Adrian Hocking

​Adrian Hocking is a Patents Director at Albright IP. He is a highly experienced Chartered Patent Attorney and European Patent Attorney, as well as being a Patent Litigator (UK and European). Adrian is passionate about advising innovators, businesses and organisations on securing, managing and enforcing intellectual property rights across the UK, Europe and internationally.

With a technical background in Mechanical Engineering and nearly thirty years of experience in patent drafting, prosecution and intellectual property strategy, Adrian helps clients protect commercially valuable innovations across a broad range of engineering and technology sectors.

Index

• Education and Technical Background
• International Patent Experience
• Areas of Expertise
• Technology Specialisms
• Industries Served
• Representative Matters
• Intellectual Property Litigation and Disputes
• Professional Memberships and Regulation
• Adrian’s Approach
• Outside of Work
• How to contact Adrian

Education and Technical Background

Adrian graduated from the University of Nottingham with an Honours Degree in Mechanical Engineering before obtaining a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from Coventry University.

His engineering background provides a strong foundation for understanding complex technologies and translating innovative concepts into robust intellectual property protection strategies.

International Patent Experience

Adrian’s career in intellectual property began in Tokyo, Japan, where he spent three years working within a Japanese patent law firm. During this time, he worked on technical developments relating to digital photography technologies and image compression algorithms, predominantly for Pentax. In addition to technical translation matters, he also gained valuable experience supporting international patent prosecution in Europe, the USA, Australia, China and Korea, along with domestic patent prosecution in Japan.

Following his return to the UK, Adrian joined a leading international patent law firm, where he trained and qualified as a Chartered Patent Attorney, European Patent Attorney and IP Litigator (Patents).

This international experience enables Adrian to advise clients on intellectual property protection strategies across multiple jurisdictions and global markets.

Areas of Expertise

Adrian has many years of experience advising clients on:

• Patent drafting and prosecution
• European patent applications
• UK patent applications
• International patent protection
• Patent portfolio management
• Design protection
• Patent infringement matters
• Intellectual property disputes
• Freedom-to-operate considerations
• Intellectual property strategy
• Innovation protection and commercialisation

Technology Specialisms

Adrian’s patent work covers a broad range of technical disciplines, including:

• Mechanical engineering
• Automotive technologies
• Aerospace technologies
• Telecommunications systems
• Software, Artificial Intelligence and LLMs, and computer-implemented inventions
• Digital imaging technologies
• Image compression algorithms
• General engineering innovations
• Industrial systems
• Product development technologies

Industries Served

Adrian has experience advising and obtaining granted patents for clients operating in:

• Automotive
• Aerospace
• Engineering and manufacturing
• Telecommunications
• Software and technology
• Consumer products
• Industrial equipment
• Research and development
• Innovation-led businesses and start-ups

Representative Matters

Adrian has advised and acted for clients on a wide variety of intellectual property matters, including:

• Drafting and prosecuting patent applications across many international territories, including UK, Europe, USA, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil to name just a few
• Managing international patent portfolios
• Protecting innovations in automotive and aerospace technologies
• Advising on software, AI, and computer-implemented inventions
• Patent protection relating to telecommunications technologies
• Supporting businesses facing patent infringement issues
• European patent oppositions
• Entitlement of IP rights
• Design revocations
• Securing intellectual property protection for engineering and manufacturing innovations

Intellectual Property Litigation and Disputes

Alongside his patent prosecution work, Adrian also advises clients on contentious intellectual property matters, including patent infringement issues and strategic IP enforcement considerations. Additionally, Adrian has a proactive view when it comes to commercial business advice concerning the benefit of IP to a business and downstream exit strategies for founders. He always encourages clients to think about their business strategy from this viewpoint as well, and not only the protection and enforcement angles.

Professional Memberships and Regulation

As a Chartered British Patent Attorney, Adrian is regulated by the Intellectual Property Regulation Board (IPReg), the independent regulatory body for UK Patent Attorneys and Trade Mark Attorneys that oversees the quality of patent advice and work in the UK.

He is also a long-standing member of:

• The Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys (CIPA)
• The Institute of Professional Representatives before the European Patent Office (epi)

Clients can therefore be assured of the highest professional standards, quality of advice and regulatory oversight.

Adrian’s Approach

Adrian is known for providing practical, commercially focused advice that helps businesses make the best informed decisions about protecting and exploiting their intellectual property assets.

He works closely with inventors, engineers, entrepreneurs and established organisations to develop intellectual property strategies aligned with commercial objectives and long-term growth plans.

Outside of Work

Outside the office, Adrian enjoys maintaining an active lifestyle through gym training, mountain biking, running, and skiing. He also continues his long-standing interest in the Japanese language and culture through the study of Japanese.

How to contact Adrian

Adrian’s Contact Form follows his ‘Most Read Articles’ below. Alternatively, please call our mainline number +44 (0)1242 691 801 or email Adrian directly at ahocking@albright-ip.co.uk. Adrian would be pleased to hear from you, and is always willing to give as much advice and guidance as possible.

Ask Adrian for Expert Advice