Laakkonen, Ari

Ari Laakkonen is a partner of Powell Gilbert LLP (www.powellgilbert.com), a London-based specialist intellectual property law firm. Ari has a Computer Science degree and PhD from Kings College, he has a huge breadth of experience in the electronics, IT and telecoms sectors derived from his in-depth technical knowledge from experience as both in-house and external legal counsel. Ari specialises in electronics patent litigation and licensing disputes, as well as advising on general IP, licensing and competition law matters including FRAND obligations, obligations to license, damages and general strategic advice. He also advises in relation to disputes involving trade marks, designs, copyrights and trade secrets/confidential information and has represented clients in the UK courts as well as in opposition and appeal proceedings in the European Patent Office, and has assisted with coordinating actions in courts elsewhere in Europe, the US, Latin America and Asia. Advice on multi-jurisdictional strategy is a particular strength.

Ari is the First Deputy Reporter General of AIPPI and has published widely on all aspects of IP law. He is a Member of AIPLA and the British Computer Society. He has led high-profile cases such as PulseOn v Garmin, Sony v SSH, LG v Sony, Garmin v Philips and TCT v Ericsson amongst others.