Richard BIRD is a Counsel in the China IP/IT practice group of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer based in the Shanghai and Hong Kong offices. He advises clients in contentious and non-contentious intellectual property matters.

His practice includes patent and trade mark litigation in China and Hong Kong in several industry sectors with a particular focus on life sciences, hi-tech and consumer goods markets. Richard has significant experience in pharmaceutical patent litigation as well as mechanical patent disputes, and trade mark litigation in various sectors, including and a range of consumer product and retail matters. Richard also has wide-ranging experience in the commercialisation of intellectual property rights in licensing and technology transfer, research collaboration, R&D cost-sharing, pharmaceutical co-marketing, co-promotion and other partnering agreements, as well as intellectual property transaction counselling work.

Richard has particular expertise in the life sciences sector, having advised on a large number and range of pharmaceutical matters.

Richard has written extensively on patent issues and the developments in patent laws and other intellectual property issues in China.

Richard studied law at Kings College London and later gained a Certificate in Legal Subjects from the University (Intellectual Property, LLM curriculum) from the University of Bristol. Before joining Freshfields, Richard worked in the Intellectual Property Department of Clifford Chance in London and, between 2005 and 2008, at the pre-eminent intellectual property firm in Stockholm, Sweden (now named Advokatfirman Lindahl).