The UPC – to be or not to be?

Julia Gwilt, Appleyard Lees

Julia Gwilt is a partner at Appleyard Lees and specialises in software inventions.

She has had a passion for training for over 15 years.  As one of the patent attorney members who established the Patent Examination Board (PEB), she oversaw the UK professional examinations for over six years until her term ended in 2020.  She is now chair of the epi Profession Education Committee which oversees training and other aspects of the EQE for trainee European patent attorneys.  Several members of the PEC have been heavily involved in the proposal for a new digital EQE.

Vicki Salmon, Impact IP

Vicki Salmon is a solicitor and UK and European patent attorney and patent attorney litigator.  She began her career with Mewburn Ellis, before moving through city law firms and back to patent attorney practices.  She is now a co-founder of Impact Intellectual Property LLP, which started in September 2021.

Her work includes advising clients on all forms of IP protection, from strategy and filing, through clearance, disputes and exploitation.

Vicki is chair of the Education Committee, member of Council and vice chair of the Internal Governance Committee.  She is also a member of the Litigation Committee, having chaired it for a while, and a member of the Patents Committee.  She is a contributor to the CIPA Guide to the Patents Act.  As chair of litigation committee, Vicki worked on the development of the UPC with the other UK and EU professions, which involved many meetings with the IPO and appearances in front of a select committee.