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Ms Claire Howell

Ms Claire Howell
Ms Claire Howell

Senior Lecturer

Aston Law

After graduating with an LLB from University College Cardiff, Claire studied at the Inns of Court School of Law, and was called to the Bar in 1985 as a Barrister of the Middle Temple. In 1994
she gained an LLM in commercial law at the University of Birmingham and has taught at law schools including Cardiff, Birmingham and UWE Bristol. She teaches company law and intellectual property law at both undergraduate and postgraduate level and is keen to promote excellence in the teaching of intellectual property. Claire acted as consultant to the European Patent Office in the ‘Roadmap Project’ on teaching intellectual property in the Slovenian universities. On behalf of ECAP111 AUNIP, Claire drafted the Intellectual Property policy template to be used by the universities in the ten countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). She is a founder and coordinator of the European Intellectual Property Teachers’ Network and
founder of the UK Intellectual Property Teachers Network.

2009 Advised the European Patent Academy on the development of a Standard Modular IP Curriculum to be available in 42 countries.

2008 I was one of 15 'IP Experts' who gathered in Munich to advise the European Patent Office on a teaching kit to disseminate IP teaching. The kit is now being used in 42 counties. www.epo.org/learning-events/materials/kit/about.html

2008 On behalf of the European Patent Academy Constructed the Roadmap to disseminate the teaching of Intellectual Property into law, engineering science and business faculties of universities in Slovenia.

Referred Journal Articles

Howell C, ‘Extra compensation for inventive employees: Is our system inequitable, biased and de-motivating?’ [2011] Intellectual Property Quarterly

Manochin M, Brignall S, Lowe A, Howell C, ‘Visual modes of governmentality: Traffic lights in a housing association’ (2011) 22(1) Management Accounting Research 1

Howell C, 'Trade marks, registered designs and the monopolisation of functional shapes: a consideration of Lego and Dyson' (2011) 1 EIPR 60

Howell C, ‘Compensation at last for employee inventors: Kelly v EG Healthcare’ [2010] 1 Journal of Business Law 41

Howell C, 'O2 v Hutchinson 3G Comparative Advertising: European trade mark law beyond compare?' [2008] 13 Communications Law 155

Howell C, ‘When is a majority shareholder an employee: a consideration of Clark v Clark Construction Initiatives Ltd.’ (2008) 8 Journal of Business Law 778 

Howell C, ‘Intel: A Mark of Distinction?’ (2007) 11 European Intellectual Property Review 441

Howell C, ‘Registered Social Landlords: Private Enterprise [f]or Public Good?’ (2007) 1 Journal of Corporate Law Studies 85

Howell C, ‘No marks for internal promotion-use it or lose it at Covent Garden Market’ (2006) 2 Communications Law

Howell C, ‘What constitutes "genuine use"? Laboratoires Goemar SA v La Mer Technology.’ (2006) 2 European Intellectual Property Review 118 

Howell C, ‘Secretary of State v Swan and North’ (2005) Journal of Business Law 640 (Reprinted in ‘International Themes in Business Law’ [SAGE Library in Business and Management Series 2007]

Howell C, ‘The Company White Paper: A Descriptive Overview’ (2005) 7 Company Lawyer 203

Howell C, ‘Hilton v Barker Booth and Eastwood’ (2005) 9 Company Lawyer 284

Howell C, ‘Trade marks with a reputation: bridging the "logical lapse’ (2004) 6 Communications Law 213

Howell C & Pontin B, 'The Environmental Dimension to Company Law Modernisation' (2004) 6 Environmental Law & Management 354

Book review Company Law 2nd ed. 2003. John Lowry & Alan Dignam. [2004] Journal of Business Law 575

Howell C, ‘Companies Act 1985, s.35A and 322A: Smith v Henniker-Major and the Proposed Reforms’(2003) 9 Company Lawyer  264 

Howell C, ‘Company law reform and the concept of environmental "materiality".’(2003) 3 Environmental Law & Management 159

Howell C, ’Section 35A of the Companies Act 1985 and an inquorate board: one won't do’  (2002) 3 Company Lawyer 96

Howell C, ‘A LOADED question: on section 5(3) of the Trade Marks Act 1994’ (2002) 3 International Company and Commercial Law Review 118

Howell C, ‘Tea and Viagra’ (2001) 1 Entertainment Law Review 31

Howell C, ‘Limited liability partnerships: liability for negligent misstatements and the Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2000’ (2001) 2 Company Lawyer 58

Howell C, ‘Salomon under attack’ (2000) 10 Company Lawyer 310 Reprinted in ‘International Themes in Business Law’ [SAGE Library in Business and Management Series 2007]

Practitioner  Journals


Howell C, ‘Fraser-Woodward v BBC and Brighter Pictures Ltd’ (2005) 3 Intellectual Property & Information Technology Law 11

Howell C, Information Technology Law 11 ‘Clarification of "genuine use’. (2005) 1 I.P. & I.T.L.U. 6

Howell C, Work in progress ‘Is the CEO a shadow or de facto director? A question on Registered Social Landlords’

Books and Chapters in Books

Bainbridge D & Howell C, Intellectual Property Law – (3rd edn, Pearson 2012)

Howell C, ‘Developing an Intellectual Property Toolbox’ in Garner S & Evans C (eds) DESIGN & DESIGNING: A CRITICAL INTRODUCTION Edited (Berg Publishers 2012)
Non Executive Director of Worcester Community Housing

Registered Social Landlord (RSL)

Member, Welsh Bar Association

Fellow, Higher Education Academy

Fellow, Intellectual Property Institute

Member, Society of Legal Scholars [Convener of the Intellectual Property Section]

Intellectual Property Awareness Network [member of education committee]

European Intellectual Property Teachers Network [founder member and member of steering committee, coordinator of annual workshop]

UK Intellectual Property Teachers Network [founder member and Chair of steering committee]


Research Conference Papers

  • 2007 - Society of Legal Scholars, Durham ‘Registered Social Landlords: Private Enterprise or Public good?’

  • 2004 - Socio-Legal Studies Association, Glasgow ‘The Governance Structure within a Registered Social Landlord’.

  • 2003 - Society of Legal Scholars, Oxford ‘The Environmental Dimension of Company Law Reform’.

Selected Recent Presentations

  • Howell, C (Author and Presenter)  Keynote address ‘Why Intellectual Property Matters to Universities ‘at the celebration of the 10th anniversary of Bulgaria's accession to the European Patent Convention, Sofia. (2012)

  • Howell, C. (Author & Presenter), Society of Legal Scholars Annual Conference Cambridge ‘Extra compensation for inventive employees: Are we doing the right thing in the UK to encourage invention?’ (2011)

  • Howell, C. (Author & Presenter), AUNIP Annual Conference, "Challenges met in the context of IP commercialisation: The Aston perspective," Singapore. (2010)

  • Howell, C. (Author & Presenter), ECAP III Workshop on IP policy for Universities, "Lessons learned by EU universities in drafting IP policies," Singapore. (2010)

  • Howell, C. (Author & Presenter), EIPTN, "Multidisciplinary pairing: A win-win teaching experience," Alcala, Spain. (2010)

  • Howell, C. (Author & Presenter), Society of Legal Scholars Annual Conference, "Extra remuneration for employee inventors." (2010)

  • Manochin, M. (Author ), Brignall, S., Lowe, A., Howell, C., European Accounting Association Conference, "Visual modes of governmentality: Traffic lights in a housing association," Istanbul. (May 2010)