Webinar: Introduction to Intellectual Property

Overview

Are you ready to take your creations to the next level? Whether you’re innovating ground breaking solutions or building a personal brand, understanding Intellectual Property (IP) is crucial to protecting your work and maximising its value.

Join us for this free, live webinar tailored specifically for chemical engineers. You’ll learn:

• What is IP? Unravel the mystery of intellectual property and its key categories
• Why IP matters in chem eng: Discover why your innovations deserve protection and how IP plays a vital role in your field
• How to safeguard your creations
• Branding: Secure your identity and reputation
• Designs: Protect the unique aesthetics of your work
• Software/CII: Learn about rights for computer-implemented inventions
• Inventions: Get the lowdown on patenting solutions to technical problems
• Confidential Information: Keep trade secrets and know-how secure
• IP Basics Made Simple: Break down patents, trade marks, copyright, and more – minus the jargon
• What Makes an Invention “Patentable”? Learn about novelty, inventive steps, and other patent essentials

Who should attend?

This webinar is perfect for chemical engineers, researchers, innovators, and students looking to turn ideas into protected assets.

Speakers

Dr James Stones, Partner at Beck Greener LLP

James read Chemistry at Imperial College London, graduating in 1992. He stayed on at Imperial to conduct research into tethered Diels-Alder reactions for his doctorate, awarded in 1996. After discovering that he was all thumbs in the lab, James left the bench to join the patent profession and qualified as a European Patent Attorney in 2004 and as a Chartered Patent Attorney the following year. In 2010, he became a partner at Beck Greener LLP and now heads up the Chemistry team.

James has a broad client base across the chemistry, pharmaceutical and chemical engineering sectors. He has worked as external counsel for Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. for over 25 years on many different projects involving, e.g., cryogenic air distillation, gas purification, carbon capture, and more recently hydrogen production.

James not only drafts and prosecutes patent applications, but also defends his clients’ patents from attack during post-grant proceedings and preserves his clients’ freedom to operate by challenging patents of their competitors.

James is a visiting lecturer in IP at UCL School of Pharmacy and has also delivered IP lectures to post-graduate students in biosciences at University of Exeter and in chemical engineering at Imperial College.

Dr Catherine Jewell, Partner at Beck Greener LLP

Catherine is a Chemist by training, having completed a degree, PhD and post-doc in that discipline before joining the Intellectual Property profession. Catherine’s focus on the application of patent and trade mark law within the chemical, pharmaceutical, and materials sectors has been the cornerstone of her professional journey. Her expertise in patent drafting, prosecution, and strategic IP advice supports clients in navigating complex legal landscapes. With a robust skill set honed over nearly twenty years in the profession, Catherine has been instrumental in growing her clients' intellectual property portfolios and helping to maximize their worth.

Catherine’s commitment extends beyond client work to shaping the next generation of STEM professionals and broadening access to IP careers. Leading Beck Greener’s Corporate Social Responsibility outreach initiatives, she has been the driving force behind impactful projects that inspire students to explore science and law. Coupled with her contributions as a Visiting Lecturer at UCL, Catherine strives to ensure that future entrepreneurs are well-versed in the intricacies of intellectual property within the pharmaceutical and chemical industries.

In her free time, Catherine enjoys reading and a nice bit of light murder mystery, as well as biking, running and destructive gardening (not quite the same as rugby, but the closest thing now available).

The material presented in this webinar has not been peer-reviewed. Any opinions are the presenter's own and do not necessarily represent those of IChemE. The information is given in good faith but without any liability on the part of IChemE.

Time

10:30–12:00 GMT.

Software

The presentation will be delivered via Microsoft Teams. We recommend downloading the app from the Microsoft website, rather than using the web portal.