Michael Christie

Michael is a patent attorney specialising in biotechnology. His expertise spans all aspects of patent practice, from drafting and prosecution through to enforcement, portfolio management and patent term extensions for pharmaceutical patents. Michael has acted in several high-profile patent opposition and litigation matters concerning pharmaceuticals and genetic technologies.

Michael represents Australia on the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI) Standing Committee for Pharma and Biotechnology. He has published widely on patent practice in biotechnology and regularly lectures on the strategic protection of IP at an Australian university.

Michael is also accredited by IP Australia as a Consultant Qualified Person, enabling him to advise on, and certify, Plant Breeder’s Rights applications.

Michael received the prestigious Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia (IPTA) Institute Prize, and has been listed among the World’s Leading Patent Practitioners by Intellectual Asset Magazine every year since 2018.

Michael has a Bachelor of Biotechnology with first class Honours and a PhD in biochemistry. For his post-graduate research, Michael received both the University Medal and the Dean’s Award for academic excellence. Michael has worked as a post-doctoral research fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tuebingen, and his research has been widely published in high-impact journals such as Nature Communications and PNAS.

Michael is a member of the Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia, Intellectual Property Society of Australia and New Zealand, Asian Patent Attorneys Association, International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property, and AusBiotech.

Awards & Recognition

• World’s Leading Patent Practitioner 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 (Intellectual Asset Magazine)
• Institute Prize (Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia)
• AJ Park Prize for Patent Drafting (University of Technology Sydney)
• Dean’s Award for PhD Research (University of Queensland)
• University Medal for Honours Research (University of Queensland)
• Dean’s Commendation (University of Queensland)

Speaking Engagements

• IAM Life Science Patent Masterclass (16 November 2021)
• Presentation for AusBiotech as part of JP Morgan week (16 December 2021). Topic: Clinical trials within Australia’s IP framework
• Presentations to large pharmaceutical companies on antibody patenting and pharmaceutical patent term extensions

Memberships

• Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI) Standing Committee for Pharma and Biotechnology
• Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia
• Intellectual Property Society of Australia and New Zealand
• Asian Patent Attorneys Association
• AusBiotech.