Mr
Lee
Curtis

Partner & Trade Mark Attorney

Trade marks

Telephone.	+44(0) 161 247 4900
Mobile.	+44(0) 759 524 3078
Email.	lcurtis@hgf.com

Vcard

Experience
Specialisms, industries & services
Qualifications
Recognition & publications
Conferences
CSR

Experience

Lee has nearly 30 years’ experience of the trade mark and design law in the UK and overseas having qualified as a Chartered Trade Mark Attorney in 1996.

He advises and manages the design and trade mark portfolios of some of the leading brands in the United Kingdom and across the globe.

Lee also has extensive experience of filing and prosecuting trade mark applications, oppositions, revocation and invalidity actions before the European Union Intellectual Property Office, World Intellectual Property Organisation and across the globe.

Lee has extensive experience of the enforcement and preservation of design and trade mark rights. This includes the conduct of hearings before the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office and appeals to the Appointed Person, enforcement of trade mark rights through trading standards provisions and online. He has also successfully prosecuted numerous domain actions under the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) before WIPO and through the Dispute Resolution Service (DRS) of Nominet.

In August 2010, Lee obtained a Trade Mark and Design Litigators Certificate giving him the right to conduct litigation in the Chancery Division of the High Court and Intellectual Property Enterprise Court in relation to trade mark, design and passing off matters.

Lee has been widely quoted and has spoken on IP matters in the press and on radio and TV, notably in the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Financial Times, The Times, The Sunday Times, BBC Radio 4 and BBC1.

Specialisms

Industries

Services

Qualifications

Trade Mark Attorney

Chartered (UK)

BSC

BSc (Hons) Economics

Recognition

WTR1000 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024

"Lee Curtis is smart, efficient and seemingly answers emails 24 hours a day. He is sensitive to the needs of his clients and is an indispensable part of the team when working on worldwide strategies.” (WTR1000 2024) "Lee is one of the most knowledgeable trademark specialists in Europe, both on issues relating to the UK as well as EU IP rights and trademarks in particular. He has a wealth of knowledge on practical aspects of IP practice and an in-depth understanding of clients’ business needs.” (WTR1000 2021) Lee is also ranked under the WTR1000 listing as a 'Gold Individual' under United Kingdom for "prosecution and strategy".

View recognition online

MP IP Stars (Trade Marks) 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024

“always provides practical solutions to issues" (MIP IP Stars 2017) "Curtis gives “quick, no-nonsense advice which is tailored to the client’s business activities and needs”. Another client appreciates Curtis’s “transparency about costs”. (MIP IP Stars 2018) Lee was also nominated as 'Trade Mark Attorney of the Year' for United Kingdom (England) in the Managing Intellectual Property Awards 2024.

View recognition online

Legal500 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

“experienced, practical and solution-oriented" (Legal 500, 2017)

View recognition online

World Trademark Review Global Leader: Private Practice in 2023 and 2024

World Trademark Review Global Leaders listing in 2023 and 2024.

View recognition online

Nominated for United Kingdom (England) Trade Mark Attorney Managing Intellectual Property Awards 2024

Nominated for the UK Trade Mark Attorney of the Year 2024 for the Managing Intellectual Property Awards.

Office.	+41 (0)61 225 4480
Email.	hgf-basel@hgf.com

Office.	+41 (0)61 225 4480
Email.	mnelson@hgf.com

Office.	+353 1 584 4705
Email.	hgf-dublin@hgf.com

Office.	+44 (0)113 233 0100
Email.	docketing@hgf.com

Contact Us

Aberdeen

Alderley Park

Amsterdam

Basel

Belfast

Bern

Birmingham

Dublin

Edinburgh

Glasgow

Leeds

London

Manchester

Munich

Newcastle

Nottingham

Oxford

Paris

Rennes

Salzburg

Sheffield

The Hague

Westport

York

Mr Lee Curtis

Partner & Trade Mark Attorney

Experience

Specialisms

Industries

Services

Qualifications

Trade Mark Attorney

BSC

Recognition

WTR1000 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024

MP IP Stars (Trade Marks) 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024

Legal500 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

World Trademark Review Global Leader: Private Practice in 2023 and 2024

Nominated for United Kingdom (England) Trade Mark Attorney Managing Intellectual Property Awards 2024

Publications

WTR Global Leaders 2024

Managing Intellectual Property firm rankings - IP Stars 2024

A late Christmas present for M&S in Christmas gin bottle design dispute

Managing IP EMEA Awards 2024

Where could Generative AI’s impact be most clearly felt in the retail sector?

Leader's League Rankings 2023

IP Stars 2023

Protection of retail formats in China: the Decathlon case

WTR 1000 2023

International trade mark registrations – change to UKIPO handling procedure

Fashionably IP Episodes 1-9 - podcast exploring hot topics in the world of fashion and intellectual property

Fashionably IP Podcast - Christmas special

A tale of two Icelands

Christian Louboutin and Amazon: cases of marketplace liability

WTR 1000 2021

MIP IP Stars 2020

The Wild East? Protecting trade marks in China

WTR 1000 2020

Does a design have to be disclosed first in the EU to benefit from Community Unregistered Design Right?

HGF continue to be highly ranked in The Legal 500 United Kingdom 2020 rankings

Alexa, ‘what’s the impact of AI on trade mark law’

The Intellectual Property Report

WTR 1000 2019

WIPO Magazine: Trademark Law Playing Catch-up with Artificial Intelligence?

Video recording of four person panel I took part in at the United States Patent and Trademark Office in Alexandria, Virginia on 31st January 2019 on Artificial Intelligence: Intellectual Property Considerations.

CITMA Review: A right royal rout: June 2020

AI is Changing How Products are Bought and by Definition Will Change Trade Mark Law

Alexa, ‘what’s the impact of AI on trademark law?’

The impact of AI on IP Law in the world of fashion

Conferences: 2023

pro-manchester Creative Conference

Conferences: 2022

HGF's IP in Retail Conference London 2022

INTA 2022 Annual Meeting Live+

HGF Complete webinar: trade mark opposition and invalidity proceedings

Conferences: 2021

WIPR Trademarks Live

Intellectual Property Owners Association Spring Summit

IPOwners Spring Summit 2021

Mr
Lee
Curtis