Matthew SwinnMatt is an IP litigator based in Melbourne with a focus on patent disputes. He is no stranger to patent disputes between pharmaceutical companies (on either side of the innovator / generic divide). He also has experience in patent disputes across a variety of other industries, including acting for large companies such as GE in relation to disputes about mechanical inventions. Matt’s practice also includes disputes covering the full gamut of IP rights, from trade mark oppositions and enforcing geographic indications, to protecting trade secrets and asserting copyright protection. Matt is also considering seeking to register designs to protect his notoriously bold shirt and tie combinations. |
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Cate NagyCate Nagy is a partner in King & Wood Mallesons’ Sydney office and is also our ‘chief editor’. When she is not reading IP Whiteboard posts, she specializes in copyright and trade mark litigation and disputes. Her office shelves are crammed with an eclectic mix of consumer goods which have been the subject of hard-fought litigation over the years, including chip packets, hair care products and Russian vodka, in which she claims to have a professional interest only. |
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Scott BouvierScott wears many hats, whether this be advising on commercial dealings with IP (there are no IP licensing dilemmas he can’t comment on) or litigating a landmark trade mark case before the High Court of Australia. He is recognised in surveys for his expertise, and has deep relationships with interesting clients such as Lion, Colgate, Sydney Opera House, CSIRO, the University of Sydney and Cricket NSW. Where Scott is an unsung hero is in his energetic contribution within the firm. Formerly the Partner in Charge of Sydney Centre, Scott now helps champion sector initiatives such as Agribusiness and Climate Change Technology. Away from work, Scott is busy with his three young boys and their sporting and school pursuits. |
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Patrick GunningPatrick specialises in commercial transactions involving intellectual property. The combined effect of technology and IP is a particular passion, and Patrick’s published commentaries on the subject have often gone “viral” online. Indeed, an internet search reveals a 1998 paper on “Distributing encryption software by the Internet” which illustrates an almost historical interest in the area. IP licensing issues are also a speciality, the more technical, the better. When not thinking about the toughest legal issues, Patrick can be found on really, really long bike rides (across countries). He also nurses the occasional broken limb which may or may not be a result of these pursuits. |
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Cheng LimCheng has long been at the forefront of IP, technology and media in Australia, with a deep and long standing representation of clients such as Telstra. When mobile phone technology was just a concept, Cheng was working out how it could be legally commercialised. Cheng’s IP interests have extended to defence work (eg an IP dispute concerning submarines), sports right deals, and a range of new technology and media applications. Whilst Cheng claims primarily to do commercial work, he has also represented clients in the court room or Copyright Tribunal. Cheng’s good humoured approach means he has a long list of loyal clients (his laugh can be heard all the way across the floor). Cheng is also no stranger to a social occasion. |
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Bill LadasBill lives and breathes trade mark law. His first stop most mornings is Austlii, followed by Bailii and Curia, to check out the latest in case law developments. It is alleged that the next stop would often then be mrporter.com. Add in a new obsession with following his favourite restaurants, sommeliers and photographers on Twitter, and it’s a miracle he gets any “work” done at all. Bill has the distinction of being one of the very few lawyers to have worked in the London and Melbourne offices of KWM (the former when it was still SJB). He has now swapped his frequent sojourns to Paris on the Eurostar with slightly less frequent trips to wineries in and around Geelong, the Paris of the South. |
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Kim O’ConnellKim is one of Australia’s leading patent lawyers with a primarily contentious practice (although there is plenty of strategic commercial advice too) focussed in the life sciences and medical devices arena. She heads the patents practice in Sydney, enjoys frequent litigation success, and is known by her staff to be a terrific mentor. When not speaking at pharmaceutical and biotech conferences (and running her busy practice), Kim takes beach holidays with her family, although not necessarily of the quiet kind, most recently scuba diving in Borneo. |
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Michael SwinsonMichael is a partner who prefers to specialise in the “Media” and “Entertainment” components of our TMET practice group (though he is also very active in the “Technology” and “Telecommunications” components as well!). A member of one of the first generations to have grown up with the internet, Michael loves the challenge of applying laws designed for an old media world in a new media environment. He has worked across a wide range of online businesses, from movies and music, to sports rights and online sports betting. He also has a deep interest in emerging privacy issues and is our “go to” man on matters such involving big data and the internet of things. Outside work, Michael loves trialling experimental cuisine in his kitchen and looking at 1990s music videos on YouTube. Read more about Michael here. |
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Suzy MadarSuzy loves a great intellectual property or technology skirmish as much she loves as a complex but commercial transaction. Her clients come from a range of industries including healthcare, IT, FMCGs and industrial products. |