
"Dispute resolution head Paul Johns specialises at nipping potential infringements in the bud; his holistic understanding of intellectual property also takes in consumer and advertising laws.” – IAM Patent 1000 2017
Paul Johns
Head of Dispute Resolution
| Auckland
Baldwins Law Limited
Paul leads Baldwins’ Dispute Resolution team, assisting clients to effectively handle contentious intellectual property issues.
Paul advises clients on actual or potential legal disputes, including in relation to registered intellectual property rights, copyright, and consumer and marketing law. He helps his clients to develop and implement appropriate strategies to effectively manage and resolve disputes, whether by negotiation, litigation or other dispute resolution methods.
Paul appears on behalf of his clients in the Courts and in intellectual property office hearings. Though based in our Auckland office, Paul travels regularly to work with clients in Wellington and Christchurch.
Paul has more than 18 years’ experience in intellectual property disputes, including five years at a leading general commercial firm in New Zealand and at a major international firm based in London.
Paul enjoys meeting a diverse variety of people, whether through his work across various industries, over a nice meal with a glass of beer or wine, or when he finds the time to indulge in his passion for travel.
Expertise
- Appearing as counsel in courts and tribunals
- Enforcement of trade marks, patents, registered designs and copyright
- Consumer law, Fair Trading Act and passing off
- Licensing and other contractual disputes
- Border protection and anti-counterfeiting measures
- Oppositions, revocations, invalidity actions for trade marks and patents
- Domain name disputes
- Social media and e-commerce complaints
Qualifications
- Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of
New Zealand - Solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales
- Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales
- 2000 Bachelor of Laws (Hons), University of Otago
- 2000 Bachelor of Science, University of Otago
Publications & Citations
Publications
- LexisNexis Practical Guidance – NZ Intellectual Property (co-author)
Notable Cases
- Hoyle v Hoyle [2016] NZHC 3120; [2017] NZCA 516; [2017] NZHC 1922
- Red Bull New Zealand Ltd v Drink Red Ltd [2016] NZHC 531
- Diver v Loktronic Industries Ltd [2012] NZCA 131; [2012] 2 NZLR 388; (2012) 10 NZBLC 99-707
- Luxottica Retail New Zealand Limited v Specsavers New Zealand Limited HC Auckland CIV 2010-404-5439 [2011] NZHC 596
Articles by Paul Johns
- 31 10 2019Using the names of deceased celebrities as trade marks: Touching tribute or tantamount to theft?
- 10 06 2019The risky business of streaming devices: New Zealand Courts find against providers of Kodi boxes
- 30 11 2018Copyright Act Review – Issues Paper released
- 26 06 2018HelloFresh vs MyFoodBag’s ‘Fresh Start’ trademark issue not clear cut
- 11 04 2018Countering Counterfeiting: Current problems and solutions for e-commerce piracy
- 01 12 2017SKY TV battles pirates: draft website-blocking application released by SKY
- 15 11 2017What does the renegotiated TPPA mean for intellectual property laws in New Zealand?
- 09 11 2017A well 'crafted' brand: growth in craft beer industry sees increase in trade mark registrations
- 30 10 2017Eight Mile Style v New Zealand National Party: National 'Loses itself' to Eminem in copyright case
- 22 02 2017Megaupload executives still eligible for extradition: summary of latest decision in Dotcom case
- 22 07 2016Kanye West ‘Waits’ to be sued amidst Taylor Swift 'Famous' controversy
- 13 06 2016Ed Sheeran the latest target of copyright lawsuit
- 25 05 2016New Zealand's TPPA Amendment Bill: further copyright law amendments
- 17 05 2016New Zealand's TPPA Amendment Bill: extension of copyright term
- 16 05 2016Chinese company takes a bite out of Apple: Apple loses IPHONE trade mark battle
- 22 04 2016Google writes history: The end of "Authors Guild v. Google"
- 18 03 2016Wild West of Instagram: The Quick (#Repost) and the Dead (Copyright)
- 02 02 2016My Other Bag’s a Parody… Judge encourages Louis Vuitton to have a sense of humour
- 29 09 2015“Good Morning” to “Happy Birthday”: Why its Lyrics Might No Longer Be Copyrighted
- 29 05 2015Passing off in the UK, Australia and New Zealand: A divergence in criteria
- 10 03 2015Out on the Second Strike: Copyright Tribunal Refuses Order for Payment