Simon Ayrton

Partner

Simon
Ayrton

Partner

Simon specialises in IP litigation, arbitration and counselling. He advises clients on patent, breach of confidence, copyright, design, trade mark and passing off issues in a wide variety of industries.

He handles cases in the UK Courts, the UK Intellectual Property Office, the European Patent Office and at the European Union Intellectual Property Office (formerly OHIM), and is regularly involved in the co-ordination of proceedings with parallel actions elsewhere in the world.

In addition to advising on heavyweight technical dispute resolution, he has acted in a range of high profile anti-counterfeiting, parallel import and repackaging matters, which have included applications for interim injunctions, asset freezing orders and search orders. Simon has also been appointed by the Court on a number of occasions to supervise the execution of search orders by other firms of solicitors.

He frequently lectures on IP law and has previously been a tutor on the Oxford University Diploma in Intellectual Property Law and Practice (and its predecessor course).

Simon has been a partner at Powell Gilbert since its founding in 2007.

Key cases

AutoStore v Ocado (robotics)
Vestel v HEVC Advance & Philips (HEVC codec / FRAND licensing)
Unwired Planet v Huawei & Others (telecommunications / FRAND licensing)
R (Vitra, Cassina & Knoll) v The Secretary of State for Business (judicial review – copyright protection)
HTC v Apple (smartphones)
Philips & Others v Alba (MPEG-2 / FRAND licensing)
Dr Reddy’s v Eli Lilly (olanzapine)
Aerotel v Telco (telecommunications)
Sony Computer Entertainment v Ball (copy protection circumvention devices)
Unilever v Colgate (soap packaging)
Allergan v Pharmacia (latanoprost)
Gillette v Corsair (trade mark infringement and passing off – body sprays)
Rambus v Micron and Hynix (memory chip technology)
Pharmacia v Merck (COX 2 inhibitors)
Duracell v Round Imports (trade mark infringement – batteries)
IBM v Phoenix (trade mark infringement and passing off – memory cards)
Research Corporation’s Patent (SPCs - licence of right)

Simon Ayrton

Partner

Simon
Ayrton

Partner

“Simon is strategic, professional and a true expert in his field. He is extremely efficient, direct, commercially minded and thinks outside the box. Simon is a joy to work with.”

Simon Ayrton is an insightful lawyer.

Give thoughtful, timely and insightful advice… are consummate professionals, are always willing to listen and consider the opinions of others, and are a pleasure to work with.

efficient, smart and straight to the point

a distinguished IP lawyer, hailed by peers as a go-to for patent infringement actions.

Thoughtful and gives timely and insightful advice. "Extremely knowledgeable, responsive and thorough in his review of the assignments." "Simon Ayrton is a master tactician and really strong intellectually.

Simon Ayrton is an incredibly astute and considered litigator with a track record in the biggest cases. ‘exceptional in the TMT area … acted for some of the largest players in this sector.'

…creative thinker with a strong understanding of a complicated and fluid area of law. The combination of his business mindset, legal fundamentals and creative thinking result in high-quality, focused counsel

Simon Ayrton is clear, concise and focused and always gives advice speedily and specific to the commercial realities of the situation

Simon Ayrton combines excellent legal intelligence and insight with commercial strengths in planning and executing strategies in multijurisdictional disputes

He adopts a cerebral approach to litigation and is a very good tactician and co-ordinator of multi-jurisdictional disputes

Professional, organised, calculated, and strategic, [he is] always mindful of business interests and are exactly what you’d want in outside counsel

He is one of the most intelligent and intellectual solicitors there is... He's on top of the whole case and thinks two or three steps ahead

heavyweight litigator with a talent for multi-jurisdictional briefs

"high profile" in the international patent litigation sphere and is recognised for his expertise in resolving sophisticated technical disputes

intellectually brilliant and a master strategist

marshals evidence effectively and comes up with creative, cogent pleadings that hit the bullseye

one of the brightest and most solutions-oriented solicitors in the United Kingdom

Simon Ayrton is an internationally recognised practitioner known for his extensive experience advising clients on non-contentious and contentious patent issues, often with cross border elements.

“Brilliant patent litigator” Simon Ayrton has a “top reputation in the IP world”, with abundant experience before the UK courts, the UKIPO and the EPO

[T]he astute Simon Ayrton applies his mastery of technical subject matter to cases in a myriad of different fields. The popular lawyer is deemed by international sources to be “superb on patent and unfair competition matters.”

... someone “you definitely want on your side” for all matters across the IP spectrum.

The “technically brilliant” Simon Ayrton “can turn his hand to patents in very different domains – his knowledge of even the minutiae of cases is laudable."

IP-rich companies “always want Simon Ayrton on their side in a fight…clever, thoughtful and with an eye for detail.”

Sources commend him for “thinking outside the box and providing commercially savvy solutions.”

Interviewees agree that “he has a great eye for detail and is simply wonderful to work with; he’s charming, efficient, thoughtful and really looks after the client.”

Simon Ayrton

Partner

SimonAyrton

Partner

“Simon is strategic, professional and a true expert in his field. He is extremely efficient, direct, commercially minded and thinks outside the box. Simon is a joy to work with.”

Simon Ayrton is an insightful lawyer.

Give thoughtful, timely and insightful advice… are consummate professionals, are always willing to listen and consider the opinions of others, and are a pleasure to work with.

efficient, smart and straight to the point

a distinguished IP lawyer, hailed by peers as a go-to for patent infringement actions.

Thoughtful and gives timely and insightful advice. "Extremely knowledgeable, responsive and thorough in his review of the assignments." "Simon Ayrton is a master tactician and really strong intellectually.

Simon Ayrton is an incredibly astute and considered litigator with a track record in the biggest cases. ‘exceptional in the TMT area … acted for some of the largest players in this sector.'

…creative thinker with a strong understanding of a complicated and fluid area of law. The combination of his business mindset, legal fundamentals and creative thinking result in high-quality, focused counsel

Simon Ayrton is clear, concise and focused and always gives advice speedily and specific to the commercial realities of the situation

Simon Ayrton combines excellent legal intelligence and insight with commercial strengths in planning and executing strategies in multijurisdictional disputes

He adopts a cerebral approach to litigation and is a very good tactician and co-ordinator of multi-jurisdictional disputes

Professional, organised, calculated, and strategic, [he is] always mindful of business interests and are exactly what you’d want in outside counsel

He is one of the most intelligent and intellectual solicitors there is... He's on top of the whole case and thinks two or three steps ahead

heavyweight litigator with a talent for multi-jurisdictional briefs

"high profile" in the international patent litigation sphere and is recognised for his expertise in resolving sophisticated technical disputes

intellectually brilliant and a master strategist

marshals evidence effectively and comes up with creative, cogent pleadings that hit the bullseye

one of the brightest and most solutions-oriented solicitors in the United Kingdom

Simon Ayrton is an internationally recognised practitioner known for his extensive experience advising clients on non-contentious and contentious patent issues, often with cross border elements.

“Brilliant patent litigator” Simon Ayrton has a “top reputation in the IP world”, with abundant experience before the UK courts, the UKIPO and the EPO

[T]he astute Simon Ayrton applies his mastery of technical subject matter to cases in a myriad of different fields. The popular lawyer is deemed by international sources to be “superb on patent and unfair competition matters.”

... someone “you definitely want on your side” for all matters across the IP spectrum.

The “technically brilliant” Simon Ayrton “can turn his hand to patents in very different domains – his knowledge of even the minutiae of cases is laudable."

IP-rich companies “always want Simon Ayrton on their side in a fight…clever, thoughtful and with an eye for detail.”

Sources commend him for “thinking outside the box and providing commercially savvy solutions.”

Interviewees agree that “he has a great eye for detail and is simply wonderful to work with; he’s charming, efficient, thoughtful and really looks after the client.”

Simon
Ayrton