Ian Jones

Ian is a UK and European patent attorney specialising in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and chemistry. He advises clients ranging from innovative start-ups and scale-ups to multinational corporations on protecting and maximising the value of their intellectual property. His practice focuses on patent drafting, prosecution, opposition and appeal proceedings, as well as strategic portfolio management. Ian works closely with management teams, innovators and investors to develop IP strategies that support product development, fundraising, partnering and long-term market exclusivity objectives.

Ian has particular expertise in pharmaceuticals, including new chemical entities, biologics, therapeutic formulations, combination products, dosage regimens and drug repurposing programmes. He also advises on inventions arising from AI-enabled drug discovery platforms and other emerging technologies within the life sciences sector.

Recognised for his expertise in Supplementary Protection Certificates (SPCs) and pharmaceutical lifecycle management, Ian helps clients secure and extend protection for commercially valuable products throughout their life cycle.

Beyond pharmaceuticals, Ian has extensive experience in biotechnology, industrial chemistry, home and personal care products, polymers and advanced materials. He represents clients before the European Patent Office in opposition and appeal proceedings and collaborates with attorneys and in-house counsel across Europe, Asia, North America and Australia to develop coordinated international patent strategies.

As a Partner within GJE’s chemistry and life sciences team, Ian is actively involved in mentoring attorneys, driving operational excellence and leading innovation initiatives, including the adoption of artificial intelligence technologies to enhance patent practice and client service.

Ian deals with a broad range of technologies, and specialises in:

• New chemical entities in the pharmaceutical sector, particularly derived from artificial intelligence
• Drug repositioning/repurposing, formulations and dosage regimens
• Process chemistry, home and personal care products, and polymers
• Supplementary Protection Certificate (SPC) and patent term extensions
• Hosting innovation capture sessions to identify and harvest patentable products
• Conducting patent landscaping and Freedom-to-Operate analysis to minimise third-party IP risk
• Patent portfolio and asset management
• Devising and implementing patent evergreening strategies to extend product lifecycle and maximise product revenue
• Conducting due diligence on behalf of investors to audit and evaluate IP, including patent-product mapping

European Patent Attorney
UK Patent Attorney
UPC Representative

Intellectual Property Litigation Certificate
Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA)
Member of the European Patent Institute (EPI)

After graduating from University of Cardiff with a first class (hons) master’s degree in chemistry, Ian obtained a PhD in organic chemistry from the same institute. He also has a postgraduate diploma in intellectual property law from University of Manchester.

Ian joined the patent profession in 2012, after a successful career in pharmaceutical research. He gained experience at other top tier UK firms before joining GJE 2016, and joining the partnership in 2022.