Spoor and Fisher Team - David Cochrane

David Cochrane

Partner,  Spoor & Fisher, Pretoria

David Cochrane, Patent Attorney, has a BSc (Chem) and an LLB from the University of the Witwatersrand. He is an Attorney of the High Court of South Africa. 

David has over two decades of experience in domestic and international patent matters, including the preparation and prosecution of patent applications. 

An expert patent attorney, he specialises in filing applications in the pharmaceutical, nuclear medicine, chemical, petrochemical, agrochemical, explosives, metallurgical and biochemical fields, as well as plant breeders’ rights.

Industry Associations

  • Fellow – South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law (SAIIPL)
  • Member – International Federation of Intellectual Property Attorneys (FICPI)
  • Member – Japanese Chamber of Commerce (CCIJ)
  • Member – South African Plant Breeders’ Association (SAPBA)
  • Member – Plant Breeders’ Rights Committee at SAIIPL
  • Member – Legal Practice Council (LPC)

Market Recognition

  • World’s Leading IP Strategists – IAM Strategy 300, 2019-present
  • Best IP Practitioners – World IP Review Leaders, 2016-present
  • Listed – Patent Star in Managing Intellectual Property IP Stars, 2014-present
  • Listed – IAM’s World Leading Patent Professionals, 2011-present
  • World’s Leading Practitioners – Euromoney’s Expert Guides: Patents, 2017-2021
  • Listed – IAM’s Global Leaders 2021-present
  • Best Lawyers – Intellectual Property Law: South Africa, 2022

Professional Activities

  • Author of plant breeders’ rights chapter in Dean & Dyer: Intellectual Property Law in South Africa (Oxford University Press), 2014
  • Lecturer and Examiner: SAIIPL plant breeders’ rights law and practice
  • Guest lecturer on patent protection for LLM students: Stellenbosch University
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