Heather McCann

Partner, UK and European Patent Attorney
London

{"uk":"

Heather is regularly cited in the Legal 500, Chambers & Partners and IAM Patent 1000 guides as a leading practitioner. She divides her time between EIP's offices in London and the US, from where she regularly advises Silicon Valley tech start-ups, SMEs and US law firms on European patent filing and prosecution strategy. Heather is well placed to advise clients on the Unified Patent Court (UPC).<\/p>

Heather joined EIP in 2002 from the IP Division of a major telecoms company. She has significant experience in drafting and prosecuting patent applications for innovation relating to the Internet of Things, security, computer systems and architecture, desktop applications, signal processing, wireless modem technologies, a range of networking topologies and protocols, electronic messaging systems and electronic trading systems. She has represented clients at opposition and appeal proceedings at the EPO on numerous occasions, and provides support on patent litigation matters, worldwide. Heather has extensive experience of developing, communicating and implementing IP strategies.<\/p>

Heather has a PhD in Combustion and Fluid Dynamics, and a Bachelors Degree in Engineering, both from Imperial College, London.<\/p>","jp":"

専門技術分野<\/h2>

電子工学、ソフトウェア、情報通信<\/p>

略歴<\/h2>

1993年    Imperial College より機械工学学士号を取得(第2級上)<\/p>

1997年    Imperial College より燃焼・流体力学博士号を取得<\/p>

1998年    知的財産業務を開始<\/p>

2002年    EIPに入所<\/p>

2003年    英国及び欧州弁理士の資格を取得<\/p>

2005年    EIPのパートナーとなる<\/p>","ko":"

기술 분야<\/h2> \t\t

전자, 소프트웨어, 통신<\/p> \t\t \t\t

실행 그룹<\/h2> \t\t

EIP Digital(디지털), EIP Strategy(전략)<\/p> \t\t \t\t

교육 및 업무 내용<\/h2> \t\t

\t\t\t1993: 임페리얼 대학교 기계 공학과를 상위 이 등급으로 졸업
\t\t\t1997: 임페리얼 대학교 연소 및 유체 역학 박사 학위 획득
\t\t\t1998: IP 업무 시작
\t\t\t2002: EIP 입사
\t\t\t2003: 영국 및 유럽 특허 변호사 자격 취득
\t\t\t2005: EIP 파트너가 됨 \t\t<\/p> \t\t\t \t\t

Heather는 2011년 Chambers & Partners에 “우리의 기술과 (그녀의) 고객의 비즈니스 목표에 뛰어난 이해력을 가지고 있음”이라고 인용됨.<\/p>","cn":"

\t\t\t在2012年的Chambers & Partners指南中,希瑟被赞誉为顶尖从业者,得到隆重推荐。客户对她的评价是\"值得信赖,思维敏捷,善于思考\"。 \t\t<\/p> \t\t

\t\t\t2002年,她离开一家大型电信公司的知识产权部,加盟EIP。希瑟在计算机系统与系统软件、桌面应用程序、信号处理、一系列的网络拓扑及协议、电子通讯系统以及电子交易系统等领域的创新专利起草和申请方面有着丰富的经验。曾多次代表客户在欧洲专利局提起异议和上诉程序,并向世界各地的客户提供诉讼支持。 \t\t<\/p> \t\t

\t\t\t拥有帝国理工学院工程学学士学位,以及燃烧和立体动力学博士学位。 \t\t<\/p>"}

Experience

  • Providing pre-action and ongoing technical support in relation to validity and infringement of certain standard essential patents as part of representing Conversant Wireless in its successful Supreme Court proceedings against Huawei and ZTE.
  • Unwired Planet vs. Apple (Northern District of California). Acted for patent owner as global prosecution counsel in relation to post-grant proceedings
  • Unwired Planet vs. Google (District of Nevada). Acted for patent owner as global prosecution counsel in relation to post-grant proceedings
  • Unwired Planet vs. Apple, RIM (International Trade Commission, Washington DC). Acted for patent owner as patent counsel
  • Visto vs. Research in Motion. Acted for patent owner in international litigation relating to email synchronization technology, resulting in a $267.5 million settlement in favour of patent owner
  • Good Technology Corporation. Global lead prosecution counsel 2009-2016

Recent work

  • From 2022 has provided pre-action and ongoing technical and legal support in relation to infringement and validity, acting for Nokia Technologies in various patent disputes. (link)
  • Unwired Planet vs. Samsung, Huawei and LG Electronics (Düsseldorf District Court). Acted for patent owner in providing technical and non-technical support to EIP Legal team in Germany in standard essential patent case related to LTE and GSM standards. The non-technical support work related to patent assignments and complex corporate transactions.
  • Unwired Planet vs. Samsung and Huawei (UK High Court). Acted for patent owner in providing technical support in 4G standard essential patent case.
  • Successfully progressed patents through to grant in Europe, the US and China for a multinational financial services company in the notoriously-difficult payments field.
  • Unwired Planet vs. Apple (Northern District of California). Acted for patent owner as global prosecution counsel in relation to post-grant proceedings

Published articles

  • November 2021
    EIP Talks, What does the future hold for patents & trademarks? (link)

Education

 

  • 1997
    PhD in Combustion and Fluid Dynamics, Imperial College, London
  • 1993
    BEng Engineering, Imperial College, London

Career history

  • 2002 — present
    Partner, EIP
  • 1999 — 2002
    Patent Attorney, British Telecoms
  • 1998 — 1999
    Trainee Patent Attorney, BAE Systems

Awards and recognition

  • Recognised in IAM Strategy 300 Global Leaders 2026 (link)
  • Chambers 2026, Ranked Band 1 : Intellectual Property: Patent Attorneys. "Heather McCann is a patent attorney and a UPC representative with expertise in the technology sector. She is frequently called upon to assist with patent drafting and prosecution strategy." (link)
  • WIPR recommend individual 2025 (link)
  • Ranked as 'Patent Star 2025' IP Stars (link)
  • Recommended individual - IAM Patent 2025 (link)
  • IAM Strategy 300 Global Leaders (link)
  • Chambers UK 2024. (link)
  • Recommended Patent Attorney, Legal 500, 2025 (link)
  • IAM Strategy 300 (link)
  • IAM Patent 1000 2024: “Heather is a first-rate attorney who is well versed in a wide variety of technical subject matter. She is incredibly smart and able to pick up new concepts quickly, and is extremely knowledgeable on the rules and requirements at the EPO, as well as having a wealth of experience with the practical realities. She has been there and done that with almost every situation.” (link)
  • Ranked as 'Patent Star 2024' IP Stars (link)
  • Legal 500, 2024 (link)
  • IAM Patent 1000, 2023. 'Heather McCann is another technically adept and commercially minded operator on the team’s roster. From Silicon Valley tech companies to start-ups, McCann offers rigorous and strategic patent advice.' (link)
  • Ranked as a 'Patent Star', IP Stars 2023
  • Legal 500, 2023: Heather McCann "is outstanding, friendly and simply a leader in the field of patents." and "deserves particular mention as a sharp-minded and skilled, not to mention tireless, advocate and adviser." (link)
  • Listed in IAM Strategy 300: The World's Leading IP Strategists 2022 (link)
  • Ranked as 'Highly recommended' in Patent prosecution in UK, Leaders League 2022
  • Recommended IAM Patent 1000, 2022. "Heather is well-versed in a wide variety of technical subject matter and is also incredibly smart and able to quickly pick up new concepts." (link)
  • Ranked as a "Patent Star", IP Stars 2022 (link)
  • Ranked as a "Top 250 Women in IP", IP Stars 2022 (link)
  • Legal 500, 2022. (link)
  • Listed in IAM Strategy 300: The World's Leading IP Strategists 2021 (link)
  • Ranked as 'Highly recommended' in Patent prosecution in UK, Leaders League 2021 (link)
  • Recommended IAM Patent 1000, 2021. (link)
  • Ranked as a "Patent Star", IP Stars 2021 (link)
  • IAM Patent 1000, 2020. "This “consistent and high-quality” practitioner has “excellent technical knowledge”." (link)
  • Ranked as a "Patent Star", IP Stars 2020 (link)
  • Legal 500, 2020
  • Ranked as a "Patent Star", IP Stars 2019 (link)
  • IAM Patent 1000, 2019. "Heather McCann is an oracle when it comes to European filing strategy; her wireless systems acumen has helped many technology-rich companies gain an IP foothold in Europe." (link)
  • Legal 500, 2018: Recommended Patent Attorney
  • Ranked as a "Patent Star", IP Stars 2018 (link)
  • Women in Law Awards, 2018 (UK - Patents) - Lawyer Monthly
  • IAM Patent 1000, 2018.
  • Chambers & Partners, 2017: Heather has "excellent technical knowledge" and an "ability to find arguments that differentiate a claimed invention from cited prior art." (link)
  • Legal 500, 2017: Heather "is noted for her ‘tremendous technical knowledge’."
  • Ranked as a "Patent Star" and "highly recommended", IP Stars 2017
  • IAM Patent 1000, 2017. "The masterful drafting of Heather McCann is a boon for IT innovators with complex applications."
  • Legal 500, 2016
  • IAM Patent 1000, 2016. “Heather’s biggest asset is her personal interest and pride in what she does – she is determined always to deliver quality work."
  • Ranked in IP Stars 2016
  • Legal 500, 2015

Speaking engagements

  • 19 February 2020
    NatWest Accelerator Hub, Power Up Your IP
  • 22 January 2020
    EIP/Fieldfisher Roundtable, Understanding the Impact of the EU Copyright Directive on US Businesses
  • 26 September 2019
    IPIC Annual Conference, IP Rights Around the World: International Perspectives (link)
  • 23 September 2019
    TechGC Patent Circle Roundtable, International Patenting (link)
  • 6 December 2018
    Fieldfisher, Exploring the implications of Brexit on your business from a technology perspective
  • 5 December 2018
    Managing IP, European Patent Forum USA 2018
  • 26 October 2017
    Silicon Valley IP Law Association, Obtaining Unitary Patents - Effects of UPC Ratification & Creation of New Pan-European Patent System (link)