Patent litigator Wayne McMaster has joined Minter Ellison’s Melbourne office from King & Wood Mallesons. McMaster has been an intellectual property lawyer and patent attorney for more than 30 years. At KWM, he was the immediate past head of that firm’s national IP practice and Health & Pharma practice.

McMaster conducted the first court cases in Australia dealing specifically with patentability of medical methods and business methods. He drafts and negotiates commercial technology agreements for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, including agreements for universities and institutes. He also advises on compliance requirements relating to therapeutic goods.

His practice includes the traditional patent attorney skills of drafting and prosecution of patent applications in a range of technologies, as well as managing international IP portfolios of Australian companies. He has been called as a patent and licensing expert in cases in Australia and the US.