ir. Caroline Hennin, PhD

Caroline Hennin holds a Master degree in Bio-Engineering Sciences (Agronomy - option Crop protection) from the University of Ghent, Belgium, and obtained a PhD in Applied Biological Sciences (Agricultural Sciences – Biotechnology) from the University of Ghent, Belgium, at the Department of Crop Protection under Prof. Dr. ir. Monica Höfte, and in collaboration with Aventis CropScience (Bayer CropScience).

Caroline joined De Clercq & Partners in 2001 and qualified as European Patent Attorney in 2008 and as Belgian Patent Attorney in 2019. In 2023, Caroline successfully obtained the Certificate on Patent Litigation in Europe from Politecnico di Milano. She has been registered as a representative before the Unified Patent Court (UPC).

In 2010 she joined the IP department of CropDesign NV, an Affiliate of BASF Plant Science, as Senior Patent Counsel, and became head of the IP Department of CropDesign in 2011.

Caroline re-joined the team of De Clercq & Partners in July 2016.

For several years, she has also been recommended in the IAM Patent 1000, which highlights leading patent firms and individual practitioners for their outstanding work.

Areas of practice

• Drafting, filing, and prosecuting Belgian patent applications as qualified Belgian Patent Attorney
• Drafting, filing, and prosecuting European and PCT patent applications
• Drafting, filing, and prosecuting national patent applications worldwide
• Opposition and Appeal proceedings before the EPO
• Oral proceedings before the EPO in examination, opposition, and appeal proceedings
• Opinions regarding patentability, freedom-to-operate, infringement, and validity of intellectual property rights
• Providing legal IP advice on Belgian patents
• Acting as an expert for the Belgian courts or parties in descriptive seizure proceedings
• Advising on protection strategies and portfolio management of intellectual property rights
• Patent literature searching and analysis
• Advising on licensing and infringement matters; providing support in contract negotiations
• General and strategic advice in IP matters
• Validations of European patents in Belgium as qualified Belgian Patent Attorney
• Acting as a European Patent Litigator before the Unified Patent Court (UPC)

Caroline is actively involved in the IP community and holds professional memberships within several IP organisations, including member of the international cooperation committee of the Belgian Institute and also a member of the Belgian Examination Board.

Languages

Caroline is a native Dutch and French speaker, is very fluent in English, and has a working knowledge of German.

Competences

Caroline has scientific and patent experience in various fields of life sciences, chemistry, and engineering sciences; including (plant) biotechnology, crop protection, phytopathology, (agro)chemicals and biologicals, enabling technologies, molecular biology, feed and food technology, pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications, polymer chemistry, catalyst technology, and chemical and process engineering.

What they say about Caroline

"A striking litigator who brings invaluable academic prowess and specialist knowledge of science and technology to secure patrons’ business needs; she's making great strides where intellectual property meets organic, polymer and pharmaceutical chemistry." - IAM Patent 1000 (2024)