Annick Mottet Haugaard, attorney at law, partner at Lydian and head of its Intellectual Property team, was formally appointed President of the European Communities Trade Mark Association (ECTA) at the ECTA Annual Conference in Barcelona on 19 June 2010.
ECTA was formed in 1980 and brings together more than 1500 members practicing professionally in the Member States of the European Union in the field of trade marks, designs and related matters. These professionals are lawyers, trade mark advisors, trade mark attorneys, in-house counsels and others who can be considered specialist practitioners in these areas. Due to its significant and broad member base and its high level of representativeness and expertise of its members, ECTA holds a privileged position vis-à-vis the European authorities.
Following the appointment of Christian Archambeau of the European Patent Office as Vice President of the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market (Trade Marks and Designs) (OHIM), Annick Mottet Haugaard is the second Belgian to take over a strategic position in the European Intellectual Property organizations.
"One of my main tasks as President of ECTA, will be to insure that the voice of the professionals, the right-holders and users of the European trade mark system is taken into consideration in the current reform of the European system", says Annick Mottet Haugaard. "It is crucial to continue updating the legal framework put in place more than 14 years ago. The system is efficient, but can be improved. The enlargement of the EU and the explosion of e-commerce has posed new challenges. A company may have to wait many months before getting a trade mark registration, but today's businesses need to make decisions more quickly. Intellectual property rights are key to safeguarding the significant investment and employment in this sector in Europe in the years to come."
This appointment will surely benefit Lydian's clients. "As President of ECTA, I will be in the front line to follow-up on trade mark developments but also to take initiatives for the benefit of our clients, users of the European trade mark system, in particular to secure their investment and make sure that the most efficient enforcement tools are put in place."
"It's a great pleasure for us to have one of our partners appointed as President of such a prestigious European association", says Lydian Managing Partner Jan Hofkens. "It is recognition by our peers of the expertise of our IP team and shows the solid reputation gained by our firm in IP matters."
Annick Mottet Haugaard
Annick Mottet Haugaard is a reputed Belgian expert in intellectual property law. Graduated with a degree in law in 1987 from the University of Liège, she obtained a year later a Postgraduate diploma in Advanced European Studies at the College of Europe in Bruges. She subsequently worked for two years as a trainee lawyer and an assistant in criminal procedure with Professor Franchimont at the University of Liège. In 1990, she joined the law firm Stibbe in its IP litigation department, where she became partner on 1 January 2000. She joined Lydian in 2006.
With her team of six lawyers, Annick Mottet Haugaard acts for numerous prestigious international companies in the luxury goods industry, as well as the automotive and pharmaceutical industries. She has solid experience in litigation and negotiations.
‘Annick Mottet Haugaard is very reliable, efficient and dedicated.' (Legal 500)
‘Great technical expertise, in depth advice, proactive manner and top organisational skills.' (Chambers Europe)
Lydian
Lydian, with offices in Brussels and Antwerp, is one of the largest independent law firms in Belgium. ‘Lydian' is a term that stems from jazz music and can mean ‘a type of harmony, touchstone or backbone', the foundation jazz musicians rely on when they improvise. In the same way, the firm wants to offer its clients a solid basis for all their business undertakings. Since its foundation in 2001, Lydian has evolved into an international player specializing in large and complex projects, with prestigious clients in Belgium and abroad. Lydian lawyers are praised by prominent legal directories, such as Chambers and Legal 500.
