How I can help your business

• Draft and prosecute patent applications across chemical and biochemical technologies.
• Provide freedom-to-operate advice to support commercial decision-making in complex technical areas.
• Assist with managing patent portfolios to align protection strategies with business objectives.

Overview & Expertise

Kate Appleby is an Associate in Marks & Clerk’s Edinburgh office and has been with the firm since 2017. She is a UK Chartered Patent Attorney with a practice focused on chemical and biochemical subject matter.

Kate advises a wide range of clients, including universities, spin-outs, SMEs, and large chemical and pharmaceutical companies. She has experience managing patent portfolios of varying scale, including large international portfolios with filings across multiple jurisdictions. Her work includes drafting and prosecuting patent applications, as well as providing patentability and freedom-to-operate advice to support informed decision-making.

She has also gained experience in opposition and appeal proceedings and has undertaken a secondment with a university technology transfer office, where she supported the management of institutional IP portfolios. This experience informed her practical understanding of how IP strategies are developed and implemented within research-led organisations. In addition, Kate regularly delivers presentations and workshops on IP, particularly in the field of chemistry.

Before entering the patent profession, Kate completed an MChem in Chemistry (first class) at Durham University, followed by a PhD at the University of York in inorganic catalysis and advanced NMR spectroscopy. She subsequently worked as a Research Associate before moving into patent law. 

Client Work & Case Experience

• Chemical and life sciences client — assisting with preparation of submissions and arguments in opposition proceedings, contributing to the successful defence of a granted European patent.
• Commercial client — drafting and prosecuting patent applications which were subsequently licensed to a third party, and supporting discussions to align ongoing IP strategy.
• Technology client — providing freedom-to-operate advice based on large-scale patent landscape reviews, informing negotiations for the acquisition of relevant patent rights, and analysing inventorship and ownership issues.