Frederick Mostert

My practice as Of Counsel at Bird & Bird in London is focused on a hands-on approach to protecting the intellectual property assets of growing international brand and digital businesses while following a strategic and cost-effective commercial game plan.

As Chief IP Counsel and Chief Legal Counsel of luxury group Richemont, which includes Cartier, Van Cleef and Arpels, Chloé, and Net-a-Porter, I spent 25 years in commerce working on strategic international IP planning and challenges including the global battle against counterfeits, piracy and infringements. I believe in deploying a variety of weapons including trade marks, copyright, design rights, trade secrets, patents and other forms of intellectual property in an interconnected, holistic way, as outlined in my book 'From Edison to iPod – How to Protect Your Ideas and Profit'.

I have also had the privilege of working with individual designers, chefs, celebrities, public figures and start-ups in the digital space. Some of my pro bono legal assistance was provided to President Nelson Mandela and the Shaolin Monks.

I was inducted into the Intellectual Property Hall of Fame, which honours those who have helped to establish intellectual property as one of the key business assets of the 21st century. I am Past President of the International Trademark Association and am currently President of the Luxury Law Alliance. My opinion pieces on intellectual property have featured in the Financial Times and South China Morning Post. I serve on the Board of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts and have served on the boards of Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA, The Net-a-Porter Group Limited and the Walpole Group.

I am the principal author of 'Famous and Well-known Marks: An International Analysis', as well two World Intellectual Property Organisation studies and over 50 law journal articles.

I am a hopeless foodie and have on occasion published food reviews under the nickname, 'The Truffleman'.