Anthony Trenton is a highly regarded intellectual property litigator who focuses his practice on multi-jurisdictional patent litigation, as well as on matters relating to breach of confidence, trademarks and domain names, copyright, and registered designs and design right. He represents a variety of clients, including those in the life sciences and technology industries. Mr. Trenton has over 25 years of experience in handling some of the most complex litigation in the UK, from before commencement of proceedings through to trial and appeal. He has conducted landmark cases up to the highest level in the UK, having run a two-week appeal in the House of Lords and an appeal and an intervention in the UK Supreme Court. He is a Solicitor-Advocate (Higher Civil Courts) and has exercised his advocacy rights in the High Court.

After graduating in Natural Sciences from Cambridge, Mr. Trenton was called to the Bar of England and Wales. He trained as a pupil barrister under David Kitchin, now UK Supreme Court Justice Lord Kitchin. He was also admitted as a Solicitor in England and Wales and was awarded the Diploma in Intellectual Property from the University of Bristol.

 

Experience

  • Mr. Trenton’s work has included:

    • Representing a multinational technology company in a complex action involving multiple patent infringement assertions and a FRAND rate determination.
    • Representing a multinational technology company in an intervention in the UK Supreme Court in relation to the scope of court-determined FRAND licenses.
    • Successfully defending a multinational technology company in patent infringement proceedings relating to user interface features.
    • Representing Kirin-Amgen in a biotechnology patent infringement case relating to erythropoietin. It went up to the House of Lords and is the leading UK case on the issue of patent claim construction.
    • Representing the market leader in the supply of intermediate industrial bulk containers in a patent infringement action that went to the UK Supreme Court. It is the leading UK case on whether an act is repair or making, for the purposes of patent infringement.
    • Acting in an expert capacity advising on English law in a New York arbitration relating to a patent license dispute.
    • Representing a major pharmaceutical company in a successful claim to revoke a patent relating to a well-known drug.
    • Representing a major pharmaceutical company in a patent infringement case concerning the use of glucagon-like peptides for reducing body weight.
    • Representing a client in a successful patent infringement case which went to the High Court and Court of Appeal involving snack food packaging equipment.
    • Representing a client in a patent entitlement dispute against a leading defense contractor relating to patents concerning hover cushion landing gears on airships.
    • Representing a major chemical company in a successful patent action relating to ion exchange resins for purifying acetic acid. It was followed by the first account of profits to go to trial for nearly a century.
    • Representing a client in a case against Unilever relating to ice cream bars and obtaining the first modern stay of patent proceedings in the UK pending a European Patent Office Opposition.
    • Representing a client in a patent infringement case relating to technology involving the projection of images onto polymeric film.
    • Representing a global online information and publishing business in relation to numerous trademark infringement and passing off disputes and oppositions concerning its brands.
    • Representing a client in a successful trademark revocation action relating to the Bach Flower Remedies trademark.
    • Representing a client in trademark infringement proceedings relating to the BOTOX trademark.
    • Representing a client in successful trademark infringement proceedings in Malaysia concerning the H R Johnson trademark for tiles.
    • Representing a global entertainment media company in a trademark infringement and passing off action against one of its major competitors in relation to the launch of a television channel.
    • Representing a well-known tyre manufacturer in a successful trademark infringement and domain name dispute.
    • Representing a client in a successful and leading trademark infringement and passing off case relating to cybersquatting.
    • Representing a hostelling organization in relation to a number of trademark infringement disputes.

Recognition

  • Award Text

    Recognized as a Leading Lawyer for Intellectual Property in the UK

    Chambers UK

    2008–2024

  • Award Text

    Recognized in Litigation as a Leading Patent Professional

    IAM Patent 1000

    2020–2024

  • Award Text

    Recognized as a
    Patent Star and a Trademark Star for the UK

    Managing Intellectual Property

    2015–2024

  • Selected as a 2015-2024 IP Star by Managing IP, a guidebook that identifies leading IP lawyers in the United States.
  • Chambers UK has ranked Mr. Trenton among the leading lawyers for intellectual property in the UK for more than fifteen years. He has also been recognized by The Legal 500, Legal Experts, IP Stars Handbook, IAM Patent 1000 and Super Lawyers.
  • Chambers has reported that Mr. Trenton has “a formidable record in sometimes landmark cases concerning all manner of technologies”, “is always thinking up different ways of running legal points and gives a lot of attention to the legal arguments”, has "very sound judgment" and "can be relied upon to persuade the opposing side to make more compromises," is a "noted patent litigator" and "also a go-to for heavyweight trade mark disputes." He is "noted for his strategy and expert advice," with clients saying that he is "an excellent port of call for complex, delicate matters" and "hardworking and astute." Clients also admire his "ability to understand relationships and distil from those the correct amount of information needed."
  • Managing IP shortlisted Mr. Trenton for Practitioner of the Year in recognition of his significant achievements in the intellectual property field in 2022.
  • The Legal 500 has noted that Mr. Trenton is "highly respected for his litigation expertise." Sources acknowledge him as "very bright indeed" and "very diligent and very focused, and an excellent technical lawyer."
  • IAM Patent 1000 described Mr. Trenton as “a Swiss Army knife of a practitioner” who has fought the corner of his clients in the country’s highest courts.
  • Identified by Law360 as a thought leader on what intellectual property lawyers should know about the Brexit fallout in,"5 Things IP Attorneys Need To Know About Brexit," published June 24, 2016.

Insights & News

Credentials

  • Education

    • Diploma, Intellectual Property Law, University of Bristol, 1997

    • Inns of Court School of Law, 1993

    • MA, Natural Sciences, University of Cambridge, Trinity Hall, 1990

  • Admissions

    • England and Wales, Solicitor

Credentials

Notice

Unless you are an existing client, before communicating with WilmerHale by e-mail (or otherwise), please read the Disclaimer referenced by this link.(The Disclaimer is also accessible from the opening of this website). As noted therein, until you have received from us a written statement that we represent you in a particular manner (an "engagement letter") you should not send to us any confidential information about any such matter. After we have undertaken representation of you concerning a matter, you will be our client, and we may thereafter exchange confidential information freely.

Thank you for your interest in WilmerHale.