Two IPs In A Pod

Send us Fan Mail Lee Davies and Gwilym Roberts speak to Rob Stumbles and Pete Salder from Reddie & Grose about how Pixar evolved from a struggling computer graphics start-up into the studio behind Toy Story. They explore the patents, licensing deals, Steve Jobs' investment, and ground-breaking technology that kept the company alive long enough to change animation forever.

Send us Fan Mail Retirement looks simple on paper until you realize you’re not just leaving a job, you’re leaving an identity. Lee and Gwilym sit down with Rob Williams, a former partner and co-head of IP at Bird and Bird who retired at 56 and retrained as a retirement coach, to talk about what actually makes the transition hard for high-performing professionals in intellectual property, law, and...

Send us Fan Mail Recorded at INTA, this episode sees Lee Davies and Gwilym Roberts sit down with veteran IP journalist James Nurton to explore the evolution of intellectual property reporting over the past three decades. From the transition from print publications to digital-first media, James shares insights into the challenges of breaking news in the IP sector, the growing importance of analysis...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we speak with Ken Seddon, CEO of LOT Network, about the increasing influence of non-practising entities (NPEs) and the growing role they play in patent litigation through the acquisition and assertion of patents. The discussion explores LOT Network’s “herd immunity” model, under which member companies automatically receive a licence if patents are transferred to a...

Send us Fan Mail “Courts competing” might sound odd, but it can lead to what clients actually crave: faster and more predictable decisions. Joining Lee and Gwilym for this episode, recorded at INTA 2026, in London, are Tammy Terry , a Texas-based patent litigator, and Daniel Chew , a UK and European patent attorney and Chair of our International Liaison Committee. They consider how different forum...

Send us Fan Mail Recorded at INTA, this latest episode explores the challenges businesses face when protecting and enforcing intellectual property rights overseas, and the practical steps organisations can take to strengthen their international IP strategy. Kayleigh Nauman, Adin Samson, and Samuel Stone discuss the risks businesses can encounter when expanding internationally, from trademark dispu...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features Deborah A. Hampton in conversation with Gwilym Roberts and Lee Davies, exploring the realities of modern trade mark practice, leadership, and career development within intellectual property. Deborah reflects on her journey from working as a receptionist in a paralegal department to becoming a global brand enforcement leader and the President of INTA. She disc...

Send us Fan Mail To mark World IP Day’s sports theme, we explore how intellectual property quietly shapes the world of winter sport, from performance and safety to sponsorship and visibility. Drawing on stories from the Olympics and beyond, we unpack how patents, trade secrets, and open standards influence everything from the equipment athletes use to the way competitions are run and experienced b...

Send us Fan Mail The rules of qualification aren’t being rewritten overnight, but the questions are getting sharper. We sit down with Debbie Slater, Chair of CIPA’s Education Committee, to unpack the IPReg Education Review and what it could mean for anyone training as a UK patent attorney or trademark attorney over the next few years. The focus is forward-looking: what skills, knowledge, and profe...

Send us Fan Mail Lee and Gwilym are joined on the podcast by Laura Whiting from Freshfields and Arty Rajendra from Osborne Clarke. Ever wonder who decides the price of your medicine, the terms behind your 5G connection, or why your favorite streaming platform keeps changing codecs? We sit down with two leading IP litigators to pull back the curtain on the high-stakes world where innovation meets t...

Send us Fan Mail Virginia Driver recounts entering a profession that once enforced skirts and skepticism, then earning credibility across computing, telecoms, and the smartphone wars, where old devices became courtroom gold. That history matters: it shaped her insistence that AI must be auditable and accurate, not just fast. We unpack the real sweet spot for AI in patents—deep analysis across thou...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when the European Patent Office’s CTO and COO says the hardest part of technology isn’t the code, it’s the culture? Lee and Gwilym sit down with Angel Aledo Lopez to unpack how AI is changing the way patents are examined, filed, and managed, and why human judgment still anchors the system.

Send us Fan Mail A squash ball to the ear is a painful reminder that sport isn’t just competition, it’s design, data, and decisions that protect and perform. From that opening jolt, we dive into the fast-moving world of sports technology with guests Dave Holt and Stephen Moore of Potter Clarkson, exploring how innovation is built, protected, and brought to life for pros and everyday athletes alike...

Send us Fan Mail What should a newly qualified patent or trademark attorney be able to do on day one, and how should we train for a world shaped by AI, shifting client needs, and the public interest? We sit down with IPREG’s education review lead, Sally Gosling, joined by Katie Flett, to unpack the biggest rethink of qualification in years. From defining core capabilities to asking who even finds...

Send us Fan Mail A chemist hears a patent attorney speak and sees a future. Years later, that same attorney is directing a national patent office and helping rewrite how innovation gets protected. This conversation with Maja Schmitt travels from labs and in‑house roles to China and The Hague, and lands on a bold policy move: the Netherlands is returning to examined national patents after years of...

Send us Fan Mail We celebrate five years of IP conversations with a festive look back at the moments that shaped the show. From lockdown origins to Earthshot wins and live sessions at INTA, we share what we learned from judges, founders, and the quirks that make IP human. • Launch during lockdown and early interviews with sole practitioners and Tim Moss - link to episode here. • Judges’ perspectiv...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wondered who actually turns evolving case law and global agreements into the rules you use every day? We sit down with Heli Pihlajamaa, Principal Director of Patent Law and Procedures at the EPO, for a candid tour of how European patent law is shaped, tested, and delivered at scale. From examiner guidance to implementing regulations and user consultation, Heli opens the black...

Send us Fan Mail Mental health training for line managers represents the most valuable investment an organization can make in supporting workplace wellbeing. This enlightening discussion brings together experts from Jonathan's Voice charity and intellectual property professionals to explore why this training matters and how it creates lasting impact. The conversation reveals compelling eviden...

Send us Fan Mail Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon lights up our podcast with her remarkable journey from child math prodigy to founder of STEMETTES, an organization transforming how young women engage with science and technology. With disarming candor, she shares the pivotal moment at a 2012 tech conference where she realized she belonged to a "shrinking minority" as a woman in tech, a revelation...

Send us Fan Mail Want a clear roadmap to the new EQE without the confusion or the myths? We sat down with the people who helped design it to unpack the why, the what, and the how, so you can plan your path with confidence.  Lee and Gwilym unpack with Chris Mercer, Julia Gwilt and Debbie Slater the new EQE structure with the leaders who shaped it, explain why the change was needed, and map the stag...

Send us Fan Mail A decade of transforming the intellectual property landscape through inclusion, allyship, and community building, that's the remarkable journey of IP Inclusive we explore in this episode with founder Andrea Brewster. What makes IP Inclusive unique is its ground-up development, responding to the genuine needs of professionals rather than imposing initiatives from above. This a...

Send us Fan Mail On our last episode, we are stepping into the world of global intellectual property advocacy as we sit down with Margaret Polson and Lauren B. Emerson from the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) during the INTA conference in San Diego.

Send us Fan Mail Our next guest to join Lee and Gwilym in our San Diego Pubcast is Rob Jackson. Chair of CIPA's UPC Committee, takes us on a captivating journey from his unconventional entry into patent law to his passionate advocacy for UK patent attorneys' involvement in the Unified Patent Court system. With refreshing candor, he reveals how a suggestion from his mother, a legal secret...

Send us Fan Mail Lee and Gwilym were joined by Michael McLaughlin, Patent Attorney at McLaughlin IP Pte. Ltd., for this INTA Pubcast special. Ever wonder what happens when engineering expertise meets international IP law across multiple continents? Michael's twenty-year journey from electrical engineer to Singapore patent firm founder offers a fascinating glimpse into the possibilities of a g...

Send us Fan Mail To start off our San Diego Pubcast special, Lee and Gwilym sit down with Vicki Salmon. Vicki never planned on becoming a patent attorney. While preparing for a career as an accountant after studying natural sciences at Cambridge, a chance conversation with a neighbor who happened to be a High Court judge changed everything. "I think you should have a look at patents," he...