Mr
Lee
Curtis

Partner & Trade Mark Attorney

Manchester Office

Chemistry

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

Industries

Services

Qualifications

Trade Mark Attorney

Chartered (UK)

BSC

BSc (Hons) Economics

Recognition

WTR1000 2019, 2020 and 2021

"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 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)

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Legal500 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020

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

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World Trademark Review Global Leader: Private Practice 2021

Entered the World Trademark Review Global Leaders listing for the first time in 2021

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Publications

WTR 1000 2021

View publication online

MIP IP Stars 2020

View publication online

The Wild East? Protecting trade marks in China

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WTR 1000 2020

View publication online

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

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

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

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The Intellectual Property Report

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WTR 1000 2019

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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.

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

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

View publication online

Conferences: 2022

April 30th 2022

INTA 2022 Annual Meeting Live+

Attended

Event details

March 31st 2022

HGF Complete webinar: trade mark opposition and invalidity proceedings

Speaker

Event details

Conferences: 2021

June 8th 2021

WIPR Trademarks Live

Speaker

Event details

April 20th 2021

Intellectual Property Owners Association Spring Summit

Speaker

Event details

April 20th 2021

IPOwners Spring Summit 2021

Speaker

Event details

Conferences: 2020

December 31st 2020

HGF Complete: Brexit Webinars

Speaker

Event details

December 1st 2020

HGF IP in Retail online training events

Speaker

Event details

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

October 6th 2020

WTR Connect 2020

Speaker

Event details

September 3rd 2020

HGF webinar: The rise of AI. What happens when you take the human out of trade mark law?

Speaker

Event details

March 3rd 2020

IP in Healthcare Conference 2020

Speaker

Event details

Conferences: 2019

December 3rd 2019

IP in Retail Conference Amsterdam 2019

Speaker

Event details

October 17th 2019

Artificial Intelligence: Challenges for Intellectual Property Law - Brussels

Speaker

Event details

September 24th 2019

IP in Retail Conference 2019 - London & Leeds

Speaker

Event details

March 14th 2019

“Can robots invent and create? A dialogue between Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property” - Alicante

Speaker

Event details

January 31st 2019

USPTO - Artificial Intelligence: Intellectual Property Policy Considerations - Virginia

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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Event - 30th April 2022

INTA 2022 Annual Meeting Live+

The HGF European team will be attending the INTA 2022 Annual Meeting Live+. It is being held on 30th April – 4th May in Washington, D.C. INTA brings together the …

Event details

Ed Sheeran successfully defends hit song 'Shape Of You' against High Court copyright infringement claim

The UK musician, Ed Sheeran, one of the world’s best selling artists with sales of 26 million albums and 100 million singles worldwide, has successfully defended a claim brought against …

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Event - 19th May 2022

HGF Complete webinar: comparison of registered and unregistered design rights procedures before the EUIPO and UKIPO

HGF is hosting a series of HGF Complete webinars this Spring. Our expert speakers will discuss trade marks and designs in the EU and the UK. We will compare and …

Event details
Event - 14th April 2022

HGF Complete webinar: unregistered trade mark rights in the EU and UK

HGF is hosting a series of HGF Complete webinars this Spring. Our expert speakers discuss trade marks and designs in the EU and the UK. We compare and contrast the …

Event details
Event - 31st March 2022

HGF Complete webinar: trade mark opposition and invalidity proceedings

HGF is hosting a series of HGF Complete webinars this Spring. Our expert speakers will discuss trade marks and designs in the EU and the UK. We will compare and …

Event details
Event - 17th March 2022

HGF Complete webinar: trade mark application procedures before the EUIPO and UKIPO

HGF is hosting a series of HGF Complete webinars this Spring. Our expert speakers will discuss trade marks and designs in the EU and the UK. We will compare and …

Event details
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