Aoife Murphy

Aoife is an experienced commercial litigator with particular focus on intellectual property. She advises a wide range of indigenous and multinational clients on all aspects of intellectual property issues, patent, trademarks, copyright and design related intellectual property matters. She is particularly experienced in multi-jurisdictional patent disputes and has acted in some of the most high-profile patent cases to come before the Irish Courts in recent years. She has acted in more patent related disputes in the Commercial Court list than any other practitioner in Ireland in the last number of years. Her experience often involves Irish "firsts", such as acting in the first biologic/biosimilar litigation in Ireland, the first cross-border preliminary injunction application in Ireland and the first proceedings brought anywhere in Europe relating to a derogation sought under the SPC manufacturing waiver. She has also acted in most of the preliminary injunction applications relating to patent and SPC matters before the Commercial Court since 2018, including all of the cross-border preliminary injunctions to come before the Irish Court. She has also acted in all of the patent proceedings relating to medical devices to come before the Irish court in the past 12 years.

She has considerable experience in life science matters particularly medical devices, biosimilars and well as patents in other sectors. Aoife is involved in claims of infringement and revocation of patents and SPCs which protect pharmaceuticals, medical devices, biotechnology, electronic point-of-sale systems and drone technology. She most recently represented MSD in an appeal before the Supreme Court, securing the first reference in a Patent/SPC matter from the Irish Court to the CJEU on the core issue in the appeal namely, the appropriate interpretation and application of Art 3(a) and 3(c) of SPC Regulation.

She has acted for manufacturers and brand owners in trade mark, passing off and unfair competition litigation. She also represents clients in copyright, licencing and ownership disputes. Aoife sits on the Intellectual Property Law Committee of the Law Society of Ireland.