Mr
Lee
Curtis

Partner & Trade Mark Attorney

Manchester Office

Telephone. +44(0) 161 247 4900
Mobile. +44(0) 759 524 3078
Email. [email protected]
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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

  • Electrochemistry
  • Energy
  • Food science
  • Household products
  • Material science
  • AI
  • Computer hardware
  • Computer software
  • Consumer electronics
  • Cyber security
  • E commerce
  • Industrial & power electronics
  • Medical electronics
  • Printing
  • Scientific instruments
  • Semiconductor technologies
  • Automotive systems
  • Baby & infant products
  • Construction
  • Drug delivery devices
  • Food and beverage packaging
  • Oil & gas
  • Orthopaedics
  • Subsea technology
  • Testing, measurement and electronics
  • Wound management
  • Agbio
  • Bioprocessing
  • Diagnostics
  • Food technology
  • Gene editing technologies
  • Immunobiology
  • Personalised medicine
  • Trade marks

Industries

  • Finance icon Finance
  • Food & drink icon Food & drink
  • Healthcare icon Healthcare
  • Retail icon Retail

Services

  • Advertising
  • Copyright & database rights
  • Designs & design rights
  • Due diligence
  • In-house legal support
  • Portfolio management
  • Strategy
  • Trade marks
  • Transactional IP & commercial support

Qualifications

Trade Mark Attorney

Chartered (UK)

BSC

BSc (Hons) Economics

Recognition

WTR1000 2019 and 2020

“A good sounding-board on matters of legal risk, he is both talented and knowledgeable. His combination of thoroughness and pragmatism is impressive. He explores all options, proposes a firm course of action and goes the extra mile to provide insight on the likelihood of success – a truly trusted adviser.” (WTR1000 2020)

View recognition online

MP IP Stars (Trade Marks) 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020

“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)

View recognition online

Legal500 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020

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

View recognition online

Publications

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

View publication online

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.

View publication online

CITMA Review: A right royal rout: June 2020

View publication online

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

View publication online

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

View publication online

Conferences: 2021

April 20th 2021

Intellectual Property Owners Association Spring Summit

Speaker

Event details

Conferences: 2020

November 5th 2020

CITMA Autumn Conference

Speaker

Event details

November 4th 2020

WIPO Conversation on Intellectual Property (IP) and Artificial Intelligence (AI): Third Session

Speaker

Event details

CSR

Past member of the Public Relations (PR) Committee of the Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (CITMA).  Member of the organising panel for CITMA conferences.

Past Examiner (trade mark paper) for the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys.

Past contributor CITMA European Trade Mark Handbook.

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