Mr John Hull, LLB (Hons) (University of Warwick), LLM (London School of Economics), Solicitor of the Supreme Court (England)

Profile

• Module leader - SOLM092 Commercialisation of Intellectual Property; Module Leader - SOLM096 Trade Secrets; Contributor to the Patent and Trade Mark Practitioner Foundation Courses
• Visiting Lecturer and co-presenter: The Commercialisation of Intellectual Property Post-Graduate course – King’s College London.
• Visiting Lecturer on the Intellectual Property Transactions Course – The Institute of Brand and Innovation Law, University College London.
• International Fellow – Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, teaching an intensive course on Technology Transfer and Licensing.
• Consultant IP lawyer to Impact IP (Patent Attorneys) London.

Previously: Partner Denton Wilde Sapte (now: Dentons) and Partner Eversheds.  Experienced in all aspects of Intellectual Property, Data Privacy and specific aspects of Higher Education Law and Public Law (mainly Judicial review).

My law firm practice spanned all aspects of intellectual property – both contentious and transactional.  I have represented clients in the IP Enterprise Court, the High Court, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court and CJEU. My litigation experience covered passing off and trade mark infringement cases, patent infringement and ownership disputes, copyright and media cases and trade secrets disputes. I dealt with a wide variety of IT disputes.  In addition I developed a significant practice in Higher Education law, particularly judicial review.  I acted for a significant number of universities, research institutes and Medical Royal Colleges advising on  a wide variety of regulatory matters including student disputes, misconduct cases (including one of the largest and most complex medical research misconduct cases to be dealt with at a UK university) and challenges to admissions, examination and degree results.

Postgraduate Teaching

• Module Leader – SOLM092 Commercialisation of Intellectual Property
• Module Leader - SOLM096 Trade Secrets
• Trade Marks Certificate Course (Contributor)
• Patents Certificate Course (Contributor)

Research

• Trade secrets, confidential information and information privacy
• Data privacy
• The commercialisation of Intellectual Property
• IP and IT transactions
• Research misconduct (particulary in the medical field).

Publications

Selected Publications

• Commercial Secrecy: Law and Practice. Pub: Sweet & Maxwell 1998
• Butterworths Education Law Manual: 2002 (updated) (Contributor with Carolyn Chia) – Chapter “Ideas and Information”
• Contribution (Ch 32) to: “Music Business: Infrastructure, Practice and Law” By Nigel Parker; (2004) Thomson Sweet and Maxwell.
• Chapter on Trade Secret Licensing in: “The Research Handbook on Intellectual Property Licensing”- Jacques de Werra (Ed). Edward Elgar 2012
• Chapter on “Devices to Restrain Competition, Protect Discoveries and Enforcement – Workplace Policies and Confidentiality Agreements” in “Business Innovation: A Legal Balancing Act – Peerspectives from Intellectual Property, Labour and Competition and Corporate Laws” – Ann Monotti and Marilyn PIttard (Eds). Edward Elgar 2012
• "Compulsory Licensing of Trade Secrets: ensuring access to COVID 19 vaccines via involuntary technology transfer". [2021] JIPLP 1242
• Contributing author on Confidentiality, Creation and Ownership of IP and Commercialisation of IP to the OUP Epigeum "Research Skills Toolkit" [2022]
• UK Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys Patents Training Manual - Chapter on the Commercialisation of Intellectual Property (2002).
• “A Reappraisal of Negotiating Damages: The Surpeme Court Decision in Morris-Garner v One Step (Support) Ltd. [2019] 41 EIPR 180.
• “An Employee’s Theft of his Employer’s Trade Secrets: Fraud by Abuse of Position” [2018] 40 EIPR 476.
• “Aiming for “Jackpot Damages” in a Breach of Confidence case: Marathon Asset Management LLP v Seddon” [2018] 40 EIPR 668
• “The EU Trade Secrets Directive: A Case of Form over Substance” [2017] 15 Bio-Science LR 239
• “How (not to) Use Non Disclosure Agreements: A Note on Dorchester Prohect Management v BNP Paribas Real Estate Advisory and  Property Management” [2014] 36 EIPR 53
• “Topsy-Turvey or Just Down Under: A Case Note on University of Western Australia v Grey” [2010] 32 EIPR 43 (jointly with Adrian Toutoungi)
• “Trade Secret Licensing: The Art of the Possible” [2009] 4 JIPLP 203
• “Making Preparations to Compete: A Note on Helmet Systems v Tunnard” [2009] 31 EIPR 623
• “Searching for the Truth – Pre-Action Disclosure and the Departing Employee” [2008] 37 CIPA Jo 503
• “Ownership of Rights in Sponsored Academic Collaborations” [2007] 29 EIPR 6
• “Propery Rights in Secrets – Douglas v Hello! In the Court of Appeal” [2005] 27 EIPR 379 (jointly with Sarah Abbott).
• “Disclosure in the Public Interest: No Right of Reply” [2004] EIPR 515
• “Stealing Secrets: A Review of the Law Commission’s Paper on the Misuse of Trade Secrets” [1998] Criminal Law Review 246
• “Privacy as an Aspect of Public Law – Reflections on R v Broadcasting Complaints Commission ex parte Granada TV [1995] Commercial Judicial Review Bulletin 37
• “Affidavit Evidence and Confidentiality” [1995] Commercial Judicial Review Bulletin 10
• “Collaborative Research Agreements: When Industry meets Academia: [1995] October PLC 21
• “Copyright and Confidence in Questionnaires – An Academic Question” [1994] EIPR 404

Public Engagement

Selected conferences and events

• Global Forum on Intellectal Property, Singapore, 2011 – Panel Member and contributor of papers on Trade Secrets and University Based Innovations
• Association of Research Ethics Officers: Paper on the Ethical Implications of Digitisation for Research and Researchers (2011)
• Monash University – Paper (jointly with Prof Alison Firth) on Employee Innovations at Confernece in Prato, Italy – Business Innovation – A Legal Balanacing Act – Perspectives from IP, Labour and Employment, Competition and Corporate Law (2012)
• Presentation to the Russian State Patent Office and Moscow State University on the Commercialisation of Intellectual Property, Moscow 2014 (organised by the European Patent Office)
• Paper on Worker Mobility and Innovation, Max Planck Innovation Institute, Munich 2015
• Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce (SCOFCOM) – CCLS IP training course – 2017 and 2018 – Papers on Trade Secrets, software licensing and IP in M & A Transactions
• Chinese IPO Training course 2018 – Paper on Trade Secrets.