Contributors

Jump to   -- select jurisdiction -- Albania Austria Belarus Belgium Canada Chile China European Union European Union/France Finland France Germany Greece India Israel Italy Lebanon Malaysia Mexico Morocco Netherlands Poland Portugal Romania Russia Serbia Slovakia Slovenia South Africa Spain Sub-Saharan Africa Switzerland United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Venezuela  
 

Albania

---

Gjergji Gjika

Gjergji Gjika graduated from the Law School of the University of Tirana. He has several years’ experience in prosecution and contentious work regarding various IP rights. He is a trademark agent registered with the Albanian Patent and Trademark Office and a European patent attorney registered with the European Patent Office. Mr Gjika represents foreign and domestic clients in a variety of IP matters and is involved in various local and international publications. He joined Drakopoulos Law Firm in 2008 as a senior associate, and was made partner in 2010.

 

Austria

---

Alexander Cizek

Alexander Cizek studied law in Vienna and the United States, and was admitted to the New York Bar in 1996 and the Austrian Bar in 2000. A partner with DLA Piper Weiss- Tessbach Rechtsanwälte GmbH since 2001, he is a member of the firm’s IP and technology practice group and heads the IPT team in the Vienna office. Mr Cizek specialises in all aspects of IP law, including trademarks, brand protection, anticounterfeiting and trademark enforcement, as well as patent, design, copyright and unfair competition law. He provides legal advice to both national and international clients on IP and IT related issues, and has represented clients in licensing as well as technology and knowhow transfer negotiations. He also has substantial litigation experience both in court and before the Patent and Trademark Office. Mr Cizek has been distinguished by the Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 guides for his brand protection and anticounterfeiting work.

 

Belarus

---

Elena N Beliaeva

Elena Beliaeva is a Belarussian and Eurasian patent attorney and a partner of Elena Beliaeva, Nina Vasilieva & Partners, Ltd. She graduated with honours from the Minsk State Radio Engineering Institute and continued her education at the Central Institute of Advanced Training in the field of patent and licensing activity (Moscow), the Law Institute (Minsk) and the Minsk State Linguistic University. Ms Beliaeva is certified at the Universite Robert Schuman, Center d'Etudes Internationales de la Propriete Industrielle (Strasbourg). She has extensive experience in patenting inventions and registering trademarks, and also advises on breaches of IP rights and technology transfer licences. Ms Beliaeva actively participates in the international IP community. She is a member of LES, ECTA, AIPPI, INTA and the Russian Patent Attorneys Club, among others. She has been awarded a diploma by the National Centre of Intellectual Property of the Republic of Belarus.

Serge Beliaev

Serge Beliaev is a lawyer, chief financial officer and a partner of Elena Beliaeva, Nina Vasilieva & Partners, Ltd. He graduated from the Byelorussian University of Law and continued his education in intellectual property (at the Russian State Institute of Intellectual Property) and in the analysis of financial markets and the trade in financial assets (at the Academy of Exchange Trade’s ForexClub). Mr Beliaev is certified by the World Intellectual Property Organization’s World Academy and the National Centre of Intellectual Property of the Republic of Belarus, and is also a member of LES. He is highly experienced in industrial property rights, in particular unfair competition issues and infringing use of trademarks. Mr Beliaev advises clients on how to apply for protection measures by customs authorities, and on strategies for combating parallel imports and online IP infringements.

Maxim Doronin

Mr. Doronin is a partner and a patent attorney at Elena Beliaeva, Nina Vasilieva & Partners, Ltd.. Mr. Doronin received his diploma of lawyer from the International Institute of Labour and Social Relations in 2003. He is a candidate of the Institute of State and Law of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Belarus. Mr. Doronin’s practice includes trademark preparation and prosecution, design patents, trademark oppositions, unfair competition issues, licensing and franchising. He assists clients in all aspects of trademark law, including procurent, prosecution and enforcement. Mr. Doronin is an author of the articles on the issues of Intellectual Property objects protection.

 

Belgium

---

Kunio Mikuriya

Before taking up his position as secretary general of the World Customs Organization (WCO) on January 1 2009, Kunio Mikuriya spent seven years as the organisation’s deputy secretary general. Prior to joining the WCO, he worked for Japan’s Ministry of Finance for 25 years. During his career with the ministry, Mr Mikuriya occupied a variety of senior posts, which have given him broad experience in customs, development, budget and financial policies. In addition, he spent time as a counsellor at the Japanese Mission to the World Trade Organization in Geneva and participated in the Uruguay Round trade negotiations, which enabled him to acquire an excellent knowledge of trade-related issues. Mr Mikuriya has a BA in law from the University of Tokyo (Japan) and a PhD in international relations from the University of Kent (United Kingdom).

 

Canada

---

Lorne M Lipkus

Lorne M Lipkus was called to the Ontario Bar in 1981. He is a partner at Kestenberg Siegal Lipkus LLP, practising IP litigation with a principal focus on anticounterfeiting enforcement throughout Canada, including obtaining and serving Anton Piller orders, assisting law enforcement in obtaining and executing criminal search warrants and dealing with all aspects of border enforcement. Mr Lipkus conducts training sessions, workshops and lectures across Canada on anti-counterfeiting enforcement matters for law enforcement, government agencies and others. He is widely quoted by media outlets on anti-counterfeiting matters. Mr Lipkus is chair of the Counterfeiting and Trade Offences Committee of the Canadian Bar Association, as well as the Education and Training Committees of the Canadian Anti-counterfeiting Network and Canadian IP Council. He is also a member of the International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition, the IP Institute of Canada and the International Trademark Association.

Georgina Starkman Danzig

Georgina Starkman Danzig is a partner at Kestenberg Siegal Lipkus LLP. She practises IP litigation with a focus on anticounterfeiting enforcement and has extensive experience in extraordinary remedies and coordinating anticounterfeiting programmes, including civil and criminal seizures. Ms Danzig actively lectures and conducts training sessions on anti-counterfeiting enforcement. She is a member of the International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition, the Canadian Bar Association, the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Canadian Anticounterfeiting Network and the IP Institute of Canada. Ms Danzig obtained a bachelor of laws in 1988 and a JD in 1990; she was called to the Bar in 1990 when she served as a clerk to the chief justice of the Ontario Superior Court.

Thomas Slahta

Thomas M Slahta has practised as a commercial litigator for more than 25 years, both in Canada and in the United States as a member of the New York Bar. As a litigator with Kestenberg Siegal Lipkus LLP, a significant component of his practice involves the enforcement of IP rights and he has particular knowledge and experience dealing with issues involving the Copyright Act, the Trademarks Act and the Radiocommunication Act. Mr Slahta has significant experience in obtaining and supervising the execution of Anton Piller orders and preservation orders. He also has extensive experience in complex commercial litigation, including insolvency, recovery and fraud litigation. Mr Slahta conducts training sessions and lectures on anti-counterfeiting enforcement for members of law enforcement, customs representatives, private investigators and various professional organisations. In addition, he has authored and co-authored materials on issues relevant to anti-counterfeiting enforcement.

 

Chile

---

Luis Ignacio Olmedo

Luis I Olmedo is a partner of Marinovic y Cia Abogados and has been responsible for the prosecution of thousands of criminal copyright and trademark actions. He has assisted Congress in the modification of the Copyright and Trademark Laws and has worked closely with local authorities in the implementation of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. Mr Olmedo graduated from the Gabriela Mistral University before obtaining a postgraduate diploma in IP law from the University of Chile and the Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord, New Hampshire. He was selected by the US State Department for the international leadership visitor programme in IP rights in 2005. He is a member of the Chilean Bar Association and the Licensing Executives Society.

Antonio Marinovic

Antonio Marinovic is a senior partner of Marinovic y Cia Abogados. He specialises in civil and criminal matters related to copyright and trademark infringement. Mr Marinovic has been responsible for designing and implementing anti-piracy campaigns across Chile and several other Latin American countries. In particular, he has managed the anti-piracy campaign for the Business Software Alliance in Chile for nearly 12 years and is currently responsible for the protection of IP rights in Chile of various companies in the cinematographic, apparel, merchandising and video games industries. Mr Marinovic has assisted Congress in the modification of the Chilean Trademark and Copyright Laws and has also closely worked with local authorities (Customs, police and prosecutors) in the implementation of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. Mr Marinovic graduated from the University of Chile and is a member of the Chilean Bar Association, the Latin American Copyright Institute and the Inter- American Association of Industrial Property.

 

China

---

Gloria Q Wu

Gloria Wu’s main practices are in the fields of trademark, copyright and domain names. Ms Wu is highly experienced in all IP-related litigation, administrative actions, customs enforcement and IP strategy consultancy. As a leading member of the trademark department, Ms Wu has assisted many large companies in forming and improving their well-known trademark strategy and management systems, and has successfully resolved many complex legal disputes for her clients. In 2010 Ms Wu was ranked as a trademark specialist (Band 2) by Chambers & Partners and was recognised for “knowing her trademark law thoroughly”.

 

European Union

---

Karina Dimidjian-Lecomte

Karina Dimidjian-Lecomte is a partner with Casalonga Avocats, one of the largest French IP law boutiques. Mrs Dimidjian- Lecomte received her BA cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992 and her JD cum laude from the Georgetown University Law Centre in 1996. She was admitted to the New York Bar in 1996 and to the Paris Bar in 2003. Her practice includes managing trademark and design portfolios, including counselling, licensing, infringement actions, oppositions and cancellation proceedings. In addition, she is experienced in conducting due diligence reviews in connection with cross-border company and trademark acquisitions. Ms Dimidjian-Lecomte is a member of the New York State Bar Association and INTA. She is a member of the INTA leadership committee on education. In 2009 she was commended for her work on the Academic Sub-committee of the Membership Services Committee and co-chair of the Student Membership Project Team.

 

European Union/France

---

Caroline Casalonga

Caroline Casalonga has been practising IP law since 1993. Casalonga Avocats is one of the largest IP litigation boutiques in France. It is the litigation partner for Casalonga & Josse, an established patent and trademark attorney firm, and is the French representative for CAPIP, an EU-wide network of law firms. Mrs Casalonga has broad experience in trademark, patent, domain name, design, copyright and unfair competition litigation matters. She has extensive experience in anti-counterfeiting actions, including customs actions. Mrs Casalonga is a frequent author and speaker on IP issues. She obtained her law degree from the University of Paris Assas in 1991 and her LLM from Cornell University in 1996. She was admitted to the Paris Bar in 1993 and has been a registered French and European trademark attorney since 1999. Mrs Casalonga is a member of the European Communities Trademark Association, the International Trademark Association (INTA), the International Anti-counterfeiting Coalition and the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property.

 

Finland

---

Lauri Rechardt

Lauri Rechardt is a partner at leading Finnish law firm Procopé & Hornborg, where he heads the IP department. He practises in all areas of IP and media and entertainment law, and has particular expertise in the fields of international copyright, trademark and media law. Before joining Procopé & Hornborg, Mr Rechardt worked in London for the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, the association representing the recording industry worldwide, as deputy general counsel and director of licensing and litigation. He has broad experience in all areas related to the enforcement of IP rights; he currently advises Finnish and international media companies and trade bodies, among other clients. Mr Rechardt holds a law degree from the University of Helsinki and is a member of both the Finnish Association of Industrial Property Rights and the Finnish Copyright Society.

 

France

---

John Newton

John Newton is the IP Rights Programme manager responsible for developing the INTERPOL IP crime programme in partnership with the public and private sectors. His primary goal is to provide support for member countries, with a particular emphasis on raising awareness, developing IP crime investigation skills and acting as a catalyst for regional enforcement actions by national police forces. The expansion of the fully interactive online International IP Crime Investigators College, an INTERPOL initiative in cooperation with UL University, is an essential part of the drive to ensure that all public and private sector IP crime investigators can participate in INTERPOL-facilitated and coordinated proactive regional interventions into transnational organised IP crime.

 

Jeff Hardy

Jeff Hardy has been the coordinator of the International Chamber of Commerce initiative Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (BASCAP) since its creation in mid-2005. BASCAP unites the global business community across all product sectors in an effort to stop the counterfeiting of goods and piracy of intellectual property. It focuses on setting standards for global performance by governments and companies; framing decisions for policymakers; advocating the allocation of resources at the highest levels in national governments; and building global awareness. Mr Hardy joined the International Chamber of Commerce in 1999 as a policy adviser for intellectual property, competition, biotechnology, environment, energy and transportation. Previously, he held various positions with the US government from 1985 to 1998.

 

Germany

---

Henning Hartwig

Henning Hartwig prosecutes and litigates IP rights in the fields of trademark, design, copyright and unfair competition law. He focuses on national and international industrial design law, in particular multinational design infringement proceedings and invalidity proceedings before the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market. As editor of the annual casebook Design Protection in Europe, Dr Hartwig has unique access to Europe-wide unpublished decisions on Community and national design infringement. In this field his clients include manufacturers of the computer industry and electronic games, and in regard to product piracy and trademark matters he represents clients in the consumer healthcare and food industries. He has successfully coordinated a number of multi-jurisdictional infringement proceedings in Germany, Italy, Switzerland, France, Austria and the Netherlands. He has published more than 80 articles on a range of IP topics and frequently speaks at conferences. Dr Hartwig is recommended in JUVE German Commercial Law Firms as a “highly qualified trademark lawyer”.

 

Greece

---

George A Ballas

George A Ballas is a senior and managing partner of Ballas, Pelecanos & Associates. He is a European patent attorney and a solicitor and barrister before the Athens and Piraeus Court of Appeals, the Supreme Court of Greece and the Council of State. Mr Ballas is a graduate of the University of Athens (LLB) and the University of Paris. He is a member of the International Bar Association and of the Institute of Professional Representatives before the European Patent Office. Mr Ballas has over 35 years’ experience in IP law issues, covering both administration of rights and litigation of infringements, including counterfeits. As a trademark and patent specialist, he represents and advises a large number of well-known multinational companies. Mr Ballas has served as the general legal counsel of Fiat Auto Hellas SA and is the lead outside counsel for Greece of Microsoft Corporation. He speaks Greek, English, French and Italian.

George Ch Moukas

George Ch Moukas is a senior associate with Ballas, Pelecanos & Associates in Athens. He obtained his law degree from the University of Athens in 1989. He has extensive experience in litigation of IP rights and liaison with Customs and police authorities. Mr Moukas has assisted on the preparation of the Greece report for Borderwatch, a global online information product for IP owners providing countryby- country analyses of legal issues and procedures for the protection of IP rights through customs controls. Mr Moukas speaks Greek, English and German.

Kalliopi G Soupionis

Kalliopi G Soupionis is a junior associate with Ballas, Pelecanos & Associates in Athens. She graduated with an LLB in Law from Athens National University and with an LLM from London School of Economics and Political Science Law School. She is currently following a master research programme at Athens National University in IP and civil law. Her legal experience covers several aspects of IP, civil and commercial law both in litigation and contract drafting. Ms Soupionis speaks Greek, English and French.

 

India

---

Binny Kalra

Binny Kalra is a senior partner at Anand And Anand and heads the firm’s litigation department. She has more than 20 years’ experience in intellectual property, spanning a wide range of subjects in seriously contested IP litigation. Ms Kalra has a strong appreciation and valuable knowledge of critical strategies for litigation against a backdrop of the treatment of IP issues in the Indian courts. Ms Kalra contributed to the India chapter on litigation surveys in International Intellectual Property Litigation (Sweet & Maxwell) and regularly contributes articles to World Trademark Review and various other publications.

 

Israel

---

Nachman Cohen-Zedek

Nachman Cohen-Zedek is a senior partner with Pearl Cohen Zedek Latzer, one of the leading IP firms in Israel. Mr Cohen-Zedek, a graduate of the Chartered Institute of Patent Agents, London and the Hebrew University, Jerusalem is a member of CIPA, INTA and AIPPI, and president of the Israel Section of FICPI. He is also a senior examiner for patent attorney examinations at the Israel Patent Office.

Dor Cohen Zedek

Dor Cohen-Zedek is a partner with Pearl Cohen Zedek Latzer, one of the leading IP firms in Israel. Mrs Cohen-Zedek, a thirdgeneration IP lawyer, is admitted to practise in Israel and in New York. She heads the firm’s trademark group, advises on worldwide trademark strategy and handles trademark and design prosecution and litigation. Mrs Cohen-Zedek is a member of INTA, AIPPI, PTMG, ECTA and MARQUES, where she is also a team member.

Yossi Markovich

Yossi Markovich is a partner in the litigation group at Pearl Cohen Zedek Latzer where he specialises in IP litigation. Mr Markovich advises a number of major companies on a wide range of IP issues involving patents, trademarks, designs, copyrights and trade secrets. Mr Markovich graduated from Haifa University, Israel with a BSc and an LLB and proceeded to graduate summa cum laude from the law and technology master’s programme at Haifa University.

 

Italy

---

Cesare Galli

Head and founder of IP Law Galli and professor of IP law at the University of Parma, Cesare Galli handles litigation in all branches of IP law, often tackling crossborder problems (he is the author of key essays on this issue). In 1999 he obtained the first Italian final ruling on biotech patents. Likewise, in 2004 he secured the first Italian ruling on the validity of a computer-implemented invention patent and, between 2005 and 2010, key decisions on the extended protection of well-known trademarks and in the field of pharmaceutical patents. Since 2005 Professor Galli has been a member of governmental boards of counsel in the IP field, including the board that drafted the 2010 reform of the Code of Industrial Property. In 2009 he was also appointed a member of the sub-group on the legal framework of the EU Counterfeiting and Piracy Observatory. He is the author of numerous publications, including the books Transitory Problems in Italian Trademark Law (1994); Functions of Trademarks and Scope of Protection (1996); Domain Names in Italian Case Law (2001); The Future of Trademarks in the Face of the Challenges of Globalisation (2002); The New Frontiers of Patent Law (2003); and The Italian IP Code: the 2010 Reform (2010).

 

Lebanon

---

Walid Nasser

Walid Nasser is a partner and founder of Walid Nasser & Associates. He holds law degrees from Saint Joseph University in Beirut, a Diplôme des Etudes Approfondies from Jean Moulin University, Lyon, France and an LLM from Harvard Law School. He deals primarily with IP matters and represents the four major industries that thrive on intellectual property – the film industry, the software industry, the music industry and the pharmaceutical industry. He also represents major Middle Eastern broadcasters and production companies.

 

Malaysia

---

Karen Abraham

Karen Abraham is an advocate and solicitor for Malaysia and South Australia. She jointly heads Shearn Delamore & Co’s IP and IT departments. Ms Abraham is a director of the board of the International Trademark Association (INTA) and assistant secretary general of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI). Her practice covers both litigation and advisory matters relating to intellectual property and information technology. She has crafted brand management programmes for leading multinational companies throughout the world, and designed anticounterfeiting and anti-piracy programmes and strategies for some of the largest local and global IP brands. She has actively advocated mediating IP disputes in Malaysia and has been appointed to INTA’s Panel of Neutrals. Ms Abraham is also an accredited mediator of the Malaysian Mediation Centre and an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK).

Janet Toh

Janet Toh is a partner in Shearn Delamore & Co’s IP department. She graduated with an LLB (hons) from Bristol University and an LLM from the National University of Singapore. Ms Toh focuses on IP and technology issues in a variety of transactions and has worked on a range of agreements, including distributorship, licensing, outsourcing, service and consultancy agreements. She has advised clients on IP protection and ownership, advertising, consumer protection, copyright, domain names, e-commerce, franchise, gaming, regulatory approvals for food and drugs, and telecommunications issues. Ms Toh provides advice on IP protection for leading multinational companies in the pharmaceutical and tobacco industries around the world. Her practice also covers IP and IT-related corporate work, and she has conducted due diligence for various acquisition projects. Ms Toh has written numerous articles in international IP publications. She is currently president of the Malaysian chapter of the Licensing Executives Society.

 

Mexico

---

Juan Carlos Amaro Alvarado

Juan Carlos Amaro is an attorney at law. He graduated from the Universidad del Valle de México and obtained postgraduate degrees in constitutional law and IP law at the Universidad Panamericana. Mr Amaro joined Becerril, Coca & Becerril, SC in 2004. He became a partner in 2010 and is also legal director at the firm. He is an active member of the International Trademark Association, the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the Mexican Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property, the International Chamber of Commerce and the Mexican Bar Association. Mr Amaro has participated in several forums on IP matters and has published several articles in different media. He focuses his practice in IP and administrative litigation, anticounterfeiting and constitutional law, and is mainly involved in representing pharmaceutical clients in patent litigation.

 

Morocco

---

El Mostafa Aksiman

El Mostafa Aksiman became active in the field of intellectual property after he discovered a passion for innovation and creativity when he filed his first patent application in the 1970s. In 1981 Mr Aksiman created the Association of Inventors and Innovators of Morocco and the Arabic World, of which he became president. He founded Cabinet Aksiman in 1982. Mr Aksiman has played an important role in the development of the profession of IP counsel in Morocco. He is recognised for his expertise and was accordingly awarded the Belgian medal of Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite de l’Invention. Mr Aksiman has conducted a number of studies on the role of industrial property in the resolution of problems such as unemployment, business creation and technology transfer. He was designated by the Counterfeiting Intelligence Bureau as the exclusive representative in Morocco of the Counterforce Network.

Mohamed Amine Aksiman

Mohamed Amine Aksiman joined the office in 2008 after completing several training courses. Previously, Mr Aksiman undertook training in industrial property matters in France. He is currently industrial property counsel in charge of oppositions and relations with the patent administration office.

 

Netherlands

---

Peter Claassen

Peter Claassen studied law at Nijmegen University, where he obtained his master’s degree. He also obtained an LLM from the Miami Law School. In 1984 Mr Classen worked for Arnall Golden & Gregory, Atlanta, before joining AKD Prinsen Van Wijmen in 1985. He became a partner in 1992. Mr Claassen has experience in a wide range of legal matters and has greatly contributed to the expansion of the firm’s IP practice. His main expertise is in the classic IP areas of patent, trademark, design and copyright law. Mr Claassen chairs both the IP and technology practice groups and is a member of leading organisations such as INTA and MARQUES. He regularly teaches on trademark and patent law, and lectures at seminars both in the Netherlands and abroad. Mr Claassen sits on INTA’s EU subcommittee on enforcement.

Huib Berendschot

Huib Berendschot studied Dutch law at Tilburg University. He joined Unilever as inhouse counsel in 1991 in the trademark division in Rotterdam, and worked in this capacity in London from 1993 to 1997 before returning to Rotterdam as head of Unilever’s food and beverages trademark team. At Unilever, Mr Berendschot was involved in brand development, international industrial property enforcement proceedings and the formulation of IP contracts. He represented the company with regard to counterfeiting prevention in the World Customs Organisation’s business-IP rights group. In 2001 Mr Berendschot joined Novagraaf and since May 1 2004 he has been a member of AKD’s IP and technology practice group as an attorney at law. Mr Berendschot regularly teaches on the subject of trademark law and speaks at seminars both in the Netherlands and abroad. He is now vice chair of the International Trademark Association’s (INTA) global committee on parallel trade.

 

Poland

---

Jaromir Piwowar

Jaromir Piwowar is a lawyer in the legal department of Patpol. He is a legal adviser and a member of the Regional Council of Legal Advisers in Warsaw. Mr Piwowar graduated from Warsaw University’s Faculty of Law and Administration (master of law, 2002) and has also completed postgraduate studies in intellectual property there. He handles trademark matters and unfair competition disputes, including cases related to customs seizures of counterfeit goods at the border, as well as domain name issues.

Bartek Kochlewski

Bartek Kochlewski is an advocate and a graduate of Warsaw University, admitted to the Warsaw Bar in 1997. Since 2009 he has headed the IP enforcement team at Patpol. His practice includes the enforcement of IP rights, domain name disputes, protection against unfair competition practices and copyright litigation. Mr Kochlewski represents clients before the Polish courts, including the Supreme Court, in many IP and IT-related cases, and advises clients on criminal law aspects of IP enforcement. He has experience in counselling clients on contractual and licensing aspects of information technology and intellectual property. In addition, Mr Kochlewski contributes articles to IP magazines.

 

Portugal

---

Manuel Rocha

Manuel Duraes Rocha is director of the Lisbon office of Herrero & Asociados, which was named Spanish Law Firm of the Year in 2007 and 2010 by Managing Intellectual Property. He holds a law degree from the University of Lisbon and has also completed a specialisation course in industrial property at the University of Strasbourg (France). Mr Duraes is an official industrial property agent in Portugal, as well as a European trademark and design attorney and a European patent attorney. He is a recognised leader in the areas of trademarks and patents, and a leading IP lawyer in Portugal. Mr Duraes has broad experience in dealing with patent litigation matters.

 

Romania

---

Dragos M Vilau

Dragos M Vilau graduated from the Romanian University of Science and Arts, Institute of Law in 1994. He qualified in 1996 and specialises in the fields of mergers and acquisitions, banking and finance, and intellectual property. He cofounded Vilau & Mitel in 2003, having previously worked for Musat & Asociatii and at Laromet SA as in-house legal counsel. He is a member of a number of professional associations, including the International Trademark Association, the Alumni Association of the International Development Law Organisation and the International Bar Association. He is also an honorary member of the Association of Fellows and Legal Scholars of the Center for International Legal Studies. Mr Vilau has written numerous works on a wide range of legal topics, including Finding Your Way – A Practical Approach to Trademark Enforcement in Romania and Eastern Europe –World Focus, published in May 2006, and Privatisation in Romania in International Project Finance, published in 2000. He speaks Romanian, English and French.

 

Russia

---

Marina Drel

Marina Drel is a partner at Gowlings Moscow, where she heads up the litigation and enforcement practice. Dr Drel’s broad practice and legal experience include the provision of advice to and legal representation of multinational corporations in courts of general jurisdiction and arbitration courts, and in administrative proceedings in the areas of intellectual property and advertising. A qualified Russian barrister and solicitor, Dr Drel has particular experience in infringement and counterfeiting issues.

Dmitry Semenov

Dmitry Semenov is an associate in Gowlings’ Moscow office, practising primarily in the areas of copyright, trademark law, IP litigation, domain name enforcement and anti-counterfeiting. Mr Semenov has extensive experience in assisting multinational corporations in IP matters, including successful anticounterfeiting activities and litigation. He has additional expertise in advertising, packaging and labelling, marketing, unfair competition, privacy and data protection, trade secrets and IP-related transactions.

 

Serbia

---

Katarina B Kostic

Katarina Kostic is an associate attorney at law at Popovic, Popovic, Samardzija & Popovic. She graduated from the University of Belgrade’s faculty of law in 1990 with an LLB. She is a registered IP agent. Her practice areas include litigation, IP infringement, industrial property, protection of IP rights before Customs and the market supervision of counterfeit goods.

 

Slovakia

---

Peter Stavrovský

Peter Stavrovský received his law degree in 1983 from Comenius University, Bratislava and began his career at the Bratislava district court. Between 1987 and 1995 he worked as the legal expert at the Ministry of Justice’s Law Institute; in 1993 he was appointed head of the ministry’s legal information section. From 1995 to 1997 Mr Stavrovský worked at the Institute for Approximation of Law as the deputy and later as director. He joined ?Cernejová & Hrbek in 1997 and became a partner in 1999. Mr Stavrovský has participated in internships abroad, including commercial law courses in London and a human rights protection course in Birmingham. He has published a number of articles in magazines and journals. Mr Stavrovský advises clients on commercial, corporate, competition and IP matters. He is a licensed trademark agent and also represents clients in court proceedings, particularly regarding unfair competition and trademark claims.

Tatiana Žiaková

Tatiana Žiaková received her law degree from Comenius University, Bratislava in 1999 and joined ?Cernejová & Hrbek in May 1999 as a junior lawyer. In 2000 she completed a postgraduate programme (DESS) in international business law at the University of Jean Moulin, Lyon and in 2002 she participated in an internship with the International Chamber of Commerce’s International Court of Arbitration, Paris. Ms Žiaková was admitted to the Slovak Bar of Advocates in December 2002 and since 2003 she has been associated with ?Cernejová & Hrbek as a licensed advocate; she became a partner in January 2008. Ms Žiaková specialises in corporate, commercial and IP matters. She is also a licensed trademark agent and regularly advises clients on matters related to trademark registration and infringement. She also has extensive experience regarding unfair competition claims and has represented clients in disputes in this area.

 

Slovenia

---

Boštjan Gresak

Boštjan Grešak is an attorney at law at Avbreht, Zajc & Partners, Ltd. He graduated from the University of Ljubljana Law Faculty and passed the Slovenian State Bar Exam in 2008. He is currently studying for a postgraduate degree in EU commercial law at the University of Maribor, Slovenia. He deals with IP law, constitutional law, commercial law and public procurement law. He advises on the preparation of contracts related to IP issues for many large international clients and on court procedures for international pharmaceutical companies in IP rights disputes.

Matej Perpar

Matej Perpar is an attorney at law at Avbreht Zajc & Partners, Ltd, specialising in commercial criminal law. Before joining the firm, he was a higher judicial adviser at the Supreme State Prosecution Office. He is the author of several articles on criminal law, minor offences law and inspection issues, and is a co-author of Commentary on the Minor Offences Act. He is a member of the Slovenian Bar Association and is fluent in English, German, Slovenian, Croatian and Serbian. He passed the State Bar Exam in 2006.

Tanja Martelanc

Tanja Martelanc is an attorney at law at Avbreht, Zajc & Partners, Ltd. She graduated from the University of Ljubljana cum laude and passed the State Bar Exam in 2008. Her practice includes corporate law, insolvency law, commercial disputes, takeovers and mergers, representation of foreign clients in commercial and civil disputes, international transactions, contract law and IP law.

 

South Africa

---

Mohamed Khader

Mohamed Khader is a partner of Spoor & Fisher and heads the anti-counterfeiting department. He graduated with BProc and LLB degrees from the University of Natal. His personal fields of specialisation include anti-counterfeiting, copyright law and trademark law, with a special emphasis on litigation. Mr Khader has played a prominent role in developing anti-counterfeiting practices and procedures in South Africa, and has presented numerous seminars on the topic of anti-counterfeiting to officials of the Department of Customs & Excise, members of the South African police service and state prosecutors employed by the National Prosecuting Authority. On invitation from the World Intellectual Property Organisation, he has also presented seminars and shared the South African anticounterfeiting experience with government officials in Mozambique and Malawi.

 

Spain

---

Patricia Koch

Patricia Koch is a partner and head of the litigation department. She is considered a leading IP lawyer in Spain and is a qualified trademark and patent attorney. Ms Koch is a recognised leader in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. She is a litigator before different courts, including the Spanish Supreme and European courts, and has broad experience dealing with various authorities, such as Customs, the Asociación de Autocontrol de la Publicidad, Oficina para la Armonización del Mercado Interior and the Patents and Trademark Spanish Office. Ms Koch graduated in law, economics and business studies. She is also a certified translator and interpreter for German and English and an official industrial property agent. She is co-author of the IP Factbook, published by Thompson Aranzadi. Ms Koch is a frequent contributor to national and international specialist magazines and a speaker at IP events.

Paz Martín Alvarez

Paz Martín joined Herrero & Asociados in 2000. She specialises in industrial property, data protection, domain names and e-commerce, and has contributed to the law journal Usus Iuris and to the industrial property journal Comunicaciones IDEI, as well as to other publications in the field of law. Ms Martín coordinates Herrero & Asociados’ publications La Opinión and Factbook. She has taught and lectured at the Spanish Distance Learning University and taught specialised courses at the Autonomous University of Madrid, the Institute of Industrial law at the University of Santiago de Compostela and Foment del Treball (Barcelona), among others. Ms Martín studied law at the Complutense University of Madrid (CEU San Pablo), graduating in 1992. She has completed a postgraduate specialisation course on industrial property at Cátedra IDEI (1998) and a course on legal practice at the Centre for Financial Studies (1994). Ms Martín is a member of the Madrid Bar Association.

 

Sub-Saharan Africa

---

Wayne Meiring

Wayne Meiring is a director of Spoor & Fisher Jersey. He graduated with BA and LLB degrees from Cape Town University and is an attorney of the High Court of South Africa. He deals with IP litigation, particularly in African countries, as well as all aspects of the registration and maintenance of trademark rights. He is a contributing author to the International Trademark Association’s International Annual Review and the FT Law & Tax’s Designs and Copyright Protection of Products.

 

Switzerland

---

Christian Rohner

Christian Rohner’s practice focuses on the prosecution and litigation of IP rights in the fields of trademark, design and unfair competition law, with extensive experience in anti-counterfeiting actions, including customs actions. He studied law at the Universities of Fribourg (bilingual German/French) and Paris Assas. He wrote his doctoral thesis on well-known trademarks, and he obtained an LLM in intellectual property at the University of London (Queen Mary). Since 2005 Dr Rohner has been a lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences Zurich for the master of advanced studies in patents and trademarks. Swissberg is a leading IP boutique law firm offering comprehensive trademark consulting, portfolio management, and litigation. Swissberg is the member law firm for Switzerland of CAPIP.EU (Coalition Against Piracy in Europe).

 

United Arab Emirates

---

Omar Obeidat

Omar Obeidat is head of the IP and IT department. He specialises in securing and enforcing IP rights in the United Arab Emirates and the Middle East, and also has extensive experience in regulatory work and compliance, media law, data protection, consumer protection, pharmaceutical protection and free trade issues. Mr Obeidat has been involved in training police and customs officers in respect of the IP rights enforcement laws, including in respect of counterfeit and lookalike products. He has advised the UAE government on a variety of legislation, including the Patents and Designs Law and the Plant Varieties Law, as well as laws relating to e-commerce transactions, data protection and intellectual property. His articles have been published widely and he is often invited to comment in the local and international media in respect of legal developments in the region.

Munir Suboh

Munir Suboh specialises in the UAE IP and IT law and is familiar with general IP practice in the Middle East. He also has comprehensive experience in regard to trademark rights, enforcement, regulatory compliance, consumer protection, patents, media law, commercial agencies, licensing and general franchising. Mr Suboh has been involved in training UAE officials, including Dubai customs inspectors and economic department officers, in respect of IP enforcement and awareness programmes. He has also advised several media companies on their IP rights, and handled media-related litigation and online infringement, anticybersquatting and domain name disputes. He has written various widely published articles on IP enforcement, disputes, precedents and regulatory amendments.

 

United Kingdom

---

Ruth Orchard

Ruth Orchard read English literature at Cambridge University before qualifying as a solicitor. She was soon made partner of a London firm, specialising in intellectual property. After leaving private practice, she became company secretary at the Performing Rights Society, representing composers and publishers of music. After several years of consultancy, Ms Orchard was appointed general director of the Britten-Pears Foundation, a major music charity, where she spent five years before joining the Anti-Counterfeiting Group (ACG) in July 2003. She proved equal to the steep learning curve which awaited her and has worked hard to enhance the ACG’s reputation as the champion of around 150 organisations in many different countries, tackling the ‘big picture’ issues at all levels, from political to practical enforcement, and helping brands and law enforcement to support each other in the global fight against counterfeiting.

 

Louisa Dixon

Louisa Dixon trained with Nabarro and qualified as a solicitor in 2009. Her practice covers a range of work, including anticounterfeiting and enforcement of trademark rights, company names policing, trademark licensing, trademark clearance and filing and prosecution. Ms Dixon has experience of coordinating international anti-counterfeiting work and is responsible for managing cross-border enforcement programmes for a number of well-known fashion brands.

David Parrish

David Parrish qualified as a solicitor in 2003 and joined Nabarro in 2008 from a major international law firm. He has broad experience of advising clients in relation to brand protection matters and his work has covered areas such as anti-counterfeiting, parallel imports and domain names. Mr Parrish acted for a major IT client in its successful application to obtain a pan- European interim injunction preventing the defendants from dealing in counterfeit products that had been imported from Russia. He has coordinated cross-border enforcement programmes in several jurisdictions for a number of clients and advised clients in relation to applying to register their trademarks with Customs under the EU Customs Regulation. Mr Parrish has also provided strategic advice to clients concerned about the sale of counterfeit goods on eBay, including registration under eBay’s VeRO programme, and was responsible for an eBay enforcement programme for a major fashion client.

 

United States

---

Julie A Katz

Julie A Katz is a partner in the Chicago office of Husch Blackwell LLP. In 1990 she graduated with a JD from the University of Illinois College of Law. She handles IP litigation and enforcement matters, working with clients worldwide to assist them in maximising the value of their IP portfolios. Ms Katz’s areas of particular interest and experience include global anticounterfeiting programmes for medium and large international companies; she has worked extensively with US Customs throughout her career.

 

Philip A Jones

Philip Jones, chair of the firm’s US trademark prosecution group, practises in the fields of trademark and unfair competition law, and copyright law. His experience includes litigation in federal courts and before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, analysing clearance opinions, client counselling, trademark and copyright prosecution, false advertising issues and licensing. Mr Jones has represented clients in the fields of air transportation, internet search engines, financial services, toys, consumer products, restaurant and retail services, telecommunications and alternative newspapers. He has also handled domain name arbitration proceedings. Mr Jones has given speeches on trademark topics at various venues including the Association of Corporate Counsel Annual Meeting, the Chicago chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel and the Practising Law Institute.

Michelle Miller

Michelle Miller’s IP law practice focuses on all aspects of domestic and international trademarks, trade dress, copyright and unfair competition law. She has represented companies such as Amway Corp in a tortious interference matter; ConvaTec in trademark infringement, unfair competition and cybersquatting matters; Danjaq, owner of the JAMES BOND and 007 marks; and Kimberly-Clark in trademark infringement and unfair competition matters regarding colour trademarks. Ms Miller is a member of the International Trademark Association, the Coalition of Women in Law Firms, the Chicago Bar Association, Young Professionals of Chicago and the Georgetown Club of Chicago. Ms Miller is a 2006 graduate of the Boston University School of Law and in 2003 received a BA cum laude from Georgetown University in government and English. She is admitted to practise in Illinois and the District of Columbia.

 

Venezuela

---

Carlos G Dominguez-Hernandez

Carlos Dominguez has been a partner with the firm since 1996. He specialises in litigation and dispute resolution, and his work includes representing the interests of major reinsurance companies in international disputes, several important counterfeiting litigations and the protection of IP rights in general, representing international leading brands. He has also represented major pharmaceutical laboratories in bankruptcy proceedings. A graduate of the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, Mr Dominguez holds LLMs in commercial law and procedural law from the same university. He is a member of the International Bar Association (IBA) and current secretary of the IBA Latin American Forum, and a member of the Caracas Bar Association.

 

The information provided above was correct at the time of publishing.