Finance Monthly Global Awards 2019 Edition

Finance Monthly Global Awards 2019 www.finance-monthly.com 16 GERMANY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAWYER OF THE YEAR Ms. Dellmeier, how did you first get into IP law? By coincidence, curiosity and luck. On my first day as a legal intern at a Munich IP firm in 1997, I discovered a gigantic shelf of adidas t-shirts, shorts and jogging suits in the office. I was deeply impressed and immediately ran to one of the partners and proclaimed: “I would like to join the firm’s soccer team!” The managing partner looked bewildered and told me that the firm did not have a soccer team. I persisted: “But, I saw the full shelf of sports clothing …” - I still remember his loud and hilarious laugh. After a moment, he finally explained that the sportswear was counterfeited and confiscated by German Customs from a ship coming from Turkey into Hamburg harbor. So, trademark infringement, counterfeits and border seizures was my first look into IP. I will never forget that first day, which sparked my interest in Intellectual Property. What exactly does an IP attorney do? As an IP attorney, it is our job to help protect and defend our clients’ intellectual property. We strategically advise the clients, e.g., inventors, advertising agencies, marketing and R&D departments, small and medium-size businesses (SMEs) and large corporations, to successfully protect their IP by means of trademark, design, utility model and patent law. Besides being a client’s strategic partner at the “birth” of a brand name or an innovation, the role of the IP attorney is also that of an intermediary between the applicants and the German Patent and Trademark Office (GPTO) and the European Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). In this role, the IP attorney explains the nature of objections the GPTO or EUIPO may have against an application, discusses them with the client, and advises the client in overcoming these actions. Once the trademark, design, utility model or patent is protected, it is then up to the IP attorney to represent the client in enforcing these rights before the specialised IP courts in Germany, for example when they are infringed by third parties. How has your career developed in the field of IP? Prior to starting LexDellmeier, I was an equity partner at another renowned German IP firm with 100 people. There, I was responsible for the prosecution and litigation of large trademark and design portfolios ALEXANDRA DELLMEIER Founder & Owner LexDellmeier IP Law Firm Protecting Brands and IP Successfully and the Women behind LexDellmeier Alexandra Dellmeier is an Attorney at Law and Certified Intellectual Property Attorney, specialising in the field of Intellectual Property Law (IP). In 2009 she founded LexDellmeier Intellectual Property Law Firm in Munich. She gives a professional insight regarding the role of an IP attorney as an intermediary between clients, IP offices, customs offices and courts, current challenges and future trends in the field of IP. And, she talks about her all female IP boutique firm in Germany – and how that happened. Q Q Q