Vanessa is one of the leading anti-counterfeiting specialists in Africa with extensive experience in trademark and related IP enforcement.
She is an experienced trademark attorney and specialises in IP protection and enforcement, with a specific focus on anti-counterfeiting and associated enforcement measures. Vanessa is a partner at Von Seidels.
For more than two decades, Vanessa has been assisting clients from all industries and areas in respect of both traditional and non-traditional IP protection and enforcement, both in South Africa as well as key African territories, with a strong focus on regional and cross-border enforcement measures.
With a strong passion and belief in education and capacity building, Vanessa works closely with government bodies and industries in South Africa and is actively involved in the training programs for law enforcement, customs and other role players in anti-counterfeiting and intellectual property enforcement measures.
Vanessa is the co-author of Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights in Africa (published May 2020 by Oxford University Press), the leading textbook on IP enforcement and anti-counterfeiting in Africa. She co-authored the Africa Chapter of the Research Handbook on Cross-Border Enforcement of Intellectual Property (published 2014 by Edward Elgar Publishing Limited).
She currently serves on the International Trademark Association’s (INTA) Unreal Campaign Committee.
Education/Alumni:
- University of Port Elizabeth, B.Juris (1993)
- University of Port Elizabeth, LLB (1995)
- South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law, Qualified Trade Mark Practitioner (2000)
Network Memberships: INTA
