Shanks v Unilever Supreme Court patent case wins “Impact Case of the Year” at the Managing Intellectual Property Global Awards

Henderson Chambers is delighted to announce that Shanks v Unilever PLC & Others [2019] UKSC 45, the patent case in which the Supreme Court awarded retired employee inventor Professor Ian Shanks £2 million, has won the Impact Case of the Year 2020 at the Managing Intellectual Property Global Awards. The case was described in effusive terms to an audience of international leaders in the intellectual property field and was also noted for “winning the largest award for an employee inventor ever”.

Winners, Patrick Green QC and Chloe Campbell who represented Prof Ian Shanks, were there to collect the award at the Marriott in Grosvenor Square with Christopher J L Ryan, their solicitor, and the widow of their former instructing patent attorney, Keith Beresford, who pioneered the case and who sadly died before the Supreme Court hearing.

It was a very fitting recognition of the 13 years of determination and hard work that ultimately resulted in a win in the Supreme Court.

Details of the Supreme Court judgment can be found here.