Richard Willoughby is a solicitor with 17 years’ experience in IP dispute resolution. He qualified into the IP group of a major London-based international law firm in 1993 and in 2001 became a partner in the London office of a US-based firm with a particular focus on IP disputes. He has experience in a wide range of forums, from litigation before courts in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to mediation and arbitration. He has coordinated cases involving parallel actions in Continental Europe, the United States and Asia.

Mr Willoughby’s experience covers a wide range of technologies and industries, including polymer chemistry, electronics, physics, organic and inorganic chemistry, molecular biology, pharmaceuticals and fast-moving consumer goods.

His cases include the following:
• Most recently, he acted in a successful patent revocation and non-infringement action concerning a patent relating to animal vaccines and diagnostics, a case which involved technical issues relating to polymerase chain reaction and diagnostic test methods.
• In 2006 he took the first major UK case under the EU Community Designs Regulation to trial, a dispute that also involved preliminary relief proceedings in seven other EU countries.
• He acted for the Procter & Gamble Company in many cases concerning disposable absorbent products, detergents, chemicals, paper and household goods.
• He acted for NV Organon in a multi-jurisdictional action concerning patents for hormone replacement therapy drugs.
• He acted for Insmed Inc against Tercica Inc in an infringement and revocation action concerning patents for insulin-like growth factors and including an application for revocation on summary judgment.

Mr Willoughby was recognised as one of the world’s leading life sciences litigators by the IAM Life Sciences 250 in 2010.