David Webber
Managing Principal
Patent Attorney
Areas of Expertise/Sector
PatentsICT, Electronics & SoftwareEngineering & ManufacturingCopyrightDesigns Infringement & EnforcementDesign Filing & RegistrationDesignsPatent Infringement & EnforcementIP Portfolio Management, Maintenance & RenewalsUniversities & Research InstitutionsAerospace & DefenceDavid specialises in patent, design and copyright advice for electronics, computer software and communications products, with particular expertise in patents for Internet technology, telecommunications, financial systems, artificial intelligence and image processing technology.
He has considerable experience in patent drafting, patent oppositions and patent infringement, due diligence and freedom to operate advice. David lectured for many years on patent and copyright law and integrated circuit legislation for the University of Melbourne and Monash University. He currently manages the patent practice of Davies Collison Cave and became a partner in 1992.
David is an International Councillor of the Asian Patent Attorneys Association (APAA), and is a member of APAA’s Advisory Committee. David is also a past President of APAA (Australia Group) Inc and Co-Chair of APAA’s Patents Committee. He has worked as in-house counsel in London, UK.
David has over 30 years’ experience acting on behalf of large corporations, research institutes, universities and start-up companies, both in Australia and overseas. He has successfully handled many complex patent oppositions, and is adept at managing large patent portfolios. He acted in the first finding of infringement by a Court under semiconductor chip protection legislation. David has been invited to speak on intellectual property law for computer software and integrated circuit protection by a large number of organisations, including the Australian Patent Office, the Victorian Computer Law Society, the New South Wales Computer Law Society, the Intellectual Property Society of Australia and New Zealand, the Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys, IEEE, LAWASIA, ACLA and the Australian Bar Association. His articles have been published in a number of intellectual property journals.
David was a Senior Fellow of the University of Melbourne and taught in postgraduate and undergraduate courses for the Law Faculties of the University of Melbourne and Monash University. He has also given lectures on intellectual property law for students of the Engineering Faculty of Swinburne University and the Science and Engineering Faculties of the University of Melbourne.
He was appointed by the Federal Government to the Professional Standards Board for Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys in 2006 and was a member from 2006 to 2012. The Board is responsible for dealing with the qualifications for registration and professional conduct of Australian patent and Trade Mark attorneys.
Qualifications
Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical & Electronic)(Hons), University of Adelaide
Bachelor of Laws, Monash University
Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of Australia
Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria
Registered Patent and Trade Marks Attorney (Australia and New Zealand)
Awards
Best Lawyers Australia: Ranked highly for Intellectual Property Law, 2014 – 2025
Asia IP Experts: Leading lawyer in Patents, 2013; Leading lawyer in Patents and Copyright, 2015; Top 5o most Influential IP experts, 2024
IAM Patent 1000 Guide: Recommended as a leading individual in patent prosecution, 2012 - 2023; Ranked Gold in patent prosecution, 2024
IAM Strategy 300: Listed as one of The World’s Leading IP Strategists, 2020 - 2024
IAM Strategy 300 Global Leaders, 2022 & 2024 & 2025
Managing Intellectual Property ‘IP Stars’: Ranked highly as an Australian ‘IP Star’, 2014 - 2024
World Intellectual Property Review (WIPR) Leader, 2024
The Legal 500: Listed under Asia Pacific Ranking - Intellectual Property, 2022
AsiaLaw Leading Lawyers: Leading Lawyer for Intellectual Property, 2014 - 2018
International Law Office (ILO) Client Choice Award: Intellectual Property in Australia, 2010
Memberships
Fellow: Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia
International Councillor: Asian Patent Attorneys Association
Member: Association for Computer Machinery
Member: Australian Computer Society
Member: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Member: Intellectual Property Society of Australia and New Zealand (IPSANZ)
Member: International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property
Member: International Federation of Intellectual Property Attorneys
Member: International Technology Law Association
Member: Society for Computers and Law
Member: Victorian Society for Computers and the Law