Industry moves and mergers

Joining Bird & Bird’s London IP practice as of counsel is Frederick Mostert. He was previously the president of INTA and is currently the president of the Luxury Law Alliance. In addition, Mostert served as chief IP counsel and chief legal counsel at Richemont. He will shift his part-time consultancy practice to Bird & Bird and will continue his academic career alongside the role.

David Gooder has been appointed as commissioner for trademarks at the USPTO. Most recently, he served as chief trademark counsel for Brown-Forman Corporation, directing the company’s global IP work, which included managing its trademark portfolio, rights clearance, brand protection (including anti-counterfeiting), licensing and entertainment deals. Further, Gooder served as managing director and chief trademark counsel at Jack Daniel’s Properties. The office also recently selected Jay Hoffman as its new chief financial officer.

The IP Office of Singapore (IPOS) has announced the appointment of Dr Ming Tan as managing director of its new subsidiary, IPOS International. The outfit was launched in August 2019 as an enterprise engagement arm of the Singapore office to help entities utilise IP assets. Ming’s role is to oversee all IPOS International operations and manage more than 100 IP experts.

Munich-based df-mp (Dörries Frank-Molnia & Pohlman) has revealed that Angela Wenninger-Lenz has joined as a partner. Wenninger-Lenz advises German and international clients on the protection, enforcement and exploitation of trademarks and designs, as well as unfair competition and domain issues.

Barnes & Thornburg has welcomed Patrick Gallagher as a partner in its IP department in Minneapolis. He boasts an array of experience in trademark and copyright issues, including trademark clearance, investigation, prosecution, client counselling and managing clients’ domestic and international trademark portfolios.

John P Sullivan Jr has joined Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney as a shareholder in its corporate practice. He advises companies of all sizes on how to identify, commercialise and enforce their brands in addition to other creative projects and technological innovations.

Red Points has appointed Javier Moreira Moreno as chief revenue officer. As well as being responsible for all revenue generation processes at the company, he will be charged with building an integrated new sales organisation following the acquisition of Adaptive Insights.

Bill Coughlin, a former automotive legal executive, has been named as the first CEO of Harness, Dickey & Pierce. He is responsible for overseeing the firm’s strategic planning, as well as business development and firm operations. He previously served as president and CEO of Ford Global Technologies, the automaker’s IP subsidiary, until December 2018. (For an exclusive interview with Coughlin, see page 14).

The USPTO has welcomed three new members to the Trademark Public Advisory Committee (TPAC): Dinisa Hardley Folmar (head of intellectual property at The Hershey Company); Jennifer L Kovalcik (vice president technology and IP counsel for Community Health Systems); and Susan M Natland (partner and co-chair of the trademark and brand protection group at Knobbe Martens). In addition, the office has confirmed that former vice chair Elizabeth Roth Escobar will now serve as TPAC chair, with Christopher Kelly becoming vice chair.

IP firm Rouse has welcomed Yana Tsygankova as country manager for Russia. She has been a core member of the Moscow team since the office opened in 2013. A partner-equivalent principal at the firm since 2017, she takes over the role from Stuart Adams and will spearhead the next phase of growth for the company’s Russian operations. Adams returns to the London office, where he will focus on business development and client servicing.

Previous Hogan Lovells senior associate Julie Schmitt has opened a new venture, Umami Law. This boutique IP firm is based in Alicante, Spain, and offers trademark and design prosecution and enforcement services with flat-fee structures aimed at start-ups.

Jennifer M Lantz and Philip W Woo have joined Duane Morris’ Silicon Valley office as partners in the IP practice group. Lantz and Woo are Silicon Valley veterans with decades of experience, including at global law firms. Lantz advises innovators at all stages of managing and protecting their valuable brands and other intellectual property.

Akerman has given its IP practice group a boost with the hire of Alejandro Fernandez and Stephen Leahu. Both lawyers are certified by the Florida Bar and registered patent attorneys. Fernandez has nearly 20 years of experience representing clients in all phases of IP litigation. Leahu advises clients on how to protect and enforce their IP rights, including patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade dress, domain names, unfair competition, idea misappropriation and trade secrets.