Appdetex hires tech exec as new CEO
Brand protection firm Appdetex has hired veteran tech industry executive Rick Farnell as its new CEO.
Farnell joins the company following a 25-year career in the broader technology industry as an executive in several technology firms including Sun Microsystems (now owned by Oracle), Think Big Analytics and Teradata Corporation.
Most recently, Farnell served as the CEO of data security, encryption and tokenisation firm Protegrity.
Faisal Shah, chief strategy officer and chairman of Appdetex, said: “Rick is a talented technology industry veteran with a strong track record of accelerating growth as a start-up founder and senior executive at global enterprises.
“Rick’s expertise in big data and cybersecurity is perfectly suited to drive incremental value for Appdetex customers. I could not be more thrilled to have Rick join our fantastic Appdetex team, and I look forward to working closely with Rick to help scale the company.”
“I could not be more thrilled to have Rick join our fantastic Appdetex team, and I look forward to working closely with Rick to help scale the company.”
Faisal Shah
Farnell added: “I am excited to join Appdetex ... It’s a visionary in the brand protection market, where boardrooms globally, in every industry, are investing more and more as part of their overall cybersecurity and brand protection investments.”
Farnell also noted that Appdetex was looking to expand its online brand protection services into new marketplaces, including “cloud marketplaces, gaming, mobile applications, Web3, NFTs, cryptocurrencies, digital payments, and the metaverse”.
“I look forward to a bright future ahead for our customers, employees, partners and shareholders,” he said.
Holland & Hart gains ten-strong trademark team from Perkins Coie
Holland & Hart has expanded its trademark group in Colorado, by adding ten members from law firm Perkins Coie to its teams in the cities of Boulder and Denver.
The group joining the firm includes partners Craig Beaker, Alex Garcia, and Andrew Roppel; of counsel Sabrina Danielson and Lisa Koenig; associate Julie Kent; and paralegals Olivia de Paz, Giovanna Mazzini, Kristi Murray and Josh Smith.
Partners Garcia and Roppel will be located in the firm’s office in Boulder and the remainder of the team will join the Denver office.
Chris Balch, chair of Holland & Hart, said: “We’re continuing to see increased demand from clients across the globe for our trademark and other IP services. Expanding our IP services by attracting high-calibre talent is one of the firm’s strategic priorities and we are thrilled to bring on this sophisticated trademark group to grow our client base and support our existing clients.”
IP practice group leader Dan Glivar added: “This new team shares our innovative approach to the delivery of trademark, marketing and branding services and brings synergies that will complement our existing trademark and broader IP teams.”
“I—and my clients—are excited to leverage the automated technology solutions developed by the trademark group at Holland & Hart.”
Alex Garcia
Beaker said: “The strength and depth of Holland & Hart’s presence in the outdoor recreation, consumer products, and technology industries are a major plus for my clients. I’m looking forward to collaborating with and adding value to the firm’s industry teams.”
Both Garcia and Roppel practised at Holland & Hart earlier in their careers.
Garcia, who works with emerging and high-growth companies and Fortune 100 established brands, said: “Holland & Hart has a stellar reputation for its innovative delivery of trademark services. I—and my clients—are excited to leverage the automated technology solutions developed by the trademark group at Holland & Hart, which will allow our already exceptional team to provide responsive counsel even more efficiently.”
Roppel combines four years of experience working at the US Patent and Trademark Office with more than 20 years in private practice providing portfolio management counsel to clients in the computer hardware and software, food and beverage, and engineered products industries.
Commenting on his return to Holland & Hart, Roppel said: “I’m excited to rejoin the firm and work again with these skilled, business-savvy colleagues.”
Lewis Silkin expands IP practice with Belfast merger
Lewis Silkin has merged with Belfast law firm Forde Campbell as part of its plan to grow its commercial technology IP arm in Northern Ireland.
The acquisition will bring Lewis Silkin’s headcount in the city to 25 people across two offices.
As part of the merger, Forde Campbell directors Mathew Forde, Rory Campbell and Katey Dixon will join Lewis Silkin partners Ciara Fulton and Adam Brett in their Belfast office.
Giles Crown, the joint managing partner of Lewis Silkin, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Forde Campbell to Lewis Silkin. Forde Campbell has established a well-earned reputation in the market as pre-eminent advisers to high-growth-potential enterprises in Northern Ireland, sharing the passion we have at Lewis Silkin for creative, innovative and brand-focused businesses.
“We warmly welcome Mathew, Rory, Katey and the team and look forward to a successful future together and with our clients,” he added.
Forde Campbell was founded in 2006 and advises tech start-ups and large UK and Irish companies on trademarks, trade secrets, reputation management and IT contracts.
“Northern Ireland is on the rise as a real centre of innovation, with a thriving start-up community and significant investor interest.”
Mathew Forde
Mathew Forde, director at Forde Campbell, said: “Northern Ireland is on the rise as a real centre of innovation, with a thriving start-up community and significant investor interest, and as the business landscape continues to evolve legal needs are becoming more complex, and often international in nature.
“Joining forces with Lewis Silkin is an exciting next step for us as we continue to help our clients thrive in this dynamic environment.”
This announcement follows the launch of Lewis Silkin’s employment and immigration office in Northern Ireland, which saw the London-based firm merge with local firm Jones Cassidy Brett in August 2021.
Crown added: “This is an exciting time for Lewis Silkin in Ireland, as the addition of the Forde Campbell team follows our launch in Northern Ireland last year with our specialist employment practice, and establishes a market-leading IP, commercial and technology practice, building on our centres of expertise in Dublin, the UK and beyond.”
Mishcon de Reya adds Denton’s litigator to patents team
British law firm Mishcon de Reya has hired former Dentons litigator Campbell Forsyth as a partner at the firm’s patents practice in London.
Throughout his career, Forsyth has represented clients in patent disputes across the UK courts system, including actions before the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.
He focuses on high technology patent disputes in the pharmaceuticals, electronics, mechanical and telecommunications industries.
David Rose, head of Mishcon de Reya's IP group, said: "Campbell’s hire is of significant strategic importance, underlining the firm’s ambition and clearly signalling our intent for further growth in our IP—and notably—patent litigation practice.
“Campbell will no doubt prove an excellent addition to the team; his wealth of experience across high-profile cases and stand-out reputation will unlock new opportunities for our clients and team alike.”
“Campbell will no doubt prove an excellent addition to the team; his wealth of experience across high-profile cases and stand-out reputation will unlock new opportunities for our clients and team alike.”
David Rose
Aside from litigation, Forsyth also advises on patent and regulatory law, including fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) licensing disputes in the telecoms sector and supplementary protection certificates for medicinal patents. He also has experience in alternative litigation funding and insurance arrangements.
Before joining Mishcon, Forsyth was the global co-head of IP and technology at Dentons and was previously a partner at King & Wood Mallesons and Olswang.
He will be joining the firm’s innovation department which was formed in 2021 and comprises nearly 60 lawyers, including 21 partners.
This hire also follows the recent addition of patent litigator Helen Conlan and fintech and privacy specialist Ashley Winton as partners to the practice last year.
Forsyth said: “It is an exciting time to join Mishcon de Reya and a privilege to be part of one of the UK’s leading litigation firms. With its highly regarded IP team and strategic approach to growth, it is evident that Mishcon de Reya is committed to expanding its patent litigation offering into a true centre of excellence.”
Taliens hires ex-Gide IP head to disputes practice
European boutique IP firm Taliens has hired patent law specialist Grégoire Triet as an IP disputes partner.
Triet joins the firm’s Paris office from Gide Loyrette Nouel, where he was a partner for 32 years and went on to establish and lead the firm’s IP practice.
He specialises in patents, trade secrets, and trademark law and has represented French and international clients in a variety of industries including TMT, industrial and life sciences. His practice focuses on French and pan-European patent infringement and validity disputes, as well as expertise in copyright, trademark infringement and unfair competition cases.
The hire comes shortly after the announcement that final preparations were underway for the launch of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) following Austria depositing its instrument of ratification in January this year.
“With the forthcoming Unified Patent Court in the EU, no doubt our presence across Europe with offices both in Paris and Munich will further strengthen our unique proposition to clients seeking to bring or defend patent claims in the EU.”
Grégoire Triet
“IP is a fast-moving area of law and with the forthcoming Unified Patent Court in the EU, no doubt our presence across Europe with offices both in Paris and Munich will further strengthen our unique proposition to clients seeking to bring or defend patent claims in the EU,” Triet said.
Taliens has two offices in Munich and Paris, comprising eight partners with Triet’s addition, as well as a team of associates.
Jean-Frédéric Gaultier, co-founding partner of Taliens’ Paris office, said: “Grégoire’s reputation in the Paris and international markets precedes him and we are delighted he has joined Taliens. His market-leading expertise in patent disputes will further strengthen our capabilities here and offers to our clients an unparalleled experience.”
This news follows the firm’s addition of Munich-based tech litigator Peter Koch in August last year (2021).
