Anita Birkinshaw

Anita is a special counsel in the firm’s commercial litigation group. She has 20 years’ experience in litigation, arbitration and mediation, including at leading international law firms in Paris and London.

Anita specialises in complex dispute resolution, including in relation to contractual and tortious issues as well as regulatory and administrative proceedings. Anita has particular experience in contentious intellectual property matters and regularly represents clients in disputes in this area, including in relation to claims of trade mark and copyright infringement, passing off and breach of the Fair Trading Act 1986.

• World Trade Mark Review WTR1000 - World's Leading Trademark Professional 2021: Leading Individual, Enforcement and Litigation

Examples of work

• Zespri Group - successfully brought claims under the Plant Variety Rights Act 1987 in the High Court against former growers Zespri v Gao
• The University of Auckland - successfully opposed injunction proceedings brought by unsuccessful candidate for admission Kury v University of Auckland
• Sky Television - successfully brought claim against supplier of “media boxes” used to stream copyright content Sky Television v My Box
• New Zealand Steel - defending climate change claim seeking orders that the defendants reduce emissions to net zero Smith v Fonterra

Other credentials

• International Trade Mark Association - Member
• Intellectual Property Society of Australia and New Zealand - Member