UPC Series: International Jurisdiction and Internal Competence of the UPC

Chair – Katharine Stephens, Two Birds

I am fascinated by IP and the challenge of helping my clients protect, exploit and defend their IP rights to further their business objectives.

I have a broad IP practice, mostly focused on litigation of patents, trade marks and designs. I have considerable experience of coordinating and running patent litigation in more than one jurisdiction and in designing and implementing pan-European protection and enforcement programs, running one such program for a consumer electronics client for almost 10 years.

I am lucky enough to be able to make use of my engineering background and over the years have done a lot of work in the engineering and tech & comms sectors, advising clients such as Nokia, BAE Systems, Semtech and InterDigital. More recently, I have been advising on AI issues – something which I find of particular interest since my final year dissertation for my Masters degree was in robotics.

I also enjoy the strategic and tactical nature of my work, whether it be in relation to advising on the protection, exploitation or the defence of my client’s IP rights. I am very focused on getting the best result for my clients, be it through litigation, negotiation or other forms of dispute resolution.

For 18 years I was co-head of the London IP department and, for many of those years, had a role in the running of the international IP group. As a consequence, I know the international IP group very well and enjoy helping clients find the best person or team to assist them.

I am very focused on training and mentoring the next generation of IP lawyers. I write and speak regularly at industry events and am an active member of the IP Federation and the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys.

My Admissions
Law Society of England & Wales in 1992
Higher Courts (Civil Advocacy) Qualification in 2019

Domien Op de Beeck, Bird & Bird

Domien advises on patents and trade secrets laws and implementation on a daily basis.  He also represents design or trademark holders in infringement and opposition proceedings, up to the CJEU level. Domien helps clients recapture their legitimate IP rights (incl. domain names), ban copycats from the market or fence off unfounded infringement claims.

Working at Bird & Bird implies a privilege on working for and together with inspiring individuals and cutting edge companies. Clients have said they appreciate my openness to the business and drive to grasp the most complex science. Investing time to understand these extra factors goes hand in hand with the sector approach for which Bird & Bird is known.

Having represented clients before different courts and IP offices in Belgium and abroad, I know the procedural intricacies of IP litigation, but also how to get to constructive out-of-court solutions. Contract drafting and negotiation is another inherent part of my practice. Furthermore, I help clients on matters like adding value to their IP, negotiating a safe passage to market, or devising and implementing trade secret protection policies