aspects of the new legislation”, Intellectual Property Magazine, August 2019
Quoted “Analysis: CJEU SPC Basic Patent Ruling 'Doesn't give any more clarity'”, Managing Intellectual Property, August 2018
Memberships & Affiliations
The Law Society of England and Wales
AIPPI: International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property
Credentials
Admissions & Qualifications
- 2012, Admitted to practice as a Solicitor of England and Wales
Education
- Oxford UniversityPostgraduate Diploma in Intellectual Property Law and Practice2013
- College of LawLegal Practice Course2009
- University of OxfordB.A., Jurisprudence2008First class mark in Patent and Copyright Law