Rob Barker

Rob Barker is a Partner at EIP, UK and European Patent Attorney, Design Attorney, and UPC Representative with a deep technical foundation in chemistry and the life sciences. Since joining EIP in 2014, he has built a multidisciplinary practice spanning chemical, pharmaceutical, energy storage, cosmetics, and food sciences innovations.

Rob advises clients across the full patent lifecycle, including drafting, prosecution, due‑diligence and freedom‑to‑operate analyses, as well as offensive and defensive opposition and appeal proceedings before the EPO. His work combines scientific rigour with a clear understanding of commercial priorities, enabling clients to make confident, well‑informed IP decisions.

Rob also brings significant in‑house insight from a long‑term secondment with a FTSE 100 spinout focused on sustainable packaging. Working closely with R&D teams and senior leadership, he developed a practical appreciation of internal IP workflows, stakeholder expectations, and the strategic role of patents in fast‑moving technology environments.

As Head of Designs at EIP, Rob advises on design registration, enforcement, and anti‑infringement strategy, and has particular experience in responding to infringement threats and takedown demands.

Rob is recognised in the profession as a “Rising Star” by Managing IP for multiple consecutive years and has been recommended by Legal 500 for his work in chemical and life sciences matters.

He holds an MChem from the University of Oxford, where he conducted research into fluorescent organic probes for cancer diagnosis and prognosis, and a Certificate in Intellectual Property Law from Queen Mary University of London. Before joining EIP, Rob worked as a biological chemist at the John Innes Centre.

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