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Portrait ofRachel Free

Dr. Rachel Free

Partner
Patent Attorney

Contact
CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP
Cannon Place
78 Cannon Street
London
EC4N 6AF
United Kingdom
Languages English

Rachel is a UK and European patent attorney with an MSc in Artificial Intelligence and a DPhil in vision science. Rachel is a Representative before the Unified Patent Court (UPC).  She helps clients protect their technology through patents in a wide variety of fields, including AI, software, construction, infrastructure and telecommunications. She also provides training and advice regarding AI ethics and AI regulation.

Rachel has patent experience in a range of technical fields including neural networks, data centre storage, multi-core systems, cryptography, programming languages, information retrieval, machine learning, quantum computing, internet of things, time of flight cameras, natural user interface technology, image processing, infra-red sensors, wireless communications, voice over internet protocol, video codecs, cloud computing technology, mobile phone antennas, software and telecommunications.

Rachel is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA) and a member of its Computer Technology Committee. She has lectured for CIPA and acted as an Examiner for CIPA.

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"Rachel Free is very approachable, understands the law and is able to appreciate highly technical matters. Excellent advice and analytical skills."

Legal 500, 2021

"Has 'deep technical knowledge'."

Legal 500, 2019

Memberships & Roles

  • Vice chair of the CIPA Computer Technology Committee.
  • Task Force - Data Governance, All Party Parliamentary Group on AI (APPG AI).
  • Independent advisory board member of the University of Bath Centre for Doctoral Training on Accountable, Responsible, Transparent AI.
  • International Chamber of Commerce working group on Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property.
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Education

  • 1999 –  UK registered Patent Attorney, UK Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys, London
  • 1999 – European Patent Attorney, European Patent Office, Munich
  • 1996 – Certificate in Intellectual Property Law, Queen Mary University, London
  • 1996 – Dphil, Vergence eye movements and stereopsis, Oxford University, Oxford
  • 1992 – MSc, Artificial Intelligence, Edinburgh University, Edinburgh
  • 1991 – MA Experimental Psychology, Oxford University, Oxford
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Feed

01/02/2024
Early days of the UPC - key issues and take-aways
 
23/11/2023
Patentability of AI inventions: High Court offers a helping hand (Emotional...
Is a deep learning AI system which recommends similar songs to its users patentable? Or is it a computer program ‘as such’ and therefore excluded under s.1(2)(c) Patents Act 1977? The High Court has...
15/08/2023
AI in healthcare inventions – technical or not technical?
SummaryRecent European Patent Office (EPO) Board of Appeal case T 1910/20 sits among a number of decisions regarding the discussion of what constitutes technical character in the field of healthcare...
28/06/2023
CMS Intellectual Property Webinar Series 2023
The CMS Intellectual Property team are pleased to invite you to our upcoming webinar series, taking place from February to July 2023. The series will span the full scope of CMS’s IP practice, including...
06/02/2023
Preview of UK Supreme Court appeal: inventorship and entitlement to AI...
A judgment by the UK Court of Appeal finding that inventions created by an AI machine are not patentable has been appealed to the UK Supreme Court and is due to be heard on 02 March 2023.Summary of the...
27/01/2023
Quantum computing patent increase is far above average
On Wednesday 25 January 2023, the European Patent Office (EPO) issued their Insight Report into quantum computing and patents. In their Report, the EPO considered quantum computing patents in general...
22/09/2022
AI patent examination guidlines released by UK Intellectual Property Office
AI patent examination guidelines have now been released by the UK Intellectual Property Office and provide extremely useful guidance for patent stakeholders. The examination guidelines are available at...
25/05/2022
AI, machine learning & big data laws and regulations 2022
The United Kingdom has an ambition to become the world’s leader in Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology and policy and AI is increasingly being adopted across a wide variety of sectors including...
24/05/2022
AI, Machine Learning & Big Data Laws and Regulations 2022
The United Kingdom has an ambition to become the world’s leader in Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology and policy and AI is increasingly being adopted across a wide variety of sectors including...
04/05/2022
More detail has become available about how to assess patentability of computer...
In March 2021 the Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office answered questions concerning patentability of computer software simulations in case G1/19. A Technical Board of Appeal has applied...
09/02/2022
What next for description revisions at the European Patent Office?
The European Patent Office (EPO) typically require patent descriptions to be revised to agree with the claims of the patent application. In March 2021 the EPO Guidelines were revised to add that embodiments...
01/12/2021
A piece of patent history has been made concerning patentability of computer...
In March 2021 the Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office answered questions concerning patentability of computer software simulations in case G1/19. A Technical Board of Appeal has now...