Creative Industries

Our creative industries experts regularly advise global names on licensing, due diligence, infringement advice, and intellectual property commercialisation.

Creative industries expertise

Our creative industries experts regularly advise on licensing, due diligence, infringement advice, and intellectual property commercialisation.

James & Wells has an experienced team of Creative Industries specialists, with hands-on experience in complex areas.

The Creative Industries team can help you with everything from advice on licensing to defending your rights in court. We have a long and established reputation in intellectual property – it’s why the big names in Australasia trust us to protect their IP.

Meet our experts

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Partner

Mark Williams

Mark is a Registered Australian Trade Mark Attorney and leads the James & Wells trade mark team in Australia. Mark specialises in both contentious and non-contentious trade mark work including trade mark clearance searching, infringement advice, filing and prosecution of…

Partner

Jennifer Lucas

Jennifer Lucas is a Partner in our Auckland office, with over 15 years’ experience in patent drafting and prosecution across multiple jurisdictions. She has experience working with a wide range of industry sectors, including human and veterinary medical devices across…

Partner

Ceri Wells

Ceri is a founding partner of James & Wells, a past president of the New Zealand Institute of Patent Attorneys, an experienced patent and trade mark attorney, and an outspoken champion of innovation. As an experienced lawyer and patent attorney…

Partner

Ben Cain

Ben is passionate about the creation and protection of IP rights and the role IP plays in generating and furthering economic success. Having spent over 14 years as a professional marketer and brand design manager before qualifying as a lawyer…

Partner

Jason Wach

Jason is an experienced intellectual property litigator. He has an extensive background in acting for local and international businesses and assisting them with the enforcement of intellectual property rights. He has appeared as counsel and assisted senior counsel in all…

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Insights & Resources

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All the law is not in a book – the perils of overreach

At the right, forestage, a desk. This is Mr Alfieri’s law office. These are the only stage directions that the lawyer’s office warrants in Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge: a desk, nothing more, nothing less. The law, after all, is a simple thing that can be understood in black and white. Either something...

Trade marks

Ferrari successfully defends its TESTAROSSA registration: lessons for us mere mortals

In an earlier article https://www.jamesandwells.com/nz/open-slather-on-automotive-style-icons/ I reported on JLR’s unsuccessful attempts to register the shape of the original Land Rover Defender as a trade mark. I also commented on Ferrari’s loss of a shape trade mark registration for the iconic 250 GTO. In more positive news, Ferrari has had some success in maintaining a registration...

IP update

Update to Non-Use Cancellation Proceedings in China

As part of the examination process of trade mark applications in China, non-use cancellation proceedings are a relatively inexpensive option which trade mark applicants can use to overcome the citation of prior trade mark registrations against their application. This article reviews an important change to non-use cancellation proceedings in China which applicants should be aware...

News

James & Wells and seven New Zealand IP practitioners recognised by IP STARS 2025

We are delighted to share that James and Wells has been ranked Tier 1 for patent prosecution and patent disputes and Tier 1 for trade mark prosecution and Tier 2 for trade mark disputes in New Zealand by IP STARS 2025. We are equally delighted to share that the following seven leading James & Wells...

Trade marks

“Once the cat is out of the bag”: key considerations for the AS EVER trade mark in Australia and New Zealand”

“The cat is out of the bag”, says Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who recently announced the rebranding of her business ‘American Riviera Orchard’ to “As Ever”, before any products are available for sale. Meghan explained the rebranding, saying the original name limited her to “things that were just manufactured and grown in this area.”...

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How we can help

Trade Marks

Licensing & Commercialisation

Enforcement & Dispute Resolution

Design Registrations

Anti-counterfeiting

Trade Secrets & Non-Disclosure

Your Champions of Innovation®

Since 1979, James & Wells has been at the forefront of innovation in Australasia. We are here to help you grow, leverage and protect your IP. Our depth of experience ranges from managing large IP portfolios for international corporations, right through to protecting the ideas of start-ups, and everything in between. No matter the size of your organisation, James & Wells are here to be your dedicated Champions of Innovation®.

We are a full-service IP firm – that means you will find everything you need to protect your IP just by working with us. We will help you with patents, trade marks, litigation and IP strategy – our people are externally recognised as some of the best in the business, and they work together to bring you custom-built IP solutions that are tailored exactly to your needs. When you work with James & Wells, you know you’re in a safe pair of hands, with a highly experienced team supporting you.

Talk to us today about how we can work together.

Creative Industries