Court of Appeal Decision Awaited in Biogen Appeal on Interlocutory Injunction
Biogen has appealed a High Court decision, delivered on 26 October 2022, in which Mr Justice Twomey lifted an interlocutory injunction secured by B...
John advises pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agriscience, technology and consumer products companies on intellectual property disputes, licensing, and brand protection. He regularly acts in strategically significant patent and technology disputes involving parallel proceedings across Europe and beyond.
John has significant experience before the Intellectual Property and Technology List of the Irish Commercial Court and the Court of Appeal, acting in patent revocation, infringement and interlocutory injunction proceedings. Alongside patent litigation, he advises on trade mark and copyright disputes, including anti-counterfeiting strategies and enforcement actions concerning infringing products on the Irish market. He also advises on complex IP licensing, strategic transactions involving intellectual property assets, and regulatory issues affecting pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device businesses.
John holds BCL and LLB degrees from University College Cork. He is an Irish qualified solicitor and an Irish registered trade mark agent.
Representative experience includes:
- Bayer – defending patent revocation proceedings concerning a dosing regimen for rivaroxaban, and obtaining a preliminary injunction relating to a generic fungicide product;
- Moderna – pursuing patent infringement proceedings against Pfizer and BioNTech concerning the Comirnaty® mRNA vaccine and defending a counterclaim for invalidity;
- Semiconductor technologies – advising on the strategic acquisition of intellectual property rights, manufacturing assets and technical know-how relating to heterogeneous integration technology, and providing ongoing advice on outbound licensing and commercialisation;
- Skyscanner – defending claims brought by Ryanair and pursuing a competition law counterclaim;
- ViiV Healthcare – pursuing patent infringement proceedings against Gilead concerning Biktarvy®/Bictegravir and defending a counterclaim for invalidity;
- Eli Lilly – pursuing patent revocation proceedings concerning a patent owned by Eisai relating to treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease;
- Boehringer Ingelheim – defending revocation proceedings brought by Teva concerning a patent relating to a respiratory product.
2026 Legal 500 EMEA
"John Sugrue's appreciation of the nuances of the law is evident from everything he does."
2026 IAM Patent 1000
"John Sugrue advises Irish, European and global clients on disputes, licensing and brand protection across industries including pharma, biotech, big tech, agriscience and consumer products"
2020 - 2026 IP STARS (Managing IP)
John is recognised as a 'Rising Star' for intellectual property.
2025 Legal 500 EMEA
"John Sugrue interacts wonderfully with all legal and business colleagues in our company. He is dedicated and pro-active, knows when to seek partner input and is a great asset to the team."
2025 IAM Patent 1000
Ranked as a Silver Individual. "Completing the excellence of the firm’s contentious practice is John Sugrue, a versatile talent with undeniable prowess across the biggest sectors in patents – from pharmaceutical to agriscience and big tech. Sugrue consistently excels in handling large, cross-border cases and does not shy away from complex matters."
2024 IAM Patent 1000
Ranked as a Silver Individual. John Sugrue is "a go-to adviser for Irish, EU and global organisations grappling with IP disputes. His forte lies in handling large-scale, complex patent litigation and providing invaluable non-contentious IP licensing advice".
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