Jonathan Whittaker
Partner, Chairperson of the Partnership, Spoor & Fisher, Pretoria
j.whittaker@spoor.com 
+ 27 12 676 1026 
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Jonathan Whittaker is a Patent Attorney with a BSc (Civil Eng), BProc, LLB and PGDip OL. He is an Attorney of the High Court of South Africa.
Jonathan has over three decades of experience in intellectual property litigation and opinion work. His areas of expertise include patents, designs, technical copyright, unlawful competition and plant breeders’ rights.
Jonathan has extensive litigation experience in a broad spectrum of fields including the mechanical, mining, metallurgical, construction, electrical, electronics, telecommunications, medical, chemical and pharmaceutical fields.
Industry Associations
- Fellow – South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law (SAIIPL)
- Member – International Bar Association (IBA)
- Member – International Federation of Intellectual Property Attorneys (FICPI)
- Member – Congress of Fellows of the Centre for International Legal Studies (CILS)
- Member – South African Institute of Civil Engineering (SAICE)
- Member – Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA)
- Member – Legal Practice Council (LPC)
Market Recognition
- Chambers Global: The World’s Leading Lawyers Intellectual Property: Patents (Band 2: 2019 – present); (Band 3: 2016 – 2018)
- Ranked – Legal 500 EMEA, 2019-2020
- World’s Leading Practitioners – Euromoney’s Expert Guides: Patents, 2016-2021
- Listed – Managing Intellectual Property IP Stars, 2014-present
- Listed – IAM’s World’s Leading Patent Practitioners, 2012-present
- Listed – IAM’s Global Leaders 2020-present
- Listed – Who’s Who Legal – Patents, 2011-2021
- Best Lawyers – Intellectual Property Law: South Africa, 2022
Professional Activities
- Author of Chapter 91 Laws of South Africa with Commentary – Designs, World Intellectual Property Rights and Remedies (Centre for International Legal Studies), 2001 – present
- Lecturer on practical legal problems: Patent Examination Board, 2019-2021
- Lecturer and moderator on drafting of patent specifications: Patent Examination Board, 2003-2021
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