The 50 most influential people in IP 2020

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 4 Bouverie Street, London, EC4Y 8AX

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2024

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

The 50 most influential people in IP 2020

mip-50-banner-600x400px.png

Managing IP reveals its pick of the top people driving intellectual property law, policy and business this year

The list is in five categories, which you can access individually by clicking the links below. A profile of each person featured can be found in these sections, along with links to separate interviews for some. The full list of names is at the end of each section. 

The categories:

20 industry leaders >

9 public officials >

8 judges >

7 IP authorities >

6 notable individuals >

Despite the coronavirus pandemic – and in several instances, because of it – there have been a lot of important developments in the intellectual property world this year.

Several courts ruled that standard essential patents could be licensed at the end-product level. Companies opened their IP portfolios to spur COVID-related innovation. Firms dumped racially charged brands. IP judges experimented with virtual hearings and trials – and they worked well.

The events of this year will undoubtedly go on to shape IP law, policy and business for the foreseeable future – and we felt it was important to recognise the people who drove this change, or made a significant contribution to it in some way.

This year’s list of the 50 most influential people in IP features an array of political figures, judges, in-house counsel, IP office leaders and notable figures from all walks of life across Europe, North America and Asia.

Without giving it away, the list includes a judge who wrote the book on virtual trials in a North American country, a public official who nearly derailed Europe’s chances of a harmonised patent system, and two in-house lawyers who were in seventh heaven after a high court copyright win.

It is worth noting that anyone whose main job involves working for a law firm was not eligible for the list; they are rated and ranked in many other places (including IP STARS).

The names were picked by Managing IP’s journalists with some assistance from our readers. The list is not intended as a definitive ranking, but rather the start of a debate, so we have simply organised the top 50 into five categories and then in alphabetical order.

Congratulations to those who featured this year! If you would like to compare this year’s list to 2019’s, click here to see last year’s list.

more from across site and ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Counsel in Germany, Brazil, and Colombia explain what a US ruling on anti-suit injunctions in a FRAND case means for their advice to clients
Data outlining practitioners’ hopes for the UPC plus news of two major patent licence agreements were among the biggest IP developments this week
Kit Crumbley reveals his plans at Bracewell now that he can officially represent clients at the PTAB
Counsel at five law firms explain some of the trends affecting their businesses, such as difficulties holding onto young talent
A judge left baffled by a Federal Circuit ruling concerning claim construction recused himself from reviewing the patent dispute
Mr Justice James Mellor said the problem of forum shopping in FRAND cases is likely to multiply given the launch of the UPC
Law firms should act now to highlight their credentials for the next research and awards cycle
A&O Shearman’s co-heads of IP litigation say the addition of US partners post-merger ensures the firm is well poised to tap into the world’s major markets
Olena Polosmak reveals why day and night conversations are the norm and why IP is the opposite of boring
Clients will usually stick to trusted individual advisers, so it’s time for law firms to think of alternatives to non-competes if they feel compelled to sue ex-employees
Gift this article