Sarah’s experience includes all aspects of trade mark issues. She is specialised in managing large international trade mark portfolios, both domestically and across foreign jurisdictions, representing clients in a broad range of sectors.

Sarah advises on a range of trade mark matters, both contentious and non-contentious, as well as on the law of passing off. She has substantial experience with worldwide trade mark filing strategies and manages worldwide trade mark clearance search programmes. She advises on trade mark disputes and handles a number of contentious proceedings at the UK IPO and EUIPO. Sarah also gained advocacy experience in trade mark disputes before the French courts and the UKIPO.

She is highly knowledgeable in devising strategies on customs recordals in the UK and EU. Sarah is experienced in negotiating settlements, drafting co-existence and assignment agreements. She also coordinates prosecution and contentious issues in a range of foreign jurisdictions by liaising with local law firms. In addition to this, she has handled a number of successful domain name disputes before WIPO.

Some of Sarah’s key work highlights include:

• Acting for a computer software company and providing the full spectrum of trade mark portfolio services on a worldwide basis, including regular trade mark enforcement matters and negotiations to reach a settlement in connection with the registration/use of a brand opposed by a tech company.
• Advising a dental equipment manufacturer in relation to customs protection worldwide, coordinating litigation in various jurisdictions following seizures of counterfeit products and securing injunction as well as obtaining high damages, payment of legal fees as well as publication of the decisions in professional magazines in the relevant countries.
• Advising an automobile manufacturer in connection with their UK trade mark portfolio, as well as representation in opposition/cancellation proceedings before the UK IPO including advocacy before the Hearing Officer.
• Coordinating a worldwide trade mark clearance search and filing program for a luxury hospitality company.
• Acting for a doughnut company in relation to the protection and enforcement of its trade marks in the UK and the EU, including the compilation of extensive evidence of use in support on an enhanced distinctiveness claim.
• Devising strategies on customs recordals in the UK and EU, and managing these recordals on behalf of a video game company.

Prior to joining Bristows in 2017, she spent four years in a French IP law firm located in Paris, gaining valuable experience in all trade mark issues including advising on a global rebrand from both a protection and enforcement perspective.

Sarah is a native French speaker and she is fluent in English. She is a member of APRAM (French Association of Trade Mark and Design Law Practitioners) and CITMA. She volunteers at the mentoring programme ran by CITMA and is a regular contributor to the CITMA Review.