Catriona Smith

Catriona has been practising IP law for almost 40 years, and has a wide experience of many areas of IP law and practice, from copyright litigation to IP-heavy commercial deals.

“Having worked for so long in the IP arena, I enjoy getting to grips with difficult areas of IP law and its application to ever-changing technology.  It is also important to me to mentor others as they progress in their careers, passing on the knowledge and experience I have gained.  I trained in one magic circle law firm and was a partner and head of the IP litigation group in another.  I then moved to work in specialist IP firms.  This experience has given me a strong understanding of IP in its commercial context, and its significance to clients.

I have taught for many years on the Oxford Diploma in IP Law and Practice and its predecessor, including on copyright, database rights, designs, IP as an asset, and IP litigation.  I sit on the Diploma Management Committee, where my role is to liaise between the University and the practitioners who teach on the course.

I am also Reporter-General and one of the six members of the Bureau of Union-IP, an organization of European IP practitioners.  Union-IP comments on proposed European laws and treaties and seeks to increase professional and personal understanding between European IP practitioners.”