Claire Sng

Partner
About

Claire Sng is a Partner, who specialises in intellectual property law, advertising and marketing law (including advisory and clearance works) and all aspects of brand protection. Claire works on a wide variety of matters with a transactional focus; including working on complex IP divestitures and related issues such as IP mapping, chain of title issues, brand splitting etc.

She is named in Legal 500 as a Next Generation Partner for Media & Entertainment (advertising) and a Rising Star for IP as well as being listed in the World Trademark Review 1000 which lists the world’s leading trade mark professionals.

Claire is a thought leader, regularly having articles published in a variety of different media; including on the DLA MSE today blog; in The Reporter; and in Entertainment Law Review as well as speaking at conferences and chairing webinars.

She works on a cross border basis, for example, in relation to advertising projects and is a member of the DLA Piper Advertising and Marketing Group and she co-chairs DLA Piper’s Women in Sport initiative and working group.

Her in-house experience working at the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games means she is practical and solution focussed.

Claire has been recognised in the industry as demonstrated by being shortlisted for an award in the Everything in Sport 2023 awards for her contribution to regulation/services in women’s sport as well as being chosen as one of the finalists for the Inspirational Women in Law Award (November 2016).

EXPERIENCE

  • Acting in trademark and domain name enforcement matters for a variety of clients, including matters before Nominet, WIPO, The Intellectual Property Enterprise Court and the Court of Appeal
  • Acting in High Court defamation proceedings brought by an individual against a major newspaper as well as a hearing before the Court of Appeal
  • Advising a variety of clients, including, most recently those in the music and hospitality and leisure sectors, on multi-jurisdictional prize promotions
  • Advising local and global clients in relation to advertising issues including proposed copy and ASA complaints (including competitor complaints)
  • Advising on numerous successful Company Names Tribunal cases
  • Advising on IP aspect s of a variety of significant corporate transactions
Languages
  • English
Education
  • University of Oxford, Postgraduate Diploma in Intellectual Property Law and Practice, 2014
  • College of Law, LPC, Distinction, 2007
  • King's College London University, LLB Law, 2.1, 2006

Awards

  • Finalist for the Inspirational Women in Law Award, November 2016 - awarded the runner-up position resulting in award of an IWLA diploma presented by the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, the Rt. Hon Liz Truss MP, November 2016
  • Co-chaired Women in Sport panel, October 2016
  • Nominated and reached the final shortlist of 10 for the We Are The City's Rising Star Awards 2015 in the legal category, 2015

Publications

  • Lexology and DLA Piper MSE blog, "EUROPE: Domain names and WHOIS information in a post-GDPR world (gTLDs update), co-authored with John Wilks, 29 June 2018
  • Intellectual Property Magazine, "On the ball, IP Issues for the Sports Industry", co-authored with Ruth Hoy, 31 May 2018
  • Lexology and DLA Piper MSE blog, EU: domain names and who is information - changes afoot when the GDPR comes into force - get ready! European Union, Global, co-authored with other team members, 14 May 2018
  • The Reporter: BL O/036/18 Alexander – Appointed Person upholds opposition to registration of UK mark Alexander on grounds of bad faith, Analysis and comment from Claire Sng, February 2018
  • Lexology: UK Secondary ticketing continues to be in the spotlight with publication of CMA response, United Kingdom, 16 August 2016

Seminars

  • Delivering Effective Presentations, Pathways to Law programme, co-presenter, February 2018
  • Advertising law, internal training (Webinar delivered nationally to DLA IP teams), March 2017
  • Practical training for IP lawyers working on corporate matters, internal training, March 2017
  • Delivery of training session to MBA students about IP issues, co-presenter with John Wilks, October 2016

Prior Experience

  • October 2011 to September 2012, The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Brand Protection lawyer (as well as part of the Legal Team in June-July 2007 & June – August 2008). Including dealing with infringements of the Olympic and Paralympic intellectual property rights; working closely with the Met Police, Trading Standards and the International Olympic committee; a legal venue manager at assigned venues during Games time, managing legal volunteer teams, providing training on the relevant intellectual property rights to industry including the retail industry, the ASA and to volunteers
  • June and July 2011, The Global Draw: Secondment which involved general commercial work, including drafting and negotiating agreements, and working with the commercial, financial and management teams

Additional Accomplishments

  • Providing content for and supporting John Wilks with the coordination of The Prize Promotions Around the World Handbook. An advertising guide covering 35 jurisdictions.

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