Computing & Software

Financial technology, commonly termed ‘fintech’, can be a difficult area to obtain patents, particularly in Europe. There are specific exclusions under UK and European patent law for inventions that relate to business methods and computer software as such. An important aspect of our work is therefore in advising on how best to proceed with fintech-related inventions. This can, for example, involve emphasising any technical aspect of the invention to improve an application’s chances of being patentable.

Bringing out technical aspects such as improvements in speed, security or user interfaces can in some cases prove successful for what may otherwise be unpatentable inventions. Differences in approach before the UK IPO and the European Patent Office can result in different outcomes, even though the legal requirements are essentially the same. Deciding where to file an application, how to frame the invention and what supporting arguments to submit are therefore important considerations for improving an application’s chances.

David Combes has worked on the preparation and prosecution of many patent applications on behalf of a major financial institution, specialising in prosecution of applications relating in particular to secure payments and cybersecurity insurance.

Scott King has worked with a large multinational financial technology company for over 8 years, helping to draft and prosecute patent applications in areas including blockchain, fraud detection, payment systems, payment security, real time payments and open banking.

David Pearce has specialist knowledge in the area of Bitcoin and blockchain-related inventions. He has recently handled oppositions of Bitcoin-related patents at the EPO, achieving a 100% revocation success rate to date. David is a well-known and highly respected figure in the Bitcoin space and has advised some of the most high-profile figures in the online community.

John Lawrence has worked for many years with large multinational payment companies and US-based financial institutions. Subject areas covered include anti-fraud detection, pattern analysis, data traffic management, financial token systems, piconet systems and many others.

Malin Keijser Bergöö has extensive experience in drafting and successfully prosecuting fintech patents for several Swedish fintech companies. Malin also has extensive experience with oppositions.

Carrie Duckworth has managed prosecution of patent applications at the European Patent Office for a large US bank, covering inventions relating to aspects such as ATM security, secure money transfer, voice verification, automated notarisation and transaction management. Carrie has also worked on applications for a Singapore-based multinational banking and financial services corporation relating to managing user financial information, as well as with other applicants working on financial transactions and other fintech products.

Amy Bishton works with clients pursuing patent applications relating to payment network infrastructures, biometrics, digital identification, authentication and provenance.

Matthew Philpotts has drafted and prosecuted several patent applications for a multinational fintech company, most notably in the areas of blockchain/real-time payment systems and data-driven security solutions.

Francesco Di Lallo has worked on patent prosecution for various major financial institutions, covering applications relating to blockchain applications, NFTs, secure transaction methods and cybersecurity insurance.

Amy Cole-King has experience in drafting and prosecuting patent applications in a wide range of fintech areas, such as payment systems and transaction processing, open banking, blockchain, anti-fraud, and real-time payments. Over the past 18 months Amy has been involved with over 10 drafts for a multinational financial technology company, most commonly in the areas of data analysis for fraud detection applications and payment systems.