I am a registered patent and trade mark attorney with qualifications in mechanical engineering, microbiology and immunology, and intellectual property law. Before registering as a patent attorney I worked as a professional engineer for several years. This included as a project engineer at CSL, where I managed the construction and commissioning of a state-of-the-art pharmaceutical manufacturing.

I am the trusted advisor to clients on both building patent portfolios and managing complex patent disputes in the Federal Court. I apply my litigation experience to my patent drafting, opposition and advice practice for a diverse range of clients, including in the medtech, mining, infrastructure, and manufacturing fields. Outside of work, I am actively involved in the start-up community, including as a patent mentor for several accelerator programs.

Career highlights

• I am the subject matter lead of MinterEllison's engineering patent practice. I regularly draft patents for mechanical and electromechanical inventions, and secure grant of those patents in Australia and overseas.
• Rio Tinto – acted for Rio Tinto in a patent validity action concerning a patent for bulk sorting ore in the Federal Court of Australia.
• Hytera – acted for Hytera against Motorola in a multijurisdictional patent infringement and validity action concerning three patents for digital two-way radios in the Federal Court of Australia.
• Allied Pumps – acting for Allied Pumps in a patent infringement and validity action concerning a patent for a power and control system for mining equipment in the Federal Court of Australia. I have also acted for Allied Pumps in an opposition to grant of a related patent at the Australian Patent Office.
• ESCO – acting for ESCO in several opposition proceedings for patents concerning mining equipment at the Australian Patent Office.
• Medtech – acting for a medtech company in an opposition to grant of a patent concerning the use of computer vision for analysing facial expressions at the Australian Patent Office.
• Minnovare – acted for Minnovare in an opposition to grant of a patent for drilling equipment at the Australian Patent Office.
• VicRoads – advised VicRoads on intellectual property matters, including patent litigation at the Federal Court of Australia.

• MinterEllison successfully acts for Hytera in one of Australia's biggest ever patent cases
  

  In a pivotal dispute regarding digital mobile radios, the Federal Court of Australia has found in favour of Hytera Communications with respect to two of three patents that Motorola Solutions sought to enforce in a case that has been running since 2017. Hytera is a ing global provider of digital mobile radios.

   

• Lessons from Australian patent opposition trends in 2023
  

  This article provides insights into the trends that emerged from a review of the Australian patent opposition decisions for 2023, with key implications for opposition strategy.