WIPR Leaders
WIPR Leaders is a one-stop guide to the leading IP practitioners in the world. The handbook lists over 2,500 lawyers across patent, trademark, and copyright practices. Following an extensive nomination period, our research team vetted the nominated lawyers for suitability by exploring their work. This meant looking at practice history, industry expertise and notable cases, as well as any additional activities, such as writing and teaching responsibilities, which have allowed the lawyers to shape and influence other and future IP practitioners.
Featured Leaders
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Partner Rob Rodrigues manages high-stakes business and intellectual property disputes in Brazil. He assists FORTUNE 500 companies and startups in matters requiring complex technical ability with strategic approach. Rob is managing patent portfolios of the largest life sciences and telecommunications companies in the planet. His understanding of the Brazilian market makes him a “go-to” lawyer when dealing with enforcement measures. Rob is an experienced attorney and acts as lead counsel in several preliminary injunction proceedings and patent trials. In addition, Rob assists clients with the largest transactions involving IP assets. His litigation-oriented mindset adds value when managing cross border risks. His clients praise his technical skills, his ability to perform under pressure and his outstanding leadership in the local community. He has also published articles in technology law journals around the world and is currently an editor of the Kluwer Patent Blog. Licks Attorneys
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Partner Henry Gabathuler is a partner in the Patent and Litigation Practice Group at Leason Ellis, where he counsels clients ranging from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies on all aspects of patent prosecution, litigation, and intellectual property portfolio development and licensing. Henry is a registered patent attorney and has extensive experience securing patent protection in the U.S. and worldwide. He also handles patent, trademark, copyright, antitrust and general business litigation matters, at both the district court and appellate court levels and often in a leading role. He counsels clients in a variety of industries including computer hardware and software, oil and gas, consumer electronics, telecommunications and medical technologies. Leason Ellis LLP
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Partner/Attorney at Law/Trademark Agent As a partner and director of the international trademark department of Unitalen Attorneys at Law, Lei (Ray) Zhao has accumulated extensive practical experience in trademark prosecution and IP enforcement.
Zhao works as a legal consultant providing IP services for many listed companies, famous domestic companies, public figures and multinational clients in litigation and non-litigation cases regarding patents, trademarks, unfair competition, trade secrets, domain names and network infringements.
He also counsels clients on IP strategy and IP infringement issues. Unitalen Attorneys At Law
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Partner and Patent Attorney In his activity as patent attorney, Jan works in the fields of materials science and basic industry (metallurgy, metal processing, ceramics, glass, building materials, plastics processing, industrial furnace design),as well as the technical sector in General and inorganic chemistry. In legal matters Jan has a special interest in contract law, in particular licensing and legal purchase agreements. He also has extensive dealings in opposition, nullity and infringement proceedings.
As a German Patent attorney and as well as a European Patent Trade mark and Design Attorney of course another field of interest is trade mark and design/model law.
Jan has many years of experience in the field of industrial property protection (since 1996). He completed his training in a patent and legal attorneys’ office, in the German Patent and Trade mark Office and at the German Federal Patent Court. Afterwards Jan worked in a Munich attorneys’ office before becoming a co-founder of a Munich patent and legal attorneys’ office in 2002.
In 2013 Jan became founding Partner of Patronus IP in Munich. From March 1 he's Partner at HGF Europe LLP.
Prior to training as a patent attorney, Jan studied Material Sciences at the Technical University of Clausthal. In the course of the studies he gained experience in the glass industry, the cement and construction materials industry, and the refractory industry. HGF
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Chief International Marketing & Development Officer, Vice President Vice President, Licensing & Litigation Management
Chief International Development and Marketing Officer
Purplevine IP Group
China Purplevine IP Group
Women In IP
Partner Ashley has been practicing Chinese IP law since 2005 and was admitted to the PRC Bar in 2008. She is regularly involved in both contentious and non-contentious IP matters, specialising in trademark, copyright, domain name, Internet law and anti-unfair competition matters. Ashley has extensive experience before the China Trademark Office and the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board. Her client base includes international corporations from a wide range of industries. Ashley handles intellectual property transactions and licensing, as well as regulatory matters that affect a brand owner’s business operations in mainland China. She provides advice on domain name disputes, IP strategy and IPR enforcement with regards to online take-downs, AIC raid actions and litigation in China. AWA Asia Ltd
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Partner Simon Bradbury is a partner at Appleyard Lees, focusing on patents in the life sciences and biotechnology sectors. His broad expertise includes artificial intelligence and machine learning in drug discovery, medical devices, and microbiology. He has advised clients in matters relating to oppositions, appeals, infringement, revocations, and invalidity actions. His clients include large multinationals as well as startup companies. Appleyard Lees
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Partner Christian W. Appelt focuses on the counselling of SMEs in Germany and Europe in all aspects of intellectual property, especially patents and utility models, and on representing and advising large, internationally active companies, especially from Japan, China and the US. He has been a member of the Board of the German chapter of LES since 2010, acting as President from 2018 to 2020, and now being member of the Advisory Board of LES Germany. He represents his clients at the German patent authorities and courts, as well as at the European Patent Office (EPO) and at the UPC. Boehmert & Boehmert
Women In IP
Managing partner Laura Collada has more than 30 years’ experience in IP and is a managing partner at Dumont, where she has worked since 2000. She has taught copyright and industrial property law at various universities in Mexico City. She also worked as a director of the sub-office for the prevention of unfair competition at the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property.
Collada focuses her practice in the areas of fashion, media and telecommunications. She has written for World IP Review and is a member of INTA, Marques, AIPPI and ECTA. Dumont Bergman Bider & Co
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Managing Partner Patent Attorney Essenese Obhan is a managing partner at Obhan & Associates. Mr Obhan is an IP lawyer, patent agent, and has a degree in mechanical engineering. While he has drafted, prosecuted and litigated cases in the mechanical, chemical, pharmaceutical, software, telecommunication and agricultural sectors, he has also been at the forefront of several high stakes IP licensing and litigation matters in India. He advises many companies, including some from Fortune 500, and India's leading businesses on developing and maintaining their patent portfolios and IP strategy and licensing.
Mr. Obhan represents India on committee's of various national & international IP forums including APAA, INTA, AIPPI and FICPI. Obhan & Associates
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Partner & Trademark Attorney Darren Olivier has over 20 years of experience in brand protection and intellectual property commercialisation. He is an IP adviser to the Zulu royal family and sits on the editorial board of the University of Oxford’s Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice.
He also writes as Afro Leo on the Afro-IP blog, which he founded. He is a fellow of the South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law and dual qualified South African and English solicitor and is a member of INTA. He holds a B.Com LLB Adams & Adams
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Partner & Intellectual Property Practitioner Femi is a partner in the Intellectual Property & Technology practice group and his practice covers all aspects of IP law (trademarks, copyright, patents, industrial designs, and other ancillary matters). For the last 31 years, he has acted as legal adviser to multinational and blue-chip companies in various sectors including pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, and manufacturing in Nigeria and Africa. Femi has authored many articles in leading law publications and delivered several presentations on diverse subjects. He regularly serves on government advisory and technical committees from time to time and is the immediate past president of the Intellectual Property Law Association of Nigeria (IPLAN). Banwo & Ighodalo
Women In IP
Partner Charmayne is widely recognised as one of Malaysia's top IP and TMT lawyers, and was named as one of AsiaLaw’s Leading Lawyers since 2009 for IP. She has been listed as a leading individual in Legal 500 Asia Pacific for IT and Telecommunications since 2008 and listed as a "Leading Individual" for TMT in Legal 500 Asia-Pacific since 2018. She also has been ranked as a Leading Individual for Intellectual Property in Legal 500 Asia Pacific since 2018. Charmayne has been ranked for IP in Chambers Asia Pacific since 2009, which recently described her as 'Charmayne Ong has a strong market reputation for advisory work in Malaysia, particularly managing registrations of patents, trade marks and copyrights. She offers in-depth sectoral expertise in TMT and also handles work in other sectors.'
Charmayne also was listed in the Managing IP's Top 250 Women in IP 2021. In addition, Charmayne was listed as "WIPR's Influential Women in IP 2020" by World IP Review and as one of 'Malaysia Top 100 Lawyers - The A List' by Asia Business Law Journal 2020. In 2022, Charmayne was ranked Band 2 for TMT by Chambers Asia-Pacific 2022 and recognised as a recommended practitioner in the Who's Who Legal (WWL): Telecoms & Media 2022. SKRINE
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Partner Olumide is a partner in the intellectual property & technology practice group and has built considerable expertise in IP law and ICT law with focus on trademarks, copyright and negotiation of technology transfer agreements. His recent transactions include negotiation of software licence agreements on behalf of a leading credit bureau in Nigeria and representing a leading smart card manufacturing and personalization company in Nigeria in negotiating card and payment solutions services agreements with commercial banks in Nigeria. Olumide is currently a member of the INTA Data Protection Committee, the Intellectual Property Law Association of Nigeria (IPLAN) and Anti-Counterfeiting Collaboration, Nigeria. Banwo & Ighodalo
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Senior Attorney, Head of Trademarks Amir is an IP attorney and head of the trademarks department and has been dealing with trademarks since he joined the firm in 2003.
Amir has extensive experience advising clients in IP matters relating to the protection, enforcement, and exploitation of trademarks. He also manages trademark and patent portfolios for international and Israeli clients. His expertise covers the filing and prosecution of applications for national and international trademarks and patent applications before the Israeli Patent Office.
Amir advises international companies in the Pharmaceutical industry and other multinational companies from different sectors. The Luzzatto Group
Women In IP
CEO, Executive Lawyer, Patent & Trade Mark Attorney Naomi Pearce is one of Australia's leading patent litigators and was recognised as a WIPR Leader 2020. Pearce is a patent lawyer, patent attorney and trademark attorney, with more than 24 years' experience supporting clients in the pharmaceutical sector, and a background in molecular biology/biochemistry.
Intent on 'doing things differently', Pearce founded Pearce IP in 2017 as a virtual firm, in which staff work remotely. Team members are based in Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart and regional New South Wales and are connected by state-of-the-art technology.
Pearce trained at law firm Ashurst, spent 13 years leading the biopharma IP teams of Pfizer (Hospira) and then Mylan, and is a former partner of K&L Gates where she co-chaired its global pharma/biopharma industry group. Pearce IP