Elisabeth Opie - International Technology Lawyer

YOU CREATE. YOU GROW. YOU SUCCEED. YOU HAVE IMPACT.

Elisabeth Opie

Rechtsanwältin, Founder
Barer Strasse 1
80333 Munich, Germany
Direct Line: +49 89 2155 8098
Mobile: +49 178 1855 227
Email Elisabeth Opie

Elisabeth Opie

Rechtsanwältin, Founder

Elisabeth Opie BA LLB(Hons) LLM GAICD has over 20 years’ international experience in the global innovation system. Holding senior legal and executive positions, Elisabeth has worked with industry, spin-offs, research organisations and government. She has extensive experience in international business transactions, policy advice, negotiation and alternative dispute resolution. Her legal and executive experience has been developed across sectors such as IT, automotive, aerospace, health and energy. Elisabeth has experience in both non-contentious and contentious matters.

Elisabeth has received a number of awards in the field of international science and technology, including Business and Strategy Excellence Awards, and was the inaugural Global Research Alliance Fellow. She has appeared in the IAM Strategy 300 Global Leaders since 2020 and the IAM Patent 1000 since 2019.

 



Relevant experience

  • Advising on and providing expert advice for many forms of contracts relating to all forms of intellectual property, in both a domestic and international context, to support a diverse revenue pipeline (equity transactions, sale of business, purchase of business, sale of shares, collaboration agreements, joint ventures (incorporated and unincorporated), IP licence and assignments, company restructure, research agreements, confidentiality agreements and relationship agreements.
  • Providing policy advice and advocacy relating to several standard setting and development organisations, including for ETSI, ITU, ISO and IEC, DVB and IEEE.
  • Advising a major technology developer on issues related to the licensing of globally successful audio technology.
  • Preparing submissions for a global technology developer in response to various government and European Commission reviews and calls for public comments encompassing intellectual property and international trade.
  • Advising a world leader in precision testing on intellectual property aspects, as part of the design, manufacture and sale of a new product.
  • Preparing and executing on a negotiation strategy for the implementation of advanced audio technology.
  • Translating the Mediation Rules of a German Chamber of Industry and Commerce into English, as a specialist in alternative dispute resolution.
 

Career and qualifications

Elisabeth Opie BA LLB(Hons) LLM GAICD is based in Munich and is a qualified Rechtsanwältin (Germany) and Solicitor (Australia, England and Wales, and Ireland).

Admissions and Membership
  • Rechtsanwältin, Germany
  • Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, Australia
  • Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria
  • Entered in the Register of Practitioners of the High Court of Australia
  • Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales
    • Solicitor, Republic of Ireland
  • Member of the Rechtsanwaltskammer für den Oberlandesgerichtsbezirk München, The Law Institute of Victoria, The Law Society of England and Wales, and the Law Society of Ireland
Appointments

Standing Committee on Standards and Patents, International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (Association Internationale pour la Protection de la Propriété Intellectuelle (AIPPI)), Australian National Group.

Legal and Governance Qualifications
  • Master of Commercial Law, University of Melbourne, Australia with a focus on international business
  • Graduate, Australian Institute of Company Directors, Australia
  • Master of Laws, University of Melbourne, Australia with a focus on intellectual property law and international trade law
  • Bachelor of Laws (Honours), Deakin University, Australia
  • Qualified Lawyers’ Transfer Scheme (England and Wales)
 

Awards and citations

IAM Strategy 300 Global Leaders
Ranked in Legal, Licensing, Technology transfer
IAM says: “Elisabeth Opie is one of the most practical, strategic and responsive partners you could ask for.” She has exceptionally deep knowledge of her clients’ businesses and she provides wise counsel that is very carefully considered." Elisabeth has appeared in the IAM Strategy 300 Global Leaders since 2020.
https://www.iam-media.com/rankings/strategy-300/profile/person/elisabeth-opie

IAM Top 1000
Identified by industry as an outstanding lawyer with an exceptional skill set and profound insights into patent matters. Elisabeth has appeared in the IAM Patent 1000 since 2019.

Strategic Excellence Award 2008

Lead counsel for the restructure of a major international joint venture. The team’s work resulted in reduced complexities of joint governance while retaining strong scientific cooperation, and the re-integration of capability (staff, assets and intellectual property).

Corporate Business Excellence Award 2005

International business (protection, defence, enforcement and exploitation of intellectual property rights), including customer relationship management, technology transfer, and marketing and business development.

Corporate Learning Culture Award 2005

Awarded for the promotion of practices for more effective learning from experience and sharing knowledge.

Australian In-House Lawyer Young Achiever of the Year (ACLA) 2003

The award recognises competence in and commitment to the field of law, along with leadership and managerial qualities.

Business Excellence Award 2002

Presented by the Minister for Science for outstanding commercial performance as part of a global team, relating to ground-breaking extended wear contact lens technology.

 

Publications

Publications

  • 'Germany's Patent law and High-Tech Strategy 2025: Implications of Recent Amendents of §139(1) patent Act for Innovative SMEs, Start-ups and Research Organsiations' 7 August 2023 https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4527205

  • 'International Standards: Helping SMEs Punch Above Their Weight' 19 June 2023 https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4484325

  • 'The Proposal for Licensee Negotiation Groups (LNGs) in SEP - An EU Competition Law Assessment, Competition Policy International, 1 May 2022; https://www.competitionpolicyinternational.com/the-proposal-for-licensee-negotiations-groups-lngs-in-sep-an-eu-competition-law-assessment/

  • 'What Open RAN's closed standards setting body could be bad for wireless innovation', IAM Media, 8 December 2021

  • ‘Bergsten’s Mark on the Law’s International Reasonable Person‘ in International Arbitration and International Commercial Law: Synergy, Convergence and Evolution S. Kröll, L. Mistelis, P. Perales Viscasillas and V. M. Rogers (eds), 2011, Kluwer 2011

  • Book Review: International Commercial Arbitration Volumes 1 and 2 by Gary Born, (2010) 14(2) Vindobona Journal of International Commercial Law & Arbitration

  • Book Review: The Law of Damages in International Sales: The CISG and Other International Instruments by Djakhongir Saidov (2009) 13(1) Vindobona Journal of International Commercial Law & Arbitration

  • ‘The Principle of Remediation’ in Sharing International Commercial Law across National Boundaries‘ Festschrift for Professor Albert Kritzer (C.B. Anderson and U. Schroeter (eds)), 2008 C.B. Anderson and U. Schroeter (eds), 2008, Wildy, Simmonds and Hill Publishing (London)

  • Book Review: ‘A Practical Guide to International Arbitration in London’ by Hilary Heilbron QC 12(2) Vindobona Journal of International Commercial Law & Arbitration Joint review by Emilia Onyema and Elisabeth Opie (2008)

  • ‘Use of UNIDROIT Principles to help interpret Article 77 UN Convention for the International Sale of Goods’ in An International Approach to the Interpretation of the UN CISG (1980) as Uniform Sales Law; available at http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cisg/principles/uni77.html Felemegas, J (ed), Cambridge University Press, 2006

  • ‘The Economics of ADR: Is ODR the Next Efficiency?’ Journal of Alternate Dispute Resolution (Institute for Chartered Financial Analysts of India) - reprint of paper delivered at The Third Annual United Nations Forum on Online Dispute Resolution, 2004, Melbourne

  • ‘Professional Development of Inhouse Counsel’ (2004) 7(7) Inhouse Counsel 75

  • ‘So, you’re an in-house counsel. What now?’ (2004) 194 Lawyers Weekly, 4 June 2004; republished for Nixon Peabody LLP (Washington), January 2006

  • ‘Foreword, Zapata Hermanos Sucesores, S.A. v. Hearthside Baking Co.’ (2002) 6(1) Vindobona Journal of International Commercial Law and Arbitration

Lectures

  • Associate Professor, Institut für Anwaltsrechts der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin International Summer School on Alternative Dispute Resolution – a joint program with Tulane University School of Law, 2014 - present

  • Guest Lecturer 2007 – Monash University Master of Business Administration

  • Guest Lecturer 2002 – 2006 Monash University Master of Laws Program: ‘Current Issues in Electronic Commerce Law’

  • Guest Lecturer 2005 Deakin University Undergraduate Law Program: ‘International Commercial Law’

Panels and Presentations

  • Panelist, ETSI Workshop on Open Source and Standardisation: Legal Interaction 16 September 2016, Sophia Antipolis, France

  • Panelist, Made in China 2025 versus Industrie 4.0, ‘Managing Disputes between Chinese and German business partners’ 8 June 2016, Frankfurt, Germany

  • Panelist, Patents in Telecoms, ‘Injunctions’ 5 - 6 November 2015, Washington D.C., USA

  • Panelist, Generations in Arbitration, ‘Cost and Effectiveness’ 15 March 2010, Hong Kong

  • Panelist, International Chamber of Commerce – Australasian Forum for International Arbitration joint symposium 20 March 2010, Hong Kong

  • Chairperson, ‘Towards Conformity: MAA Conference in Honour of Peter Schlechtriem’ sponsored by UNCITRAL and Chinese University 13 March 2010, Hong Kong

  • Panelist / Chair of Generations in Arbitration conferences 2006 - 2009, Hong Kong and Vienna

  • Presenter, ACICA Conference, ‘Controlling the Arbitration Process’, International Commercial Arbitration – Efficient, Effective and Economical? 4 December 2009, Melbourne, Australia

  • Presenter, LegalWise Seminar: ‘Protecting yourself when advising Executives and the Board – James Hardie and risk management for in-house counsel’ 10 September 2009, Melbourne, Australia

  • Chairperson, ‘Issues on the CISG Horizon: Conference in Honour of Peter Schlechtriem’ 2 April 2009, Vienna – Opening remarks published in the Vindobona Journal of International Commercial Law and Arbitration (August 2009)

  • Panelist / Chair of Australasian Forum for International Arbitration Symposia 2005 - 2010, Melbourne, Sydney, Hong Kong, Singapore

  • Presenter, Legalwise Seminar: Meeting the Challenges of In-House Counsel, ‘How to position the Legal Function as an essential part of your Business’ 22 May 2008, Melbourne, Australia

  • Presenter, The Third Annual United Nations Forum on online Dispute Resolution, hosted by the International Conflict Resolution Centre at the University of Melbourne in collaboration with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, 'The Economics of ADR: is ODR the Next Efficiency?' 5 - 6 July 2004, Melbourne, Australia

  • Presenter, Vienna International Arbitral Centre of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber and the MAA, ‘Electronic Commerce and its Growing Importance in Law and Business’ 22 March 2002, Vienna, Austria

  • Presenter, World Intellectual Property Organisation, Second Internet Domain Name Process, ‘International Non-proprietary Names and Domain Names’ 24 May 2001, Melbourne, Australia

 

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