Shearn Delamore & Co

Head, Intellectual Property

Head, Japan Desk Personal Data Protection & Privacy Laws Technology, Media & Telco India Desk

Partner since 2001

Karen Abraham is the Head of the Intellectual Property department of Messrs Shearn Delamore & Co. Her practice covers all aspects of Intellectual Property, Technology, Media & Telecommunications, Data Protection and Competition Law. She has more than 30 years of litigation experience in Intellectual Property matters, appearing in the Apex Courts in Malaysia. The Malaysian law journals bear testimony of how she has been instrumental in setting precedent in IP jurisprudence thereby establishing and evolving IP infrastructure in Malaysia over 3 decades. Abraham regularly provides legal counsel on all allied IP rights and advises on compliance and regulatory matters relating to food and drugs, domain name disputes, licensing, franchising, merchandising, commercial sales contracts, sponsorship, advertising and entertainment, and media broadcasting laws. Abraham is also experienced in all aspects of Information Technology (IT), e-commerce, and telecommunications related matters and cyber laws. 

Abraham also works very closely with the Malaysian Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (MDTCA) who are vested with the powers of enforcing IP rights under the existing IP legal regime including under Trademarks and Copyright, Consumer Protection and Trade Description legislations. Her enforcement practice focuses on crafting anti-piracy and anti-counterfeiting programmes for leading companies in the global market, as well as crafting innovative strategies and brand management schemes for global and local IP brands. 

Abraham is the first woman in Malaysia to hold a position as Board Member of the International Trademark Association (INTA). Abraham was the Assistant Secretary General of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI) and was the first Malaysian to sit on the Bureau of AIPPI. She also sits as Council member of ASEAN IP Association (AIPA) and in 2021, she was appointed the Asia Pacific Regional Forum Liaison Officer, IBA Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law Committee. Karen is an active committee member of the Asian Patent Attorneys Association, AIPPI and Marques.

Abraham is a Panellist on the Domain Name Dispute panel of the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) and a Panel member of the Malaysian Mediation Centre. She is also serves the IP Committee and the Disciplinary Board of the Malaysian Bar Council.

English, Malay

Advocate and Solicitor, Malaysian Bar Advocate and Solicitor, South Australia Bar Domain Name Dispute Resolution Panellist, Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) Past Board of Director, International Trademark Association (INTA) Past Board of Director, International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI) Council Member, ASEAN Intellectual Property Association (ASEAN IPA) Council Member, Asia-Pacific Global Advisory INTA Co-Chair, Emerging IP Rights committee of the Asian Patents Attorneys Association Of Malaysia (APAA) Project Team, Asia-Pacific Moot Competition INTA Panel of Neutrals, INTA Far East Committee Member, American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) Asia Pacific Regional Forum Liaison Officer, IBA Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law Committee Committee Member, Technology Law Committee, IBA Committee Member, Famous and Well Known Marks Team, MARQUES Committee Member, IP and GRTK Standing Committee, International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI) Co-Chair, Traditional Cultural Expressions Subcommittee, International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI) Committee Member, Intellectual Property of the Malaysian Bar Council Associate Member, UK Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Panel of Accredited Mediators of Malaysia Member, IBA Member, Inter-Pacific Bar Association (IPBA) Member, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Member, AIPPI Member, INTA Member, Malaysian International Property Association (MIPA) Member, Malaysian Mediation Centre Member Member, Asian Patent Association Attorneys (APAA) Member, Licensing Society of Malaysia (LES) Member, LAWASIA, the Malaysian Invention and Design Society (MINDS)

LL. B (Hons), University of Adelaide, South Australia Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, South Australia Institute of Technology Barrister & Solicitor, South Australia Supreme Court Advocate & Solicitor, High Court of Malaya Industrial Design and Trademark Agent Accredited Mediator of the Malaysian Mediation Centre

Publications: 

Law Business Research Ltd: The Intellectual Property Review, Tenth Edition, 2021 Brexit and Your Marks in the UK: A Brief Report, 2021 Lexology - Arbitrating Intellectual Property Disputes: Lessons from Hong Kong and Singapore, 2020 Industrial Design Rights: An International Perspective (3rd Edition) – Wolters Kluwer, 2020 AIPPI Law Series: Genuine Use of Trademarks – Wolters Kluwer, 2020, 2018 [co-author] Chambers Global Practice Guide 2019 Malaysia Pharmaceutical Advertising: Q&A [co-author] International Comparative Legal Guide to: Trade Marks 2019 - Global Legal Group, 2019 [co-author] International Comparative Legal Guide to: Trade Marks 2018 - Global Legal Group, 2018 [co-author] Sweet & Maxwell: Domain Name Dispute Resolution, 2018 [co-author] Managing IP: Monetising IP assets – Malaysia, 2018 Managing IP: ASEAN Proposes Pan-ASEAN Trademark System, 2018 [co-author] Managing IP: Asia-Pacific IP Focus, 2018 [co-author] INTA ASEAN: IP and the latest developments, 2017 Asia IP: GIs and the Road Ahead, 2017 International Patent Litigation: Malaysia Chapter - Bloomberg BBNA, 2017 [co-author] Trademark Litigation Handbook - Thomson Reuters, 2017 and 2013 [co-author] World Trademark Review: Anti-Counterfeiting Guide, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011 and 2010 Arbitration in Malaysia: A Practical Guide - KLRCA, 2016 World IP Review - Newton Media Limited, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012 [co-author] Managing IP: APAC IP Focus, 2015 Center for International Legal Studies: World Intellectual Property Rights and Remedies, 2015 Thomson Reuters: Copyright Litigation, 2015 and 2010 The European Lawyer Reference: Copyright Litigation, 2015 and 2010 The European Lawyer Reference: Trademark Litigation, 2013 Acquisition International: Intellectual Property through M&A, 2012 Managing IP: Managing IP in the Credit Crunch, 2009 Managing IP: Top of the to-do List, 2008 Asian Counsel: Employment Special Report, 2007 Asian Counsel: Changing the laws by which we work, 2007 Managing IP: Zero tolerance for infringement, 2007 AIPPI Newsletter: Landlord liability in Intellectual Property, 2006 Managing IP: Malaysia’s IP Shopping List, 2006 Managing IP: Brand Management Focus, 2005 Managing IP: Legislative changes boost IP enforcement, 2004 Asian IP: Price fixing - The next frontier in combating piracy, 2003