Lewis Silkin

Intellectual Property

Senior Chartered Trade Mark Attorney

Erika is a Senior Chartered UK Trade Mark Attorney with over 11 years' experience in the field of Trade Marks and related Intellectual Property Rights. Erika has worked predominantly in private practice in the UK and Italy as well as part of the in-house IP team of a leading luxury holding group. She advises clients on branding, IP identification, clearance searching, watch notices, portfolio management and enforcement. Erika has expertise in managing large portfolios of trade marks, and in handling complex trade mark oppositions, invalidity and revocation actions before the UK IPO as well as the EU IPO.

Erika's expertise covers representing clients in contentious proceedings before the UK IPO, EU IPO and the Boards of Appeal at the EU IPO, including gathering industry-specific evidence, drafting pleadings and witness statements. She has also managed the prosecution of large trade marks portfolios worldwide.

Erika's area of specialism includes drafting and negotiating global co-existence and settlement agreements in the context of trade mark proceedings before various IP Offices. She has carried out IP due diligence as part of high profile M&A operations.

Erika assists clients in the food and drinks industry with trade mark clearance searching, pre-filing advice for collective trade marks, in-use investigations for their major brands and sub-brands including branding for marketing campaigns and other projects. She has advised world’s leader producers of alcoholic beverages in the management of their UK trade marks portfolio and in handling complex disputes, including conflicts between geographical indications and trade marks, before the UK IPO and the EU IPO.

Erika has represented leading Italian fashion and luxury brands and a major UK fashion retailer in the prosecution of their trade marks portfolios as well as in trade mark proceedings before the UK IPO, the EU IPO and other IP Offices worldwide.