Tuesday
December 9th, 2025
4.30PM CET
Tuesday
December 9th, 2025
4.30PM CET
This special GDE celebrates one year of the Chairmanship of Sven Stürmann. The EUIPO Boards of Appeal reprepsent a constant European IP success story, widely acknowledged. The encounter will discuss on the growing importantce of the EUIPO BoA and its achievements.
The Boards of Appeal (BoA) are responsible for deciding on appeals against first instance decisions taken by the EUIPO concerning European Union trade marks, registered European Union designs and EU geographical indications for craft and industrial products. This special Global Digital Encounter celebrates one year of the Chairmanship of Sven Stürmann. At times marked by a revival of international tensions faced by Europe, including on the worldwide IP System, the BoA marks a major European IP success story, widely acknowledged, as it contributes to the quality and stability of the EU IP rights. The Chaiman of the Board of Appeals will discuss with distinguished Speakers and Moderator, on the growing importance of the BoAs work and recent developments that are positive, not only for EU Member States but also, for Right Holders Right Holders all over the world.
President, EUIPO Boards of Appeal (BoA)
Partner, Lexsential, Milan, Madrid, London, Rome
Professor, Univeristy of Alcalá, Spain
Professor of Intellectual Property Law at L. Bocconi University of Milan, Italy
Tuesday, December 9th, 2025 | 4.30 pm CEST
LL.M, President of the EUIPO Boards of Appeal, Spain. Sven is a graduate of Law and Mediation from the Universities of Göttingen, Berlin (Germany) and Alicante (Spain). In 2004, he completed a Master’s Degree in Intellectual Property Law in Alicante and is an internationally accredited Mediator (CEDR). Sven started working at the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) in January 2004, having previously practiced as an Attorney-at-law (Rechtsanwalt) and Mediator in Berlin (Germany). Over the past fourteen years at EUIPO he has worked as a Lawyer Linguist, Opposition and Cancellation Examiner, Legal Assistant of the 1st Board of Appeal, Legal Advisor and as a Mediator. From 2014 to 2017, he was Team Leader of the Knowledge and Legal Support Team at the Boards of Appeal. Sven has also been the Leader of the Knowledge Circle Appeal Processes between 2015 – 2021. In August 2017, Sven became the Chairperson of the 2nd Board, and in December 2024, he became President of the EUIPO Boards of Appeal. He is also a Member of the Advisory Board of the online Intellectual Property Magazine (IPM), a joint venture with the German newspaper group Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Fachverlag. He is one of the pioneering mediators at EUIPO, having contributed decisively to the establishment of EUIPO’s Mediation Service in 2011. Sven is a frequent speaker on Mediation and European Union trade mark issues, both at EUIPO and international conferences, and has published a broad range of articles relating to Mediation and European Union trade marks in German, English and Spanish.
Agata Sobol
Agata is Polish and has lived in Italy since 2003. She graduated in European Union Law at the University of Tours, France, in 2002 and later graduated in Polish Law at Warsaw University in 2003. In 2003, she obtained a masters in French Commercial Law at Warsaw University, in cooperation with University of Poitiers.
She has been a member of the Bar since 2007 and has been authorised to represent clients before the Supreme Court since 2020.
Her experience and international profile led Agata to manage several cases in different jurisdictions and to cooperate with foreign colleagues, sometimes coordinating their activities.
Agata’s focus is on intellectual property law and more specifically on patent and trade secrets litigation, but also on litigation in trade mark, design, software and unfair competition cases. Moreover, she assists clients in managing and protecting their IPR portfolios in Italy and abroad and is experienced in drafting and negotiating licensing and IPRs assignment agreements as well as R&D contracts.
For many years, she worked with – and was partner of – the law firm of Prof. Mario Franzosi in Milan, well known for IP law.
She regularly lectures for Convey, a prep course for Italian trade mark and patent attorneys. She has also been a member of the European Patent Lawyers Association (EPLAW) since 2013, of the Licensing Executives Society (LES), International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI), Women in IP association and a member of the IP and Antitrust Commission of the Bar of Milan (Patents and Trade secrets Group).
Prof. Adoración Pérez Troya
She holds a Law degree with highest honors from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, a Master’s in University Teaching from the University of Alcalá, and a PhD in Law, cum laude, from the University of Alcalá, with a dissertation on The Protection of Shareholders in Corporate Mergers.
She is a member of the Institute of Latin American Studies based at the University of Alcalá, Coordinator of the Research Group on Business Law and Financial Markets, and a regular visiting professor at various European and Latin American universities.
She is the author of several monographs and numerous book chapters and journal articles. Her work focuses on various areas of Commercial Law, particularly Mergers and Acquisitions, Corporate Law, and Insolvency Law. She has also examined the incorporation of a gender perspective into Commercial Law.
Prof. Laurent MANDERIEUX (Italy/France)
Professor of Intellectual Property Law at L. Bocconi University of Milan, Italy, Member of the Directorate Board, Bocconi LL.M in Law of Internet Technology, Director, Bocconi Summer Schools in Law, Chair, European IP Teachers’ Network, Coordinator, Transatlantic IP Academy and is invited Professor / Lecturer of Intellectual Property Law in Universities and Training institutes in many countries of Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa. In addition to his IP teaching, numerous Publications, and IP research activities at Bocconi, one of the most prestigious and high-ranked Universities in the European Union, Laurent Manderieux is Senior Intellectual Property Expert for various international Organisations and governments. He was for many years Official and Senior Official at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva, Switzerland: in particular, as Head, WIPO Public Affairs and Media Relations, he took care of training and information for government officials, lawyers, researchers, scientists, and business circles (in this capacity he prepared training material and IP publications, and made up to 100 presentations per year). Before joining WIPO, he also worked for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) in Rome, Italy; and at the European Union in Brussels. Over the last two decades, he wrote numerous publications and studies, and undertook international projects for the EU, the EPO, UNDP, UNCTAD, WIPO, IDLO, OIF, and various Governments. In this context, visited some 140 countries. He works in French, English, Italian, Spanish, and German. Member of Fide’s International Academic Council.
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