Darren Olivier > Adams & Adams > Johannesburg, South Africa > Lawyer Profile
Adams & Adams Offices
2ND FLOOR
34 FREDMAN DRIVE (CNR 5TH STREET)
JOHANNESBURG, PO BOX 10155
South Africa
- Firm Profile
- Go to...
Darren Olivier
Work Department
Trade Mark
Position
Partner | Trade Mark Attorney
Career
- An experienced intellectual property advisor with over 20 years’ experience gained in local and international law firms as well as in-house. Former partner of international firm FieldFisher LLP in London.
- Especially interested in IP management (primarily brands), prosecution, commercialisation and enforcement in Africa but worked for a decade in London, focusing on Europe
- Lead counsel for the BSA The Software Alliance in South Africa
- An editorial board member of Oxford University Press: Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice
- Editor and founder of the Afro-IP weblog. He tweets from @DarrenTOlivier
- Recognised by Who’s Who Legal, Chambers Global, World Trademark 1000, Legal 500, South African Institute of IP Law, Managing Intellectual Property and IAM 300
- Former Trustee of the CEO SleepOut Trust, a change agent in South Africa responsible for raising the most amount of money ever on a single night for good causes
- The first African to be recognised in IAM’s Guide to the World’s leading IP Strategists
- Chair of the firm’s IP Commercialisation team
- Co-founder of 4 kids
Languages
English
Memberships
- Legal Practice Council (LPC) – Member
- International Trade Marks Association (INTA) – Member
- Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (CITMA) – Member
- South African Institute of Directors (IODSA) – Member
Accolades
- AFRO-IP (African Intellectual Property Community) – Co-founder
- Frequent speaker and writer on IP issues
- Best Lawyers® – Lawyer of the Year: Intellectual Property Law, Johannesburg | 2021
- Best Lawyers® – Intellectual Property Law: South Africa |2019 – 2023
- Chambers Global – Ranked Lawyer | 2016 – 2023
- Legal 500 – Leading Individuals: Intellectual Property | 2019 – 2023
- Legal 500 – Recommended Lawyers: Intellectual Property | 2018 – 2023
- MIP – IP Stars: Trade Marks | 2017 – 2023
- Who’s Who Legal Ranking: Sports & Gaming | 2015 – 2022
- Who’s Who Legal: Global Leader – Entertainment | 2023 – 2023
- Who’s Who Legal Ranking: Trademarks | 2017 – 2019, 2021 – 2022
- Who’s Who Legal Ranking: Copyright | 2016
- WIPR – WIPR Leaders: Trademarks| 2018 – 2022
- WTR Global Leaders Guide – Elite Lawyers in Private Practice | 2019 – 2021
- WTR 1000 – Individuals: Prosecution and Strategy (Highly Recommended) | 2018 – 2023
- WTR 1000 – Individuals: Enforcement & Litigation (Gold) | 2018 – 2023
- WTR 1000 – Individuals: Transactions (Recommended) | 2018 – 2019, 2022 – 2023
- Some of his more interesting cases include litigating the first keyword case in Africa, filing the first International Registration by a South African firm, assisting the Bavaria Babes during World Cup 2010 on ambush marketing claims brought by FIFA, advising the Zulu nation on rights management, setting up IP outsourcing models for global rebrands, managing rights of the late Steve Biko, Thami Nkasa and Sanm Nzima. Selected to represent the Olympic Movement brand management program for Africa.
- Corporate Vision Magazine Corporate Excellence Awards – Leading Trade Mark Litigation Specialist: South Africa | 2020
Education
- Admitted Attorney | 1997
- Qualified Trade Mark Practitioner | 1997
- Qualified Solicitor (England & Wales)
- Qualified European Trade Mark Attorney
- LLB – Natal University | 1994
- BCom – Natal University | 1992
Lawyer Rankings
South Africa > Intellectual property
(Leading individuals)At Adams & Adams, the ‘outstanding‘ trade marks and patents team ‘provides thorough and pragmatic advice on all trade mark prosecution and enforcement matters‘. Firm chairperson Kelly Thompson ‘provides phenomenal support in relation to trade mark opposition and infringement matters across the African continent‘, and Janice Galvad oversees patents and designs matters. Dario Tanziani leads the patents and designs renewals and recordals side of the practice, and Nicky Garnett is the key contact for the firm’s African patents and designs work. Nolwazi Gcaba heads up the trade mark renewals section; Godfrey Budeli fronts anti-counterfeiting; and Nishan Singh and Steven Yeates are key names for trade mark litigation and prosecution respectively. Consultant Mariëtte du Plessis
, Darren Olivier, Dale Healy, Alexis Apostolidis, Russell Bagnall, Sophia Smallbones and Darshan Moodley are star names in the department.