Rob White

Expertise

Rob is a Chartered UK Trade Mark Attorney with over 20 years’ experience. Throughout his career, Rob has worked in private practice, including several years in firms in the top tier of the Legal 500 index for trade mark work, representing a broad range of clients, including those with global brand portfolios. Rob has also spent time in firms that focussed on the IP rights and requirements of SMEs, ensuring he has an understanding of the needs and budgets of businesses of all sizes.

Rob has extensive experience in the whole lifecycle of a trade mark, from initial searching, to filing and prosecution, in addition to policing, registry enforcement actions, portfolio management and analysis, and broader strategy assessments, both in the UK, and globally through a network of established local counsel. 

In addition, Rob has advised clients on IP ownership and transaction matters and has negotiated numerous co-existence agreements and undertakings in the settlement of trade mark disputes, mapped against the specific needs of each client.

Rob has also handled domain name dispute actions and social media and online marketplace takedowns as part of online enforcement actions.

How do you help clients?

I help clients ensure their trade mark rights are properly protected, policed and enforced, ensuring the right tailored protection is in place for the core brands, goods/ services and territories of interest to each client. 

I enjoy gaining an understanding of each client’s business, building a future-proofed IP strategy prioritising the client’s interests mapped against key business data.

Experience

1. Successfully opposing the UK trade mark registration of a generic bottle shape, to prevent the granting of an unfair monopoly. 
2. Succeeding in a UK opposition against a confusingly similar trade mark to a brand from a well-known film franchise.
3. Assisting a well-known rock group in sensitive handling of trade mark and copyright issues arising from tribute bands.
4. Devising a global brand search and filing strategy program for a safety and security company, and ongoing management of the resulting global trade mark filings.
5. Drafting and negotiating global trade mark co-existence settlement agreement for worldwide accounting company.
6. Managing global trade mark assignment recordal program for established sportswear brand.
7. Succeeding in domain name dispute action against bad faith website selling fake plush toys linked to popular computer game.
8. Negotiating trade mark settlement agreement between television show and established fictional character brand.