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 who has had extensive involvement in drafting and prosecuting patent applications, litigation and commercialisation, Ceri is often called on to provide companies with a high level overview of their business from an IP perspective, and develop innovation policies and IP strategies to fit the business objectives of the enterprise.
He is frequently published in journals, newspapers and magazines where he exposes the problems faced by innovative businesses, calls for change in government policy, and generates discussion on increasing innovation efficiency.
These days much of Ceri’s practice focusses on developing brands and trade mark ownership strategies for clients, clearing trade marks for use, and registering them in New Zealand and worldwide. He advises on trade mark conflict and enforcement issues, with a broad range of industry expertise. Over the last ten years Ceri has focused a lot of his attention on understanding the laws, practices and business environments in New Zealand’s key Asian trading partners and building strong connections with colleagues in Asia who can help James & Wells’s clients do business better in Asia.
In his spare time, Ceri can be found in the outdoors skiing, golfing, surfing, fishing, scuba diving and boating. These activities, fortunately, offset his passion for good food, cold beer and great wine.
