About Caroline Ryan
Caroline has over 20 years’ experience advising on all aspects of intellectual property law, and has acted in successful office actions and court proceedings involving patent, trade mark and copyright infringement, misuse of confidential information, misleading and deceptive conduct, and passing off.
She works with clients from research, technology and brand-based industries, spanning associations to multinationals; and sectors including pharmaceuticals and healthcare, agrichemicals, energy and resources, media and entertainment, industrials, telecommunications, food, wine and spirits, and luxury and consumer goods.
She has a wealth of experience advising on IP litigation strategy, including working within multi-jurisdictional teams, and has represented clients before IP Australia, IPONZ, the Federal Court of Australia and the Supreme Court of New Zealand. She has conducted and defended urgent applications for preliminary injunctions, ex parte search order applications, and expedited substantive proceedings and trials. She works closely with clients to develop strategies for the protection, commercialisation and enforcement of IP rights, plus for resolving disputes and managing any associated publicity. Her approach encompasses building strong client relationship teams, working within agreed budgets and achieving her clients' strategic objectives.
She is a registered trade mark attorney, and a member of the Intellectual Property Committee of the Law Council of Australia, the International Wine Law Association, Wine Communicators of Australia, the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property, the Intellectual Property Society of Australia and New Zealand, and the Institute of Patent and Trade Marks Attorneys.
Caroline has been recognised annually by Chambers Asia-Pacific for Intellectual Property, and by IAM Patent 1000, WTR 1000 and Lexology Index (formerly Who's Who Legal). She is ranked for both Leading Contentious and Non-contentious Intellectual Property Law by Doyle's Guide in Australia and has been recognised annually since 2017 as Australia's Next Generation Intellectual Property Partner by Legal 500 Asia Pacific.
Her recent experience includes:
- successful litigation enforcing and defending patents for apixaban formulations.
- acting for an Australian energy company regarding trade mark infringement and cross-claim cancellation actions in the Federal Court of Australia.
- successful Australian Consumer Law proceedings for renowned Bordeaux producer Vieux Château Certan, regarding a wine produced by Pipers Brook Vineyard that is now the subject of court-ordered injunctions.
- acting in multi-jurisdictional patent enforcement and validity proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia in relation to process patents for the manufacture of herbicide products.
- successful litigation that included defending Australia’s first preliminary injunction application, and expedited infringement and patent revocation proceedings in relation to the rituximab monoclonal antibody.
- acting in multi-party patent infringement proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia in relation to methods of genetic testing used to determine desirable genetic traits in cattle.
- successful trade mark infringement, passing off, and misleading and deceptive conduct proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia, including defending a cancellation challenge to the Scotch Whisky Association's certification trade mark.
- acting for Airbnb in relation to its Australian and New Zealand trade mark prosecution, oppositions and enforcement work, including contraventions of the Australian Consumer Law and passing off.
- two high-profile proceedings in relation to misuse of confidential information and copyright infringement allegations, including multi-jurisdictional ex parte search order applications.
- expedited consumer protection litigation in the Federal Court in relation to national television, print and online advertising claims.
- conducting investigations into products the subject of contraventions of the Australian and New Zealand Food Standards Code and the Australian Consumer Law.
- advising on complex IP protection, opposition, enforcement and commercialisation strategies.
- advising on trade promotions, product launches and advertising campaigns.