Michael Hicks > Chambers of Nicholas Caddick KC > London, England > Barrister Profile
Hogarth Chambers Offices
Hogarth Chambers
5 NEW SQUARE, LINCOLN'S INN
LONDON
WC2A 3RJ
England
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Michael Hicks
Position
Barrister specialising in intellectual property, information technology and other disputes concerning technology. Fields of expertise include patents, designs, copyright, trademarks and passing off, domain names, confidential information, computer hardware, electronics and software disputes, and franchising and distribution matters with an intellectual property element. Patent cases include: Emson v Hozelock (CA – expandable hosepipes); Geofabrics v Fiberweb (railways); Pozzoli v BDMO (CA – obviousness); Swarovski v Leica (telescopic sights); Red Spider v Omega (oil well valves). Copyright cases include: Designers Guild v Russell Williams (fabric designs); SAS Institute v World Programming Ltd (computer software); Nova v Mazooma (CA –computer games); Blizzard v Bossland (cheats for computer games); Sprint Electric v Buyers Dream (ownership of source code) ; VLM v Ravensworth (licensing). Trade mark, passing off and advertising cases include: Jaguar Land Rover v Bombardier (Defender vehicle name); Phones4U Ltd v Phone4U (CA); Fine and Country v Spicerhaart (CA – estate agents); DataCard v Eagle (consumables for printers); Marks & Spencer v One in a Million (CA – domain names); Adobe v Netcom (community trademarks and estoppel); Inter Lotto v Camelot/National Lottery Commission (name of game); Niche v MacDermid (malicious falsehood oil industry products); Kingspan v Rockwool (comparative advertising). Designs cases include: Red Spider v Omega (oil well valves); Magmatic v PMS (Trunki suitcase); Shnuggle v Munchkin (baby baths).
Career
Called 1976; Inner Temple.
Memberships
Intellectual Property Bar Association; Chancery Bar Association; Society for Computers and Law; AIPPI (UK).
Education
Brighton College; Trinity College, Cambridge (degree in Natural Sciences).
Leisure
Racing dinghies and other small boats.
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Intellectual property
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 1Michael Hicks – Hogarth Chambers ‘Michael is very well respected by judges. He is quick on his feet and able to absorb complex arguments quickly.’
Hogarth Chambers is praised as a ‘go-to set for IP advocacy‘, and its members are especially skilled in the area of trade marks. The set also handles cases surrounding copyright, designs, and confidential information, and it is increasingly active in patent-related mandates. Among the set’s notable bench of silks is Nicholas Caddick KC, who boasts particular expertise in cases involving contractual disputes over intellectual property rights. Simon Malynicz KC has appeared before all levels of court, including the UKIPO and the EUIPO, the Supreme Court, and the CJEU. Of recent note, Malynicz KC represented the claimants in Swatch and others v Samsung, a case concerning allegations of trade mark infringement arising from the defendant’s sale of smartwatches capable of displaying faces similar to the claimant’s watches. Another key silk is Andrew Norris KC, and he regularly acts for individual rights holders and multinational brands, as well as patent owners. Specialist intellectual property silk Jeremy Reed KC and patent law expert Richard Davis KC are also key members of the team. Among the juniors, Michael Hicks stands out for his broad-ranging experience across copyright, patents, trade marks, passing off, designs, and confidential information cases. Hicks is acting for the claimant, who claims to be the creator of the Bitcoin electronic cash system, in Wright v BTC Core and others, a case addressing whether copyright can exist within the Bitcoin system. Amanda Michaels is an Appointed Person and frequently hears appeals from the UKIPO in trade mark mandates.