Profile
Position
Scott is an IP director in the firm’s tech and engineering practice groups. He drafts, files and prosecutes patent applications in the UK and Europe.
Scott is well versed at managing large patent families, having worked on hundreds of US, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Australian patent applications during his career. In addition, he has filed and managed patent applications in some less common jurisdictions, including for example Vietnam, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
He has considerable experience of crafting offensive and defensive patent strategies for a wide range of clients, from multinationals to SMEs and start-up businesses. High quality patents that Scott has obtained, after mapping their claims onto competitor products, have been used in multimillion pound licensing programs. Scott has obtained patents that have been used by a start-up client to obtain investment of over £1 million. He has also helped a number of UK companies develop patent strategies to obtain significant tax relief on their products through use of the Patent Box, reducing their Corporation Tax burden by around half to approximately 10%.
Scott particularly enjoys oral advocacy and regularly appears at the European Patent Office in both examination and opposition proceedings. Scott has successfully defended patents that he has drafted and prosecuted at the European Patent Office and revoked those owned by competitors of clients.
His practice encompasses a number of fields in the tech and engineering sectors. On the tech side, he has drafted, prosecuted and advised on patent applications in a wide variety of fields including telecommunications, computer architecture, image processing, computer security, artificial intelligence and blockchain. In engineering, Scott has worked with inventions relating, for example, to aerospace technology, armoured vehicles, composite materials, rocketry, lighting and door and window hardware.
Scott travels frequently to the US and regularly attends conferences held by the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) and the Intellectual Property Owners (IPO) Association. He sits on the Corporate IP Management Committee of the IPO Association.
Before entering the profession, Scott graduated with a first class degree in physics from Imperial College London. He spent his third year studying and researching nuclear physics and optics at La Universidad de Cantabria in Spain. Scott joined Swindell & Pearson in 2003 and became an IP director in 2011.
Outside work, Scott loves travelling to new countries and meeting new people. He also enjoys playing sport and can often be found at Molineux, home to Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, at the weekend.
Career
Trained Swindell and Pearson; qualified 2008; Swindell & Pearson 2003 – present; partner 2011.
Memberships
Education
Cheslyn Hay High School, Imperial College London; MSci physics with a year in Europe, 2003 (1st class).
Content supplied by Swindell & Pearson Ltd
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Scott Harrison is an exceptional listener and makes copious notes, either written or in his head. He is able to align his thoughts and practices with undeveloped concepts. He is quick to point out areas where solutions have not been innovated and how a broad patent claim may capture new commercial opportunities.’
‘The technical level of S&P associates is very high and therefore it’s very efficient to produce effective patents within few iterations. The team is always available and proactive.'
‘Their technical knowledge and ability to explain legal jargon in a clear and simple to understand manner is impressive. It also helps that the strategy is discussed upfront and the steps to achieve our IP needs are clear at every step of the way. This is definitely true for Scott Harrison.’
‘It is a pleasure to work with the team at Swindell & Pearson due to the fact that anyone of the team assigned to us is more than willing to point us in the right direction with any of our queries. Their professionalism in doing business has ensured that we have found better ways to construct and use our in-house systems.’
‘Tim Gilbert is super-efficient and understands how to maximise value from IP.’
‘Christine Anglesea is able to work with complex technology fields in a time efficient manner without compromising quality of work, always providing a high standard of work by meeting deadlines even under most tight schedules, excellent solution finding against problems with professional guides and perfect communication skills. ’
‘Swindell & Pearson offers the highest quality patent representation before the EPO. I've found them quick to engage personally, in person or via Zoom.'
‘We engaged with Swindell & Pearson when we needed to onboard a new patent portfolio. The team of Scott Harrison was instrumental in facilitating the transition of portfolio management. Their proactive approach, meticulous follow-up, and effective teamwork ensure a smooth process. Their strong customer orientation is evident throughout our collaboration.’
Key clients
- Nokia Technologies
- Accenture
- Valve Corporation
- T-Mobile USA
- ViaSat
- Cruise, LLC
- Vibrantz
- Nokia Bell Labs
- Etex
- De Montfort University
- Loughborough University
- University of Northumbria