Spoor & Fisher has again achieved “Gold Band” status in the annual World Trademark Review (WTR) 1000 rankings, which recognise the top national and global firms, as well as individual practitioners, deemed outstanding in this field.

Now in its 11th year, the WTR 1000 refers to Spoor & Fisher as “an industry titan”; “well equipped to handle any and all trademark needs”; and “a premier firm for IP instructions”. It goes on to individually cite 14 of our top performers:

  • All-rounder Eben van Wyk as “knowledgeable and prompt”;
  • Louise Myburgh as “a highly regarded and well-reputed practitioner who always places her clients’ interests first”;
  • The squad of “crack litigators” in John Foster, Carl van Rooyen, Megan Reimers, Herman Blignaut and Charles Webster (the latter, “undoubtedly one of the country’s leading practitioners”);
  • Mohamed Khader as “responsive and nice to work with, [with] great knowledge of South African enforcement issues [and] connections with thought leaders in the area…”; and
  • Charl Potgieter, for his frequent training of customs officials on product identification and execution of enforcement plans at a national level.

On the prosecution front, specific mention is made of:

  • Seasoned trade mark attorneys Marco van der Merwe and Jean McIvor, who have “won many fans among the firm’s domestic and international clients”;
  • Former president of the South African Institute of Intellectual Property, Tshepo Shabangu, whose command of eight languages stands her in good stead for international clearance, registration and prosecution work;
  • Stephen Goldberg, “a repository of trust for blue-chip companies seeking the smoothest route to trademark registration”; and
  • Kay Rickelman, the “godmother of trademark law in Africa”, whose approach demonstrates “an understanding of business concerns, while also being able to dip into her arsenal of skills to clear prosecution hurdles and win disputes.”

The WTR 1000 is the only definitive guide dedicated to identifying the world’s leading trade mark legal service providers in over 80 global jurisdictions and US states.

Individual practitioners, law firms and trade mark attorney practices qualify for inclusion in the WTR 1000 based on positive feedback from market sources.