Mr Mrs Miss Ms Dr Other

Mr
Lee
Curtis

Partner & Trade Mark Attorney

Manchester Office London Office

Trade marks

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

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".

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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)

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

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

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World Trademark Review Global Leader: Private Practice 2023

World Trademark Review Global Leaders listing in 2023.

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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.

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Publications

Is the Supreme Court denial in Thatcher’s case a fatal blow against lookalikes?

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Managing Intellectual Property practitioner rankings – IP Stars 2025

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WIPR Leaders 2025

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WTR 1000 2025

View publication online

HGF ranked as a top tier firm in Legal 500 UK 2025

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

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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.

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CITMA Review: A right royal rout: June 2020

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

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

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Conferences: 2025

17th May 2025

INTA 2025 Annual Meeting Live

Attended

Event details

Conferences: 2024

20th September 2024

Pro-Manchester Creative Conference

Speaker

Event details

8th August 2024

pro-manchester Retail Lunch

Attended

Event details

Conferences: 2023

13th June 2023

Luxury Law Awards 2023

Attended

Event details

Conferences: 2021

20-04-2021

Intellectual Property Owners Association Spring Summit

Speaker

Event details

Conferences: 2020

05-11-2020

CITMA Autumn Conference

Speaker

Event details

04-11-2020

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.

Related News

HGF Ranked #1 in the UK for Trade Mark Portfolios in the 2025 Trade Mark Filing Trends Report by Clarivate.

HGF has achieved the #1 ranking for the UK for trade mark portfolios in the newly released 2025 Trade mark Filing Trends report by Clarivate, recognising the firm as a …

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Supreme Court holds that SKY marks were registered in bad faith

In a long-awaited judgment https://www.supremecourt.uk/cases/docs/uksc-2021-0181-judgment.pdf, the Supreme Court allowed Skykick’s appeal, agreeing with the High Court that well-known broadcaster, Sky applied for a number of SKY marks in bad faith.  This …

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Event - 9th August 2024

HGF's 10th Annual IP in Retail Conference 2024

HGF’s Annual IP in Retail Conference is back, and this year we are celebrating our 10th anniversary. The conferences will take place on the 18th of September in Manchester and …

Event details

HGF Nominated for Two Global IP Awards by IAM and WTR

We are proud to announce that HGF has been nominated for two awards at the upcoming Global IP Awards, hosted by IAM and WTR. The Awards ceremony will take place …

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Event - 18th May - 22nd April 2024

INTA 2024 Annual Meeting Live

The HGF European team will be attending the INTA Annual Meeting Live, which will take place on 18th-22nd May 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. The conference will connect some of the …

Event details

How to Use IP Strategy to Tip the Odds in Your Favour

Porter’s Five Forces model [1] is just one example of a convenient model for exploring and understanding the forces at play in a competitive marketplace. Michael Porter’s Five Forces model …

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Blog Series: IP Ingredients, Part 4: Why should I care about copyright?

Registered Designs are a flexible IP right applicable across almost all industries, from fashion, technology, and household items to industrial machinery. This versatility makes them a valuable asset for businesses …

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Blog Series: IP Ingredients, Part 2: Sippin’ Success with Trade Marks

In the UK, trade marks and the food and drink industry have a long and rich heritage.  One of the most well known of these stories begins in 1876, when …

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