Dr John Liddicoat is a Senior Lecturer at the Dickson Poon School of Law.

He is broadly interested in the development and use of new technology because it can: drive economies forward, increase public welfare and resolve enduring social problems. Much of his research focuses on the ability of patent law to accelerate the creation of new technology. However, the analysis is seldom straightforward; although patents can operate as incentives, they have numerous trade-offs. Smart innovation policy requires meticulous, doctrinal research and robust empirical data. As a lawyer with scientific training, John strives to deliver both and has developed numerous new methods using novel data.

John provides advice to companies, law firms, state governments and international governmental bodies. In 2023, he completed an extensive report for the World Intellectual Property Organization (the UN body that deals with IP) on patents and trade secrets. John’s research has been funded by the Wellcome Trust, the Philomathia Foundation, and Cancer Research UK. With colleagues at Cambridge, Harvard, and Copenhagen, he is working on a £5.5 million grant from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, investigating issues at the interface with: AI and quantum technologies; sustainability; pandemic preparedness and anti-microbial resistance.

John is accepting PhD applications

Research interests

• Intellectual property
• Patent law
• International patent law
• Copyright
• Data protection
• Health law
• Trade secrets
• Pharmaceutical law
• Emerging technology
• AI, quantum computing
• Pandemic preparedness
• Anti-microbial resistance
• Sustainability
• History
• Legal theory

Teaching

• Patents and Trade Secrets (7FFLL521)
• Intellectual Property (6FFLK039)
• Intellectual Property Dissertation (6FFLK037, 7FFLL913, 7FFLL917)

Selected Publications

Liddicoat, J., Liddell, K., Darrow, J., Aboy, M., Jordan, M., Crespo, C. and Minssen, T. ‘Repositioning Generic Drugs: Empirical Findings and Policy Implications’ (2022) 53 International Review of Intellectual Property & Competition Law 1287 Aboy, M., Liddell, K., Jordan, M., Crespo, C. and Liddicoat, J.E. ‘European Patent Protection for Medical Uses of Known Products and Drug Repurposing’ (2022) 40(4) Nature Biotechnology 465. Liddicoat, J.E. & Parish, J. ‘Ironing Out the Wrinkles: Reforms to Crown Use and Compulsory Licensing to Help prepare the Patents Acts 1977 for the Next Health Crises’ (2021) 4 Intellectual Property Quarterly 245. Liddicoat, J.E., Liddell, K., Aboy, M. & Wested, J., ‘Has the EU Incentive for Drug Repositioning Been Effective? An Empirical Analysis of the “+1’ Regulatory Exclusivity’ (2021) 52(7) International Review of Intellectual Property & Competition Law 1. Liddicoat, J., Liddell, K. & Aboy, M. ‘The Effects of Myriad and Mayo on Molecular Test Development in the US and Europe: Interviews from the Frontline’ (2020) 22 Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment and Technology Law 785.