Profile of Linda Govenlock PhD

Linda Govenlock PhD

Partner, Practice Leader – Patent & Trademark Attorneys, Patent Attorney

About Linda Govenlock PhD

Linda is the Head of Allens Patent & Trade Mark Attorneys and has practised as a registered patent attorney in Australia and New Zealand for over 20 years. She specialises in the chemical, industrial and life sciences patent areas, with a particular focus on new drug substances, development of new pharmaceutical formulations, diagnosis and treatment of diseases, securing patent term extension for pharmaceutical patents, industrial and agricultural chemicals, material sciences, and mining processes.

Linda has extensive experience in managing patent portfolios in Australia and globally for a number of corporate clients. She has amassed a wealth of experience in devising and executing innovative and commercially focussed patent and design prosecution strategies to deftly navigate complex IP issues, and she is recognised for providing clear, strategic advice, including:

  • advising clients in relation to patentability, patent validity and freedom to operate
  • conducting patent oppositions before the Australian and New Zealand Patent Offices
  • post‑grant re‑examination proceedings
  • providing specialist technical support in patent litigation
  • IP landscape reviews and analysis and developing commercially focused IP strategies for clients
  • drafting new patent applications, prosecution of global patent portfolios and IP portfolio management
  • inventorship disputes before the Australian Patent Office and on appeal

Linda is recognised as one of Australia's leading experts in Patent Term Extensions. She works closely with clients to devise and implement effective strategies for maximising PTEs for valuable pharmaceutical and biologic patents, as well as advising on related data exclusivity issues.

Linda has a BSc (Hons 1) majoring in chemistry and pharmacology from the University of Sydney and a PhD in organic chemistry, also from the University of Sydney. Linda was awarded a Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 Research Fellowship and completed three years Postdoctoral Research at the University of Durham, UK, studying new MRI and PET agents. Upon returning to Australia Linda joined the patent profession in 2000 and gained a Masters of Industrial Property Law. During 2005 and 2006 Linda worked in the UK IP Department of a multinational pharmaceutical company, gaining invaluable experience in European patent practice and patent portfolio management.

Linda is a Fellow of the Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia and a member of the Intellectual Property Society of Australia and New Zealand.

Linda is one of Managing IP’s 2022 Patent Stars and is recognised as a World IP Review Leader and IAM 1000 Top IP practitioner 2021.

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