Partner
European Patent Attorney
Chartered Patent Attorney
M.Sc. (Queen Mary, London) Management of Intellectual Property
M. Eng. (Bath) Mechanical Engineering
David has worked in the intellectual property profession since 2006, after working as an engineer in the steel fabrication and renewable energy industries.
The majority of David’s work is for clients seeking intellectual property protection in the UK, the EU, and the US. David prides himself on providing the highest level of care, attention and responsiveness to his clients, no matter their size.
David’s work includes drafting and filing of patent applications in a manner that takes into account the requirements of the various patent offices around the world. David also has vast experience in getting applications through the examination stage and to grant, including navigating appeal and opposition proceedings at the European Patent Office (EPO) when necessary.
David also prepares, files and advises on registered designs to protect the appearance of client products – a valuable but often overlooked form of IP protection.
As well as the UK, Europe and US, David’s international work extends to multiple other jurisdictions including: China; Japan; Australia; New Zealand and India.
He acts for established companies and startups in a wide range of technical industries including:
He advises on strategic issues, including analysis of competitor IP portfolios, freedom to operate, prior art searching, and he has experience in helping companies capture their innovations and develop business value via their IP portfolio.
NewsCase StudiesEvents
Thu 9th Nov 2023
Wet signatures required for assignment of European patent applicationsPatent Attorney David Roberts explains the Legal Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office’s decision requiring wet signatures on all assignments of European patent applications.
Mon 31st Jul 2023
New referral to the EPO Enlarged Board of AppealWhen is a product that has actually been marketed not prior art?
Thu 25th May 2023
Protecting creativity and innovation at Manufacturing and Engineering WeekThe UK is home to years of creativity and innovation in engineering, design and manufacturing.
Mon 19th Dec 2022
Careers in Ideas – inclusive mentoring for a career in IPAs part of its dedication to promote inclusivity in the field of intellectual property, patent attorney David Roberts has been providing 1:1 mentoring to an undergraduate student, Sofie Spasov.
Tue 22nd Nov 2022
Our first year of mentoring with Black Lawyers MatterIn 2021, Page White Farrer signed up to support two mentoring schemes, one of which was ‘Black Lawyers Matter’ which was established by the Stephen James Partnership in an effort to level the playing field for Black lawyers in the UK.
Fri 24th Jun 2022
Roundup: key insights into tech innovation from London Tech Week 2022Page White Farrer attorneys attended a variety of events over the course of London Tech Week, from conferences to webinars, gaining key insights to further develop their expertise in tech IP in a range of fields.
Mon 20th Jun 2022
Should I register a product design? Or can I rely on copyright?For any business which is launching a new product, tough decisions need to be made about where to invest your (often scarce) financial resources. Should you attend this trade fair? Or visit more suppliers? Invest in more marketing or build up the sales team?
Thu 26th May 2022
Shining a spotlight on IP licensing for telecoms and IoTEuropean patent attorneys Kelda Style and David Roberts will be attending the Patents in Telecoms and the Internet of Things Conference in London on 26-27 May, to gain the latest insights into key issues surrounding IP licensing.
Fri 16th Jul 2021
Director David Roberts pledges to promote diversity and inclusion at Page White FarrerAs a member of IP Inclusive’s senior leaders’ diversity think tank, director and chartered patent attorney David Roberts has signed a pledge to provide leadership for improving diversity and inclusion within Page White Farrer.
Tue 27th Apr 2021
Is there hidden value in your designs?Is there hidden value in your designs? On International Design Day, David Roberts outlines the key benefits of registering your designs in the UK and abroad.
Tue 13th Apr 2021
Unregistered design right after Brexit - First publication in the UK vs. first publication in the EU - Registered DesignsWhen the UK left the EU, new intellectual property rights and exclusions were created in the system of protection for designs. These changes mean that companies and designers have some important choices to make about where to disclose designs first; whether to register designs; and if so, where to register their designs first. Oliver Spies and David Roberts highlight the three key lessons for design owners.
Thu 10th Dec 2020
Do I need an attorney for my UK patent application?The advice of the UK government on its website is as follows:
“We strongly recommend you seek legal advice before applying for a patent, as it can be a complex and costly process”.
Fri 20th Nov 2020
Championing equality, diversity and inclusion in the intellectual property profession with new think tankOn 10 November 2020 David Roberts, partner and patent attorney with Page White and Farrer, joined over 30 IP professionals to establish a new high-level diversity think tank.
Thu 19th Nov 2020
Introduction to cloned UK registered designs for EU registered designs rights holdersFor EU design registrations which are registered and published by the end of 2020, an equivalent “cloned” UK registered design will be automatically created at no cost to the EU registered design rights holder.
Fri 13th Nov 2020
Why you should register your designs in the EU before the end of 2020After the UK leaves the EU at the end of the Brexit transition period on 1 January 2021, new EU registered community designs (RCDs) will no longer provide registered design protection in the UK.
After 1 January 2021, if you wish to obtain both EU and UK registered design protection, it will be necessary to apply for these registered designs separately.
Sat 17th Oct 2020
Benefits of registering a design missing from UKRI’s ‘Design in Innovation Strategy’Innovate UK has published its updated ‘Design in Innovation Strategy’ to cover the period 2020 to 2024, as part of the government’s commitment to increase public and private investment in R&D activities.
Fri 25th Sep 2020
Brexit and IP – Implications for trade marks and registered designs (patents not affected)This is a brief note on the position concerning how EU-wide trade marks and EU-wide registered designs will be affected by Brexit from 1 January 2021. The advice below is applicable to trade marks and designs equally.
Please note the European Patent Office is not an EU institution and European patents and patent applications are not affected by Brexit.
This is a very important notice for the owners of EU-wide trade marks and designs. Please contact us if you have any questions.
Tue 16th Jun 2020
Patent briefing: termination of the automatic exchange of priority documents between European and Japanese Patent OfficesThe EPO has announced a change in the systems for exchanging priority documents electronically with the JPO which means that the electronic exchange of priority documents will no longer be automatic from January 2022.
Fri 24th Jan 2020
CRISPR gene editing patent held invalid by EPO Board of Appeal on technical pointThe European Patent Office (EPO) Board of Appeal has given its decision in case T844/18 regarding the CRISPR gene editing patent owned by the Broad Institute, MIT and Harvard College, declaring the patent invalid over prior art that was only citeable because some of the patent’s priority claims were not valid.
Mon 30th Dec 2019
Clinova gives Page White Farrer a glowing testimonialPage White Farrer have worked closely with Clinova, a UK-based global consumer healthcare company, to build up their IP portfolio and to develop their global IP strategy.
Fri 22nd Mar 2019
Brexit & IP – Implications for trade marks and registered designsAmidst the ongoing uncertainty regarding Brexit, this is the current position and the anticipated effects of Brexit on trade marks and designs.
Mon 10th Sep 2018
Case study: European IP for ground-breaking Solos™ smart glassesThe Page White Farrer patent team were recently called on by Kopin Corporation’s US attorneys to help them protect the Solos™ Smart Glasses in Europe. Featuring the same technology used by USA Cycling and the Olympic track cycling team, the Solos™ give cyclists the possibility to consult GPS information in the corner of smart cycling glasses, without having to break their ride. The patent team successfully helped Kopin Corporation to protect their intellectual property in Europe.
Mon 11th Jun 2018
3D designs from outside the EU will need to be registered in the UK post-BrexitSubject to any transitional arrangements or other changes in law following Brexit, scheduled for 29 March 2019 when the United Kingdom will leave the European Union, there will be no copyright or unregistered design right protection in the UK for the 3‑dimensional aspects of industrial designs for nationals of most non‑EU countries. This includes nationals of, amongst others, the US, Canada, Australia, China, Japan and South Korea.
Wed 18th Apr 2018
UKIPO softens on ‘technical contribution’ requirement for patentable subject matterDavid Roberts examines the UKIPO’s approach to Landmark Graphics Corporation’s application to patent geological computer software and the requirement for a technical contribution.
Thu 1st Mar 2018
EU community design protection is not restricted to trade sectorsPatent attorney David Roberts reviews the CJEU judgement C-361/15 - Easy Sanitary Solutions v Group Nivelles and give some background and implications of the case.
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