Partner
European Patent Attorney
Chartered Patent Attorney
Registered Representative before the Unified Patent Court (UPC)
Higher Courts Litigation Certificate
M.Phys. (Oxford), Physics
M.Sc. (Oxford), Computer Science
Tom is a European Patent Attorney, Chartered Patent Attorney and Higher Courts Patent Litigator. He joined Page White Farrer shortly after graduation and has remained here since, becoming a partner in 2017 and a director in 2018.
He holds two first class degrees from Oxford: covering advanced topics such as quantum field theory, stochastic processes, functional calculus and group theory, artificial intelligence and machine learning, quantum computing and category theory.
Tom has extensive experience drafting and prosecuting high-tech patent applications for a range of clients from startups to blue chip companies, including patent applications for software inventions suited to the European and United States patent offices.
Recently, Tom’s practice has focused on artificial intelligence and machine learning innovation and data science in particular. However, he has drafted and prosecuted patent applications across a wide range of technologies including:
His flexible approach to innovation capture and technical disclosure does not require busy inventors to prepare extensive written material for the purpose of obtaining patent protection. Tom frequently drafts complex, high-tech patent applications accurately from oral disclosure alone, or based on draft academic papers or even snippets of code, and consistently receives positive feedback from our clients. Software engineers are particularly amenable to this approach.
In 2018, Tom was awarded a Higher Courts Litigation Certificate and with it the right to conduct IP litigation in the High Court of England and Wales. He has advised clients on contentious matters such as patent ownership disputes, and has provided specialist IP advice in a long-running commercial litigation in the business list of the High Court.
In 2020, Tom contributed to the intellectual property chapter of The Law of Artificial Intelligence, published by Sweet and Maxwell and available to order here.
NewsResourcesCase StudiesEventsVideo
Tue 5th Mar 2024
Sufficiency of AI inventions at the EPOThe EPO brings welcome clarity to the examination practice concerning sufficiency and technical effect of AI inventions, confirming that, in general, there is no need to disclose a specific training set.
Wed 3rd Jan 2024
DABUS - a storm in a tea cup?The Supreme Court has ruled that only a human can be an ‘inventor’ in patent law. What are the real-world ramifications for individuals and companies seeking to protect innovations devised using AI?
Fri 1st Dec 2023
Patentability of AI at the UKIPO following Emotional PerceptionTom Woodhouse explains the implications of the UK High Court's decision in the appeal of Emotional Perception AI Ltd vs Comptroller-General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (2023).
Mon 27th Nov 2023
Patenting AI and machine learning in the UK – all bets are off?The UK High Court has issued a game changing judgement in Emotional Perception AI Ltd vs Comptroller-General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (2023).
Wed 7th Sep 2022
Can I patent an app?Yes, you can patent an app. We are often asked this question by app developers, and many find that answer surprising because there is a myth that it is not possible to obtain a patent for computer code.
Tue 6th Sep 2022
FIVE AI’s GC explains what it is like to work with Page White Farrer to build a patent and trade mark portfolioBusiness startups may wonder whether or not to invest in patents and trade marks. Then, how do they find a patent attorney who understands their invention and can help them translate it into business value via intellectual property protection?
Mon 29th Nov 2021
Infographic: International patent filing timeline for software or AIIf you have a software or AI solution to a technical problem where there is currently no off-the-shelf solution, you will need protect your intellectual property with a patent before launching it in the public domain.
Thu 29th Jul 2021
Can I obtain a patent for software or AI?We often encounter software engineers who are under the impression that it is not possible to obtain a patent for their software, and that their invention or innovation is protected by copyright or simply not suitable for a patent.
Tue 13th Jul 2021
Shhhhhh - protect your ideas with the Golden RuleCongratulations! You have come up with THE BIG IDEA. You think you know how to solve a problem in a way that people are likely to pay for. It could be life changing, it is so exciting!!
Tue 20th Apr 2021
Webinar: Turning AI technology into valuable IP assets - Digital City Festival 2021Page White Farrer is delighted to be sponsoring the 2021 Digital City Festival in Manchester. The online festival will run from 12 – 23 April and gathers thought-leaders from around the world to address the key digital challenges facing people, businesses and governments as we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Wed 17th Mar 2021
Webinar: Protecting your software - where do you start? - Tech WednesdayOn 17 March 2021, patent attorneys Virginia Driver and Tom Woodhouse presented a webinar for Bruntwood SciTech at its Tech Wednesday event, a monthly meet-up for technological and entrepreneurial communities that are part of the Bruntwood Collective.
Thu 11th Mar 2021
Can computer-implemented simulations be protected with a patent in light of the G1/19 decision? Yes and no…The Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office (EPO) has given its long-awaited decision on the referred questions in G1/19 concerning the patentability of computer-implemented simulations.
Fri 5th Mar 2021
Patents for artificial intelligence – what are the issues which need to be addressed by the regulators?With AI applications developing faster than the regulators can consult and implement new laws, what are the priorities to be addressed in regard to patents and artificial intelligence?
Mon 8th Feb 2021
Preview the contents of the IP chapter in 'The Law of Artificial Intelligence'The book 'The Law of Artificial Intelligence' has a chapter on intellectual property and AI written by partners Tom Woodhouse and Virginia Driver. You can read a preview of the key topics they explore in the chapter by the contents page inside.
Thu 4th Feb 2021
Why are tech giants registering so many AI patents?The role of intellectual property in crystallising a company’s intangible asset value is being increasingly recognised.
Thu 21st Jan 2021
Webinar: Protecting your software - plugging the copyright gapOn 11 February 2021, AI and IP experts Virginia Driver and Tom Woodhouse will be discussing how to plug gaps in patent protection with a strong intellectual property strategy in a webinar with the Business & IP Centre in Leeds.
Thu 31st Dec 2020
Virginia Driver and Tom Woodhouse contribute to IP chapter of book on ‘The Law of Artificial Intelligence’Page White Farrer is delighted that two of its expert patent attorneys, Virginia Driver and Tom Woodhouse, have contributed to a book on artificial intelligence and the law around this, with a chapter delivering insights on intellectual property.
Mon 16th Nov 2020
Webinar: Using IP to guard software innovation - Sheffield Digital FestivalPatent attorneys Tom Woodhouse and Virginia Driver gave a talk on how intellectual property protection can safeguard software innovation and increase the value of a tech business as part of Sheffield Digital Festival.
Thu 5th Nov 2020
Webinar: Who owns your idea? - Leeds Library Tech TalksExpert patent attorneys Virginia Driver and Tom Woodhouse of Page White and Farrer presented a webinar as part of the Tech Talks series by Leeds Libraries and the Leeds Business and IP Centre.
Fri 9th Oct 2020
Intellectual property protection for tech innovation - AI Tech North Summit 2020On 12th and 13th October 2020, Virginia Driver and Tom Woodhouse of Page White and Farrer in Leeds were keynote speakers at the AI Tech North Summit 2020, sharing their expert knowledge on intellectual property protection of artificial intelligence technology.
They will also held an online masterclass about what businesses can do to take control of their valuable technology innovation with an intellectual property strategy.
Fri 25th Sep 2020
Turning AI technology into valuable IP assets at Leeds Digital Festival 2020Virginia Driver and Tom Woodhouse, expert European patent attorneys at Page White and Farrer hosted an online event at the Leeds Digital Festival 2020.
Mon 21st Sep 2020
Webinar: Crystallising the value of your IP assets - AI for LeadersExpert patent attorneys Virginia Driver and Tom Woodhouse of Page White and Farrer in Leeds presented in an online webinar, AI for Leaders, part of AI Tech North’s Innovation Exchange (IX) and a fringe event of Leeds Digital Festival.
Thu 10th Sep 2020
Webinar - Maximising the value of tech businesses by guarding software innovation with intellectual propertyVirginia Driver and Tom Woodhouse presented a free webinar for Bruntwood SciTech alongside Paul Berwin and Sam Crich of Berwins Digital. They explored how tech businesses can maximise their value by using intellectual property to guard software innovation.
Fri 17th Jul 2020
Philanthropists, not-for-profits and startups need to guard IP in Covid-19 solutionsBy 17 June 2020, according to Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP), some $11.4 billion had been donated to help tackle the COVID-19 outbreak.
Large donations have been made by some of the world’s leading companies and foundations, and universities are racing to develop a vaccine.
Mon 1st Jun 2020
Universities urged to guard their IP in Times Higher EducationIn an article for The Times Higher Education (published May 30, 2020), intellectual property strategists Virginia Driver and Tom Woodhouse have urged universities to guard their IP rights to ensure COVID-19 innovations reach the vulnerable in poorer nations.
Sat 28th Dec 2019
Artificial intelligence and the machine learning innovationTom Woodhouse has prepared this diagram to show how patentable inventions can arise at any stage in the machine learning development pipeline.
Tue 12th Nov 2019
On the search for talent: Page White and Farrer to exhibit at the University of Oxford careers fairOn Tuesday 19 November, Page White and Farrer will be exhibiting at the University of Oxford careers fair ‘Jobs for Mathematicians’.
Mon 28th Oct 2019
Workshop – IP protection for artificial intelligence and roboticsOn 22 November, Olaf Ungerer and Tom Woodhouse will be in Berlin to deliver a workshop hosted jointly with the RAILS Society on IP protection for artificial intelligence and robotics.
Fri 1st Feb 2019
HPC & Quantum Summit 2019 – Page White and Farrer to attendOn 5 February 2019, Page White and Farrer patent attorney Tom Woodhouse will be attending the HPC and Quantum Summit at the QEII Centre in London.
Tue 20th Nov 2018
Case study: Tom Woodhouse - from trainee to partnerTom Woodhouse describes how he was supported as a graduate trainee and rapidly rose to become partner with Page White Farrer.
Thu 4th Oct 2018
Case study: Crystallising IP value of data mining company prior to acquisitionOur client’s company was established in 2010 when the founding entrepreneur recognised that the main sources of news and content were being consumed via individual RSS feeds.
Thu 21st Jun 2018
Turning innovation into valuable IP assets - Tom Woodhouse to speak at 2018 Digital Healthcare ShowThe 2018 Digital Healthcare Show is taking place on 27-28 June at ExCel, London and Tom Woodhouse, Patent Attorney and Partner, will be speaking about ‘turning innovation into valuable intellectual property assets’.
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