Associate Spotlight with Olivier Lombardo

• English

Dennemeyer's Associate Spotlight is a regular series highlighting our team of dedicated professionals who work in a vast network of offices spanning six continents. Get to know Olivier Lombardo, Head of Trademarks for Dennemeyer & Associates' Luxembourg office.

Early experience in technology and media has served Olivier Lombardo well in his Intellectual Property (IP) career. Working as a legal intern for the Sophia Antipolis Foundation and then as co-founder of a Munich-based documentary film production company, all while finishing his post-secondary law studies in the early 2000s, showed he had an innovative mindset and a knack for the intricacies of IP.

After gaining further experience in private practice and with the European Patent Office (EPO), Olivier Lombardo joined Dennemeyer & Associates in 2010. First as a lawyer and later (since 2013) as Head of Trademarks Luxembourg, he has exhibited a unique understanding of trademark rights in terms of their face value and the best strategies for clients to manage them holistically and cost-effectively. Under the stewardship of experienced and innovative leaders like Olivier Lombardo, Dennemeyer & Associates Luxembourg has become one of the region's most respected IP law firms. With a full suite of legal and IP management services available to local clients, we are confident in our ability to provide you with reliable protection and efficient oversight for your trademarks and other intangible assets.

What is your favorite IP work you have been involved in?

Early in my tenure with Dennemeyer, I faced a fascinating and complex dispute between a famous winemaker and an equally famous brewery.

It involved so many different trademark rights. At first, we had the upper hand, but it kept growing more complicated, with multiple potential counterclaims from both sides and other actions as we dug deeper into the case. It became very much like a game of chess, always having to plan a step ahead of our counterpart. Ultimately, our argument won out, and we brought the matter to a satisfactory conclusion.

What is the most challenging issue you have come across in your area of IP?

That was the most challenging case, mainly because it was right at the start of my Dennemeyer career. In my current role, I do not focus on casework anymore but much more on helping customers reduce their spending on managing trademarks and other IP assets.

As each client has their own particularities, the challenges are continuous, although they share the same necessity to deal more and more with limited budgets. Combining the best of our digital instruments and legal expertise, we are eager to help them face this challenge. That means developing solutions like our new trademark filing app that simplify processes and workflows for more efficient work at lower costs.

How do you define success?

For me, success is when you turn a complex problem into a simple solution.

What are three words you would use to describe Dennemeyer & Associates' Luxembourg office?

I would say motivating, progressive and multicultural. Among them, the multiculturalism of our Luxembourg office might be the most important one, as I consider it the breeding ground of our motivating and progressive work ethic.

What is the most important trend you see in IP today?

Digitalization and artificial intelligence applications already affect our daily lives and have led to digital transformation in many industries. IP is no different, and the sector is transforming with tremendous speed. Dennemeyer has always been a forerunner in this regard, launching its first IP management software back in the '90s. Since then, we have been continuously developing technological solutions to help IP professionals save time and money without compromising the quality of service.

What is your optimal career outside of the legal or IP profession?

I have spent so much time focusing on the intangible throughout my career; one day, it would be great to go back to the tangible and create things with my own two hands. I would enjoy woodwork, especially shaping wooden musical instruments such as my own guitars.

What is something people might be surprised to learn about you?

I have always been a football fan, supporting Olympique de Marseille, and I am lucky enough to have lived this passion about as up-close as any fan could. As a French football commentator, I covered for more than 10 years as a side job some of the most important competitions in the sport — Champions League, Euro Cup, Europa League and even the World Cup. Traveling to Germany or South Africa to experience some of the biggest football competitions firsthand and commenting on those games on-site was a fantastic experience. "Gooooaaaallll for France!!!"