Our People Rebecca Anderson-Smith

Rebecca is a member of our trade mark team and handles all aspects of trade mark work, with a particular focus on managing large trade mark portfolios, devising international filing and enforcement strategies, and negotiating settlements in trade mark disputes. She has extensive experience of trade mark opposition, revocation and invalidity proceedings before the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO), including very complex evidence-based cases. Rebecca also has a strong track record in overcoming objections raised to trade mark applications.

Prior to the UK leaving the European Union, Rebecca acquired more than five years’ experience as a professional representative at the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO). She has also advised her clients on domain name dispute proceedings and sent pre-action correspondence relating to objectionable domain names.

Rebecca is a member of the Pharmaceutical Trade Marks Group (PTMG) and attends the PTMG Spring and Autumn conferences.

She is an active member of the European Communities Trademark Association (ECTA). Having previously served on its Harmonization Committee, she is now a member of the Geographical Indications Committee. She regularly attends the ECTA annual conference.

She is also part of the Chartered Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (CITMA) Review Editorial Working Group, responsible for overseeing CITMA’s membership publication.

Areas of Expertise

• International filing and enforcement strategies
• Managing large trade mark portfolios
• Inherent registrability (absolute grounds) objections
• Opposition and cancellation proceedings
• Negotiating settlements
• Trade mark searching

Clients

Rebecca’s clients range from small start-ups to large multinational corporations. She has experience working with clients in a diverse range of fields, including fashion, cosmetics, food and beverages and computer software. 

She has particular expertise in the pharmaceutical and MedTech fields. She manages the trade mark portfolios of a number of pharmaceutical, consumer healthcare and MedTech companies, from start-ups at the early stages of research and development, through to international market leaders. 

She also gained first-hand experience of in-house IP work during a secondment to a pharmaceutical company in 2019.

Background

Rebecca has a degree in English from the University of Exeter. She joined Mewburn Ellis LLP in 2012, qualifying as a UK Chartered Trade Mark Attorney in 2015, and became a Partner in 2021.

Recommendations

Rebecca has been recommended in WTR (World Trademark Review) 1000 2022 and 2023 for United Kingdom: England.

Rebecca was named as a ‘Rising Star’ in the Managing Intellectual Property’s IP Stars 2020 and 2021. 

She has been listed as a "recommended lawyer" and "key lawyer" in the 2022 and 2023-2024 editions of The Legal 500. 

“For pharmaceutical matters, Rebecca Anderson-Smith is the go-to attorney, who has a blend of in-house and private practice experience. Rebecca is incredibly organised and detail orientated. She is invaluable to the in-house teams that she works with.” – WTR 1000, 2023.

"Rebecca Anderson-Smith’s organisation and team management really makes the team stand out." - The Legal 500, 2023.

"Rebecca's professionalism and expertise is second to none." - WTR (World Trademark Review) 1000, 2022.

“Rebecca Anderson-Smith works well with brand managers in our company and so she is able to take some of the workload from our in-house team, understanding the pressures faced by team. She is personable.” - Managing Intellectual Property’s IP Stars 2021.

“I feel very lucky to have had you by my side assisting and educating me." - Andrew Spence, S.R.G. Apparel plc

“Rebecca continues to offer a highly professional service by providing accurate knowledge, consistent communication and also a high success rate on any infringement disputes” - EL&N London