Anthony Lee
Partner

With over 20 years’ experience in patent practice, Anthony has been a partner at Madderns since 2008. He advises Australian, New Zealand and international clients, working closely with foreign and in-house counsel to develop filing and prosecution strategies aligned with the legal, technical and commercial requirements of Australia and New Zealand.

Anthony is responsible for drafting and prosecuting patent applications and managing patent portfolios for clients operating in technically complex fields, including software and computer-implemented inventions, medical devices, defence-related technologies, optics and telecommunications. He regularly advises on inbound patent filings, portfolio structuring and the adaptation of global patent strategies to local patentability and enforceability standards ensuring alignment with Australian and New Zealand patent practice.

Anthony also advises on contentious patent matters, including the assertion and defence of patent rights, and provides strategic guidance in opposition and enforcement related proceedings.

His patent practice is underpinned by a PhD in Computational Physics, together with Honours degrees in Experimental and Mathematical Physics, providing deep technical expertise across physics and computing based technologies. He also holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and graduate qualifications in intellectual property law and practice. This combined technical and legal background enables Anthony to work directly with scientists, engineers and R&D teams to translate complex innovations into clear, commercially robust patent protection.

Prior to entering patent practice, Anthony spent a decade working as a research physicist and consulting engineer, contributing to product development and process improvement across a range of commercially deployed technologies.

Anthony’s advice is commercially focused and strategic, ensuring patent strategy supports broader business and technology objectives. He is recognised for his ability to distil complex legal and technical issues into clear, practical, actionable guidance for decision makers, including overseas counsel managing global patent portfolios.

Anthony has been recognised as an IP Star by Managing Intellectual Property (2017 to 2025) and regularly publishes on key developments in patent law and emerging technologies.

Outside of work, Anthony enjoys cycling, learning guitar (with varying success), and reading extensively.