Gain practical insights into IP issues in business transactions to keep on your radar and plus practice, procedure and strategies in IP litigation. Gain practical guidance on conducting due diligence in business transactions involving trademarks and domain names, managing IP licensing arrangements in the context of business sales and navigating the evolving impact of AI on IP practice. Focus on recent amendments to High Court rules affecting IP litigation and mediation in resolving IP disputes. Walk away with up-to-date knowledge of critical IP issues, practical tools to avoid common pitfalls and strategies for effective IP matter management.

Presenters

Sheana Wheeldon, Barrister and Mediator, Sheana Wheeldon Barrister
Sheana Wheeldon is one of New Zealand’s leading Intellectual Property lawyers, and a registered trans-Tasman patent attorney. She practises as a Barrister and Commercial Mediator, with a strong focus on commerciality and settling disputes. Her IP practice encompasses trademark disputes and proceedings of all kinds, patent infringement and invalidity, and copyright issues. Sheana is an experienced and skilled mediator, and her considerable litigation experience informs her appreciation of the benefits of a mediated outcome. As a mediator Sheana’s guiding principle is excellence in actively helping parties to reach robust and comprehensive settlements. She brings to the table clear thinking, an in depth understanding of IP issues, and a solution-focused approach. A Fellow (Mediation) of the Arbitrators’ and Mediators’ Institute of NZ (AMINZ), and a member of AMINZ’s specialist IP Mediators List, Sheana is also the author of the chapter on Professional responsibilities of mediators, in the latest edition of LexisNexis’s Professional Responsibility in New Zealand. In the adjudication area Sheana is on the Panel of Experts who decide domain disputes in the .nz space. She is available to act as a mediator in IP and most other commercial disputes, and as an expert determiner and neutral evaluator in the IP space.


David Moore, Director, Henry Hughes Intellectual Property Australia & New Zealand
David has been an Intellectual Property practitioner for over 25 years having practised in the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand, focusing on non-contentious intellectual property protection and commercialisation. David's expertise includes providing strategic advice on trade mark portfolio management, filing and prosecuting trade mark applications in multiple jurisdictions, advising on the availability and feasibility of new brands, managing trade mark opposition and revocation cases, negotiation and settlement of IP disputes and preparing multijurisdictional coexistence and settlement agreements. David's experiences in Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East have given him an international perspective on intellectual property law. David has been active in the International Trademark Association (INTA) for many years and is currently co-chair of the Asia Pacific Subcommittee of the INTA Bulletins Committee. He’s also on the IPONZ convened Trade Mark Technical Focus Group. David is a co-author of the trade mark section of the LexisNexis Practical Guidance, Intellectual Property module.

Jonathan Aumonier-Ward, Partner, Duncan Cotterill
Jonathan is a trade mark and copyright specialist who uses his well-honed problem-solving skills and commercial approach to help his clients achieve their business goals. With over 20 years of experience, he has worked with multinationals operating in a broad range of industries, from hospitality, food and beverage, and sustainable businesses, through to technology, software and communication. He also works with non-profit and charity organisations in New Zealand and overseas. He is a highly acclaimed practitioner and was acknowledged by the World Trademark Review as one of New Zealand’s leading IP enforcement and litigation practitioners with 'a nose for commercial solutions to diverse trademark and copyright issues


Paul Johns, Executive Lawyer & TM Attorney, Pearce IP
Paul Johns is an intellectual property dispute resolution specialist with more than 24 years of experience across New Zealand and the UK. Paul is a seasoned lawyer, IP strategist, and Head of Pearce IP’s litigation team in New Zealand. Paul is experienced in managing contentious disputes regarding all types of intellectual property and related issues, including patents, copyright, trade marks, designs, confidential information and consumer law. With a background in molecular genetics, Paul has acted for clients across a vast range of industries, including pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, animal health, med-tech, food & beverage technologies, heavy vehicle engineering, fashion, hospitality, and entertainment. Paul is recommended for litigation in the IAM Patent 1000, rated for enforcement and litigation in the WTR1000, ranked for Intellectual Property Asia-Pacific in Chambers, and recognised for Intellectual Property and Litigation in Best Lawyers. Paul has advocated for his clients in the New Zealand Court of Appeal and High Court of New Zealand, as well as before the New Zealand Intellectual Property Office and IP Australia. He has conducted UDRP and similar domain name disputes before various arbitral panels. Paul also has experience in effectively involving competition watchdogs and other regulators where appropriate.

Christopher Young, Partner, Minter Ellison Rudd Watts
Chris heads the intellectual property team in New Zealand, and has a widely recognised IP practice internationally. Chris worked at Nabarro in London and then before returning to New Zealand completed post graduate studies in Intellectual Property Law and Licensing at Queen Mary College, University Of London. He gives practical advice on all aspects of IP through its life cycle including development, protection, transfer, enforcement and commercialisation. He is recognised for branding strategy and manages trade mark portfolios for a wide range of companies locally and internationally. With more than 20 years’ experience in licensing and commercialisation, franchising, commercial arrangements and the IP aspects of transactions, including business acquisitions and mergers, and financing, commercial IP is a key area of Chris’ practice. Chris acts for a wide range of businesses from start ups and SMEs through to local listed companies and multinationals. Chris has been actively involved in the International Trademarks Association (INTA) and the International Bar Association (IBA) for years and has served on a range of important committees having previously chaired INTA’s East Asia Pacific Famous Marks subcommittee, and he has served on the Parallel Imports Committee, Internet Committee and the Asia Pacific Global Advisory Council. Chris is currently a co-chair of the Asia Pacific subcommittee of the Bulletin Committee.


Kate Wilson. IP Strategist, James & Wells
Kate Wilson is an internationally recognised IP strategist and registered patent attorney (New Zealand and Australia), with deep expertise across patents, intangible assets, and organisational IP capability. A former founding partner of James & Wells, she has advised many of New Zealand’s leading innovative companies and built extensive experience managing IP portfolios and guiding businesses on how to commercialise and protect their competitive edge. After stepping down from partnership in 2015, Kate established several successful non‑IP businesses, served on corporate boards, and developed a thriving consultancy focused on strategic IP advice. Kate is widely recognised in global IP rankings, including IAM’s Top 300 IP Strategists, and is regarded as a leader in IP education, delivering workshops and seminars in New Zealand and internationally. She is also the author of The Hidden Mechanics of IP – Demystifying Intellectual Property, released in 2025.