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Richard Davis, Hogarth Chambers

Richard Davis KC has over 20 years’ experience litigating before the English Patents Court as well as oppositions and appeals before the EPO and is equally familiar with both jurisdictions. In March 2025 he became the first UK barrister to appear before the Unified Patent Court.

Richard’s practice encompasses a diverse range of technologies. He has particular expertise in the electronics / telecommunications sector having advised many of the major players in the field such as LG Electronics, Samsung, Nokia, Motorola and Symbian. Although by training an electrical engineer, he is active in the pharmaceutical sector including SPCs. He acted for the Secretary of State for Health in the ground breaking second medical indication litigation concerning pregabalin.

Before commencing practice at the Bar, Richard qualified as a European Patent Attorney and this dual qualification has resulted in him appearing frequently before the European Patent Office often in cases of concurrent UK litigation. He has audience rights before the Unified Patents Court.

Richard is equally at home with the other intellectual property rights and has carved a niche in designs and ‘difficult’ copyright cases including Temple Island v New English Teas (the red bus case). He is one of the few counsel to have appeared before the CJEU on a designs matter and one of the very few to have appeared before the UK Registered Designs Appeal Tribunal (as it then was). He has been involved in a number of cases which have pushed the boundaries of what it protectable under the law of copyright and database rights.

Richard was one of the inaugural tutors at Nottingham Law School on its LLM in Advanced IP litigation and has been a visiting lecturer of CEIPI on the European patent litigation diploma. He is currently one of the two General Editors of the CIPA Guide to the Patents Acts (the Black Book).

In 2019 Richard was appointed as a criminal Recorder giving him a very different and judicial insight into the conduct of proceedings. He has presided over jury trials involving including inflicting grievous bodily harm, child cruelty, aggravated arson and burglary.

Richard spends much of his spare time flying his ‘home-build’ aeroplane which first took to the skies in 2020.