Ian Finch

Partner

Ian is a lawyer and patent attorney based in James & Wells' Hamilton office specialising in the litigation and enforcement of intellectual property rights.

Expertise

• Litigation
• Patents
• Copyright

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Laws (Hons), University of Waikato (1994)
• Master of Commercial Law (Hons), University of Auckland (1998)
• Barrister & Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand
• Registered Patent Attorney (New Zealand and Australia)

Ian acts for many local and multi-national companies helping them to obtain and enforce their rights in New Zealand.  Ian provides opinions on the validity and infringement of patents, copyright and trade marks, as well as advice regarding trade secrets and consumer protection legislation such as the Fair Trading Act.   He has extensive litigation experience across a range of industries with particular emphasis on the construction, manufacturing and engineering industries.

Ian joined James & Wells in 1991 and has been a partner since 2002 based in our Auckland litigation team.  He is also supervising partner of the Auckland patents team.  Ian has been involved as counsel in many of New Zealand's leading intellectual property decisions. He appears regularly in the High Court, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court and before the New Zealand Intellectual Property Office.

Ian is the general editor of "James & Wells Intellectual Property Law in New Zealand", published by Thompson Reuters, and has been a speaker at numerous conferences on the subject of intellectual property enforcement.  He is individually recommended by PLC Which lawyer? in the field of Intellectual Property, and is described by World Trademark Review as "an extremely smart and savvy trademark litigator".

Ian is currently the President of the New Zealand Institute of Patent Attorneys and sits on the Advisory Board of Award Attachments Limited.

What Ian's clients say about him:

Ramendra Narayen, National Manager, Cristal Air International Ltd, HRV Heat Recovery Ventilation:
"Ian Finch and his team expertly navigated us through the litigation process.  By adopting a considered and systematic approach to the infringement and validity of the patent, they were able to convince the owner of the patent to withdraw the claim.  The result was better than we could have expected had we pursued the matter to full trial and we can now move forward and grow our business with certainty." 

Len Helms, Company Director, Golden Homes Holdings Limited:
"Collectively, Golden Homes and its licensees build more houses for New Zealanders than any other construction company. Intellectual property is an integral part of that business.
Ian Finch and his colleagues at James & Wells have provided expert legal advice to the Golden Homes group on a wide variety of patent, trade mark, copyright and unfair competition matters for over a decade. I greatly appreciate their ability to investigate the background, analyse complex legal issues, and deliver advice tailored to our commercial objectives in a timely manner. However, most importantly, James & Wells articulate their advice clearly and concisely, and always make a positive recommendation.  This makes assimilating and acting on that advice a simple task.  I highly recommend working with James & Wells to protect and enforce your intellectual property in New Zealand."

Kevin Chubb, Managing Director, Tidd Ross Todd Limited:
"Since 1968 TRT has provided a fully integrated range of specialised engineering services for heavy transport and construction industries.  One of the critical services offered by TRT is structural design and fabrication, and we are acutely aware of the value of the intellectual property which results from these activities.
James & Wells have been providing TRT with specialist advice in the area of intellectual property for over 10 years.  More recently Ian Finch and his team assisted us with a complex and protracted lawsuit regarding the copying of one of our products.  We quickly came to value his pragmatic and insightful approach to the litigation, his ability to manage our expectations and the relationship that we forged with Ian and his team by working closely together over several months.  The team's level of expertise in this area is also reflected in the result.
Although litigation is something best avoided, I would have no hesitation working with Ian and his team again, and highly recommend others work with Jams & Wells for their intellectual property protection.  Keep up the excellent work James & Wells."

Lisa Soltis, Group Technology Counsel, Illinois Tool Work Inc.:
"Illinois Tool Works Inc. ("ITW") designs and produces a wide array of highly engineered fasteners and components, equipment and consumable systems and specialty products and equipment for customers around the world.  A US Fortune 200 diversified manufacturing company with more than 90 years of history, ITW's 700 decentralised business units in 48 countries employ nearly 50,000 men and women who are focused on creating value-added products and innovate customer solutions.  Intellectual property is an integral part of these businesses.
Ian Finch and his colleagues at James & Wells have provided expert legal advice to ITW on a wide array of patent, trade mark, copyright and unfair competition matters.  As in-house counsel, I appreciate their willingness to work directly with the business units to investigate facts, analyse complex issues, understand commercial objectives, and timely deliver reliable counsel.  Most importantly to me, James & Wells communicate their legal conclusions to business managers clearly and effectively, enabling them to manage risk and invest resources wisely.
I highly recommend working with James & Wells to protect and enforce your intellectual property assets."