Profile
Charles Harding
Partner / Southampton
Practice & Professional Experience
Charles represents academic organisations, SMEs and blue chip companies before the UKIPO and the EPO in patent matters in the life sciences sector. His portfolio covers various technologies such as molecular biology, immunology, biotechnology, virology, veterinary science, food science, protein chemistry, chemistry, pharmacology, pharmaceuticals and devices. Charles has an extensive practice in EPO oppositions and appeals, with over 18 years advocacy experience including representation before the EPO Enlarged Board of Appeal. He has been involved in litigation at the UK High Court and has also attended interviews at the US Patent Office.
Charles has chaired and/or lectured at numerous international conferences and conventions on life science issues in the patent arena. He became a partner at D Young & Co in 1995. Prior to joining D Young & Co he worked as a patent and trade mark attorney in the chemical and biotechnological industry with Rohm & Haas Company after having gained valuable work experience at Amersham International, Hammersmith Hospital and the Gray Cancer Institute.
Charles was recognised as a leading UK patent attorney in the 2009 ‘MIP Expert Guide to the Leading Patent Law Practitioners’, "singled out for praise" by Chambers in their top tier ranking of D Young & Co (Chambers Intellectual Property: Patent and Trade Mark Agents UK-wide) and is "clearly in the premier league of patent attorneys covering biotech in the UK" according to the Managing Intellectual Property (MIP) IP Handbook 2010.
Qualifications
BSc Hons Chemistry and Biochemistry, Imperial College.
PhD in medical research, University of London (MRI contrast agents).
European Patent Attorney 1991.
Chartered Patent Attorney 1990.
European Design Attorney.
Memberships
Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA).
European Patent Institute (epi).
Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC).
Royal Society of Medicine (RSM).
Institute of Directors (IoD).
Selected Publications
World IP Review 2008 “Patentable Inventions”.
European Patent Office’s Eposium 1992 Genetic Engineering – The New Challenge; Special Recognition Award “Of rodents and elephants (a week in the life of the European patent in the name of A. Shrew Co.)”.
CIPA article on exhaustion of rights.
Runner-up Daily Telegraph Young Science Writer of the Year Award.
Bligh SW, Harding CT, Sadler PJ, Bulman RA, Bydder GM, Pennock JM, Kelly JD, Latham IA, Marriott JA. “Use of paramagnetic chelated metal derivatives of polysaccharides and spin-labelled polysaccharides as contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging.” Magn Reson Med. 1991 Feb;17(2):516-32.
Named inventor on at least the following patents: EP patent No. 0210043, EP patent No. 0236411, EP patent No. 0183760, US patent No. 4880007, US patent No. 5250672 and US patent No. 5401491.
Former contributor to the CIPA Guide to the Patents Act.
