The Legal 500 > Asia Pacific > Sri Lanka > Intellectual property

Sudath Perera Associates fields an excellent team that is well-regarded for its work on IP and brand protection in Sri Lanka. It has a strong client base of leading international and local brands. The team skilfully covers the full array of IP matters and recently it has been increasingly advising on various licensing and franchising matters. Sudath Perera is an accomplished intellectual property lawyer and litigator and frequently conducts high-level negotiations on behalf of brand owners. Himani Perera has also played a key role in leading the firm’s IP offering. In addition the group has a solid reputation for its work on domain name disputes, trademarks and passing off actions.

Anomi Wanigasekera leads the IP group at Julius & Creasy. Wanigasekera has extensive experience in the full range of enforcement, management and the transactional aspects of IP law. The team also frequently represents clients before the National Intellectual Property Office and acts for multinationals as well as local conglomerates on various infringement actions in addition to search and seizure orders. In addition the department is adept at advising on a diverse range of regulatory compliance matters.

Nithya Partners has a versatile team that handles both contentious and non-contentious IP matters well. It is skilled at advising on trademark and copyright disputes. 2019 was a particularly successful year for it in terms of IP litigation as it obtained judgments in favour of its clients in several matters. The department routinely handles trademark portfolios for local and foreign companies and is well-equipped to also handle patent portfolios for its clients. Chanaka de Silva, Aruna Samarajewa and Chamindi Ekanayake are the most prominent members of the team.  The practice is also recommended for its IP due diligence work on transactional matters.

John Wilson Partners attracts mandates from major multinational enterprises and household brands from a wide range of industry sectors such as entertainment, food and beverages as well as manufacturing and investments. It receives a steady workflow on trade mark filings and oppositions in addition to advising on counterfeiting and infringement actions. The team under the direction of John Wilson is also adept at handling regulatory work as well as licensing matters. Sameendra Perera is a well-respected senior associate who is one of the key contacts in the IP department.

Neelakandan & Neelakandan (formerly Murugesu & Neelakandan) has a strong track record in contentious and non-contentious IP matters and continues to handle a large volume of trademark, industrial design and patent applications for a number of local and foreign clients (including some Fortune 500 multinational companies). The diverse practice is adept at advising on the protection and transfer of IP rights following a corporate restructuring and is also skilled at advising on IP litigation. In addition the team receives a regular stream of instructions from several major international law firms. Heads of team Pranavan Neelakandan and Sivananthavalli ThuraRaja are key figures in the market.

With Prabash De Saram, Aloka Nandasena and Hasanthie Manukulasooriya  at the helm at D. L. & F. De Saram the team continues to be active in registering national and international trademarks. It has also been busy registering patents and industrial designs and was recently involved in the first registration of 3D international trademarks in Sri Lanka. The practice is also well-equipped to advise on disputes about the infringement of IP rights and is well-versed in all aspects of deals that relate to IP such as conducting detailed due diligence exercises and negotiating license agreements and assignments.

Under the leadership of Ramani Muttettuwegama and Michael Paiva the team at Tiruchelvam Associates advises national and international clients on the full array of IP matters. It frequently advises on the filing and prosecution of trade markets and design registrations as well as helping clients with filing PCT applications in Sri Lanka. It is also adept at assisting clients with enforcing their IP rights as well as advising on copyright and other contentious matters.