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Originally from the United Kingdom, Pete Pollard qualified as an engineer before moving to Eindhoven, Netherlands. After becoming a Dutch and European patent attorney, he spent five years in-house and 10 years in private practice. In 2017 he founded Fireball Patents to better serve local and foreign start-ups, structuring the firm to be similarly lean and dynamic. Fireball Patents is virtual, using automation and external specialists to limit overhead, while close collaboration with clients allows more predictablebilling.
Mr Pollard is also part of IP.DESIGN, a German-Swiss IP boutique offering one-stop solutions to innovative SMEs. Since 2018, his European and Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) know-how has enriched the firm’s patent and designexpertise.
The passion and creativity of his clients is reflected in Mr Pollard’s drive to find pragmatic routes to protection, such as pursuing European patents in ‘no translation’ jurisdictions, concentrating on US filings, treating innovations as trade secrets, or pursuing utilitymodels.
He specialises in physics, software and mechanics, with experience in medical devices, materials, optics, and data, image and payment processing. He has many years’ experience in Dutch and European prosecution, oral hearings, oppositions andappeals.
Mr Pollard has taught European patent law since 2009, specialising in PCT and European Bar (EQE) preparation. He has given lectures at Maastricht University (Netherlands) and EQELIBRIUM (Poland). He occasionally speaks on patent matters at EPO events and the INTA AnnualMeeting.
He was an original tutor for IP administrator training in the Netherlands, and passed the first national exam in 2011 to become a certified formalities officer. He frequently runs courses in English for IP administrators through the German FORUMInstitut.
Mr Pollard is an author and contributor for PCT.App and EPC.App. IP.appify’s ingenious online platform allows users to fully customise these commented legal references with their own annotations, and to print their owntextbook.
Mr Pollard is also an EU design and trademark attorney. In addition to his native English, he is fluent in Dutch and has a working knowledge ofGerman.