Pepeliaev Group appoints a new head of its intellectual property and trademark practice

The new head of Pepeliaev Group’s intellectual property and trademark practice is Valentina Orlova. Prior to joining the firm, she was the head of the Legal Department in the Patents Office (Rospatent). She is also a member of Rospatent’s Scientific and Technical Council, professor, doctor of law, and academician of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences.

Valentina is among Russia’s leading experts in intellectual property and the protection of exclusive rights, including trademark rights, with more than 30 years of experience in the field. Valentina focuses on advising clients on intellectual property matters, including the registration of both domestic and international trademarks; the use of IP assets, including franchising and licensing agreements; e-commerce and advertising law. Valentina has an extensive track record of acting for Russian and foreign clients in the pre-trial settlement of intellectual property issues, preparing documents to be used for administrative appeals, and producing expert opinions for court hearings on cases involving the protection of intellectual property, including infringement of trademarks and industrial designs. Valentina Orlova was part of the team which drafted and commented on the Russian legislation on means of individualisation (company names, trademarks, geographical indications, and trade names). For a number of years, Valentina was a member of the Russian delegation that negotiated Russia’s accession to WTO (where she dealt with intellectual property issues). The new leadership of Pepeliaev Group’s intellectual property and trademark practice will help the firm expand the range of its services and undertake larger-scale projects for its clients.

Pepeliaev Group is a leading full-service Russian law firm. The firm employs over 160 lawyers and operates out of two offices in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Our main practice areas include: legal support for investment projects in Russia; tax advice and tax litigation; corporate; commercial / M&A; antimonopoly regulation; land, real estate and construction; dispute resolution; intellectual property and trademarks; labour, employment and migration; banking; customs and foreign trade regulation; administrative and criminal defence for business. Our specialised industry groups cover telecommunications; healthcare and pharmaceuticals; oil and gas, energy; financial services; FMCG; aviation; etc.

According to the Expert RA ratings for 2003-2009, Pepeliaev Group ranks first among Russia’s legal and consulting firms. Pepeliaev Group is also rated by Expert RA as being among top legal and tax advisers in 17 industries.

Pepeliaev Group is a member of TerraLex, an international legal network, and Taxand, a global network that brings together leading tax advisors from 50 countries.

The firm’s regular client base includes over 800 major domestic and foreign companies.