Colin Merryweather

Colin is a European and UK Patent Attorney and the enthusiastic Head of our Oxford Office. He has over 25 years’ professional experience.

Colin’s work focuses on domestic clients. He has worked for numerous startup and spin-out science and technology companies, and has the ability to understand and meet their wide-ranging needs, from development of their overall protection strategy to freedom to operate issues. He relishes drafting patent specifications and is experienced in prosecuting applications in Patent Offices worldwide. Colin also has long experience working in the field of technology transfer where he has a reputation for relating well to academics.

He has particular knowledge of US patent prosecution and is responsible for advising the firm on developments in US law. Closer to home, he has long experience before the European Patent Office where he has an enviable record in oppositions.

Technically, clients recognise Colin’s ability to understand complex science and he is capable in a wide range of technical fields. He has career-long experience in electronics, with wide knowledge of consumer electronics, mass data storage, telecoms and data interfaces. For over a decade, he has been active in the field of mechatronics, including piezoelectrics, SMA and control. He has wide knowledge of displays, including 3D displays, and sensor devices, including their semiconductor design. Colin has drafted and prosecuted numerous IT and software cases, including an email security portfolio, and large numbers of image and data processing cases. His experience of inventions from academia is extensive and diverse. He often assists the Biotechnology and Life Sciences Group on crossovers into devices, signal processing and informatics.

Colin enjoys travelling to meet our Asian contacts and has particular responsibility for our relationships in Korea and Taiwan, where he has many friends. He attends the Asian Patent Attorneys Association conference.

Colin joined J A Kemp in 1992, has been based in Oxford since 2000, and became a partner in 2002.