Vanessa Ferguson is a Senior Director and head of KISCH IP’s trade mark and anti-counterfeiting departments, with more than 20 years’ experience in intellectual property and anti-counterfeiting specifically. Her practice covers anti-counterfeiting, cross-border enforcement of IP rights, trade-mark prosecution and litigation and copyright law, with a special focus on litigation.
Ms Ferguson advises clients on both the management and enforcement of their IP portfolios, with a focus on brand enforcement in Southern Africa and a number of other key regions in Africa.
Ms Ferguson is a member of the International Trademark Association (INTA) and the INTA En-forcement Committee. She is past chair of the INTA Middle East, Africa and South Asia Sub-committee of the Anti-counterfeiting Committee (2014-2015).
Ms Ferguson is a council member and the convener of the South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law (SAIIPL) Anti-counterfeiting Committee, which has a specific focus on the develop-ment of policies and procedures, training and awareness of anti-counterfeiting in South Africa, working closely with stakeholders and government officials.
Ms Ferguson is furthermore an examiner for trademark litigation on behalf of the SAIIPL; she also lectures to university students and is involved in training with law enforcement, Customs and other parties involved in anti-counterfeiting.
Ms Ferguson has been involved in and spoken at a number of South African and international seminars and conferences on both trademarks and anti-counterfeiting in South Africa and Africa, and has published in her field of expertise both locally and internationally.
Ms Ferguson obtained a BJuris in 1993 and an LLB in 1995; she has been an attorney of the High Court of South Africa since 1999 and a qualified trademark practitioner since 2000. She is also an appointed domain name dispute adjudicator for the ‘co.za’ domain.
As a result of her extensive experience and exposure to IP law and enforcement measures in Africa, Ms Ferguson can offer brand holders comprehensive business solutions that ensure the protection and enforcement of brands that extend beyond national borders in Africa.
