Patrade (Patrade Legal Advokatanpartsselskab)

Q: Can you tell us a little about the trademark practice and the talent it draws on?

A: Eva Nødskov Aaen: “We base most of Patrade’s legal business on our trademark practice. We focus most of our attention on the trademark portfolios we handle and this is where we show our expertise being an IP-only boutique firm. We represent some of the largest companies in Denmark in relation to trademark strategy, protection, prosecution and litigation as well as SMEs growing their trademark portfolio with assistance from our skilled trademark attorneys and lawyers. Due to the size of our legal team and the nature of our clients we can attract talented young attorneys and business lawyers. We are a modern company and provide our team with an environment in which they are free to innovate.”

Q: You have a robust practice for trademarks and designs, but also offer counsel around contracts, patents, competition and IT law. How do you ensure that the firm is positioned to meet the varied needs of particular clients?

A: Eva Nødskov Aaen: “First of all, we track customer satisfaction to make sure we know the particular needs of our clients. This is of course something we get a feeling for when we meet with our clients regularly. We take great pride in educating our staff so that they all stay on top of new knowledge and practice in their fields. We also put a lot of effort into knowledge sharing. Finally, we recruit strategically so we always have the competencies we need to make our clients happy.”

Q: What one piece of advice would you give young lawyers keen to develop a filing practice?

A: Nick Lissner: “Be innovative. As an IP adviser, you often encourage clients to be innovative and you help them protect their innovation, but it should not end there. A modern and competitive IP adviser must invent and keep improving its own practice to enhance its competitiveness in a fierce market. It is not only a matter of IT and automation, it is also relevant when it comes to case management, services offered, reporting, strategy and portfolio optimisation. Innovation provides a competitive edge and offers the possibility of standing out in a world where it is challenging for clients to decide which adviser is the better choice for their business.”

Q: What developments or cases should trademark and designs practitioners be following with respect to the European IP landscape?

A: Charlotte Rask Boddum: “The increased volumes and complexity of IP rights globally complicates the challenge of ensuring and enforcing them. In years to come we will see an enhanced international cooperation among IP offices especially between the European Union, China, Japan, South Korea and the United States, including the European Patent Office and WIPO. New business environments and new working methods as a result of increasing technological change will have an enormous influence on the IP world in the future.”

Q: If you could make one change to the European trademarks filing landscape, what would it be?

A: Charlotte Rask Boddum: “Definitely harmonisation. Globalisation and sharply rising levels of e-commerce for both business-to-business and business-to-consumer requires a significantly greater focus and speed on the harmonisation of IP legislation than we have seen in recent years.”