About
We focus on trade marks for the entertainment and sports industries. This includes opinions on film and television titles and advising on portfolio management. Our clients include award-winning actors, directors, studios and production companies, streamers, television broadcasters, global sports brands, entertainers and peak legal associations. Apart from our website, we do not advertise. We do not appear in legal guides. We rely on results, recommendations and reputation.
Robin Covell is an insightful practical trade marks attorney with extensive legal, brand management, licensed merchandise and media experience. Robin was previously an international brand manager for an entertainment group, a publisher’s assistant and a judge's associate in both the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the Federal Court of Australia.
Wayne Covell is a lawyer, trade marks attorney, author, film commissioner and executive producer. With degrees in arts and law from the University of Sydney, he was a judge’s tipstaff and research assistant in the New South Wales Court of Appeal in 1986 and was first admitted as a barrister in the same year. He’s also practised with a leading Australian patent & trade marks attorney firm and the world’s largest law firm. In 1991 Wayne was the foundation lecturer in post graduate Trade Marks Law at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) where he also taught Remedies and Evidence.
In 1993 Wayne was appointed Sub Dean of the UTS Law School. In 2000 he was registered as a trade marks attorney.
Wayne has negotiated innumerable film, television, music and merchandising deals. He is also a foundation film commissioner for Fiji where he negotiated with Hollywood studios to shoot their features in Fiji. He’s represented clients at entertainment and intellectual property events including INTA, The Cannes Film Festival, MipCOM, MipTV, The American Film Market, Locations Expo, International Licensing Expo, Irish Film Festival, Mumbai Film Festival, NATPE and the Sundance Film Festival.
Wayne is a founding co-author of Covell & Lupton’s Principles of Remedies, first published in 1995, cited by the High Court of Australia and available throughout the world and now in its 8th edition. He’s also written for The Trademark Reporter®, the World Intellectual Property Report and IP Asia.
James Covell is our trade mark paralegal searcher. James has a Diploma in Screen and Media from the Northern Sydney Institute and a Bachelor of Arts Media degree (2024) from Macquarie University, Sydney. James assists with our trade mark searches and film and television title searches.
Memberships
- International Trademark Association (INTA)
- Intellectual Property Committee, Business Law Section, Law Council of Australia
- New South Wales Bar Association
- Law Society of New South Wales
Books
- Covell & Lupton Principles of Remedies LexisNexis Butterworths, 8th ed April 2022
- Covell & Lupton Principles of Remedies LexisNexis Butterworths, 7th ed January 2019
- Covell & Lupton Principles of Remedies LexisNexis Butterworths, 6th ed October 2015
- Covell & Lupton Principles of Remedies LexisNexis Butterworths, 5th ed July 2012
- Principles of Remedies, LexisNexis Butterworths, 4th ed July 2008
- Principles of Remedies, LexisNexis Butterworths, 3rd ed September 2005
- Principles of Remedies, LexisNexis Butterworths, 2nd ed July 2003
- Principles of Remedies, LexisNexis Butterworths, 1st ed October 1995
- Intellectual Property in Australia, Patents, Designs & Trade Marks Law, loose leaf, LexisNexis Butterworths (1987-1996).
Articles
- Is the Rugby League a Trade Mark?, deFamed, 1996, Vol 3 No 1.
- Moove: The Experiment That Went Wrong, The Trademark Reporter® (US) 82 TMR 341, May-June 1992.
- Design Infringement Case Could Have Pre-Litigation Strategy Implications, Australian Construction Law News, 1991, Issue 12.
- High Court refuses to remove Moo, IP Asia, 14 February 1991.
- Moo v Moove – deceptive mark allowed to remain on the register, IP Asia, No 4, 19 April 1990.
- Equity Access Pty Ltd v Westpac Banking Corporation, monopoly in a name; the distinction between descriptive words and fancy names, IP Asia, 8 February 1990.
- Design registration case could have pre-litigation strategy implications, World Intellectual Property Report, December 1989.
- Pre-litigation contracts may offend public policy, IP Asia, November 1989.
- Use of Crocodile Dundee – likeness in advertising was passing off, World Intellectual Property Report, September 1989.
- Copyright and Integrated Circuits Legislation Passed, IP Asia, July 1989.
- Copyright Amendment Act is passed by parliament, World Intellectual Property Report, July 1989.
- Moo Removed – NSW Dairy Corporation v Murray-Goulburn Co-operative, IP Asia, 25 May 1989.
- Fundamental Issues: What is a trademark? What is the real policy and intent of the Trade Marks Act – Riv-o-land Marble v Settef, IP Asia, 21 April 1989.
- Section 52: Can you afford to ignore it, Law Society Journal, 1987, Vol 25 No 9, October 1987.
- The New Right and the Constitution, Reform, January 1987.
- Land Inquiry Certificates and Vendor Disclosure, Law Society Journal, p 76, Vol 24 No 11, December 1986.
Journal and reports
- Contributing Editor, Federal Court Reporter 1987-1991.
- Contributing Editor, Gazette of Law & Journalism, 1988.
- Head note contributor, 1989-1994, Intellectual Property Reports, Butterworths.