KatarinaKlaric.jpg

Katarina Klaric

katarina.klaric@stephens.com.au

Katarina is a graduate of Monash University in Arts and Law. She was admitted to practice as a barrister and solicitor in 1983. In 1986 and 1987 she studied International Franchising and International Licensing of Intellectual Property Rights, at the Centre of Commercial Studies, Queen Mary College, University of London. She completed a Masters of Law degree at Monash University in 1993, focusing on intellectual property and international trade and investment.

In 1999, Katarina undertook WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Centre training for intellectual property mediators in New York. In 2000 Katarina participated in the US State Department E-Commerce and Intellectual Property Program which involved a study of intellectual property, e-commerce entertainment and media issues in the United States. Katarina is also a graduate of the Australian Insitute of Company Directors, having completed the AICD Company Director's Course in 2009.

Since 1989, Katarina has been a partner at Stephens Lawyers. Katarina is skilled in both litigation and commercial business transactions. Katarina's practice is predominantly in the areas of:

  • Intellectual Property Law
  • Technology / Biotechnology Law
  • Media / Defamation Law
  • Competition and Consumer Law
  • Privacy
  • Franchising
  • International Trade.

As a litigator Katarina has been involved in leading cases involving intellectual property infringement, contravention of the Trade Practices Act and complex commercial issues.

She was a member of the legal team that represented Autodesk Inc. and Autodesk Australia before the High Court of Australia. This was the first case in Australia where the High Court had to consider whether amendments made to the Copyright Act altered protection to computer programs as a literary work. She represented Data Access Corporation in the High Court appeal relating to copyright in programming languages.

She is profiled in "An International Who's Who of Franchise Lawyers" and "The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers" published by Law Business Research. Katarina is a former member of the Editorial Panel for the "Australian Computer Commentary - The Monthly Computer Business and Law Review". She is a former member of the Editorial Board for Intellectual Property Forum , the official Journal of the Intellectual Property Society of Australia and New Zealand Inc, which she was the editor of from 1997-2002.

Katarina was a member of the Board of The Mental Health Research Institute (MHRI) and the Institutes' Intellectual Property and Commercialisation Committee, Audit and Risk Management and Project Development Committees.

Katarina is also a member of the following professional organisation:

  • Law Institute of Victoria
  • Intellectual Property Society of Australian and New Zealand
  • Australian Institute of Company Directors
  • International Bar Association
  • International Trade Mark Association (Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law and International Franchising Sections and the Asian Pacific Forum)
  • American Bar Association (Communications Law, Franchising, International Law and Intellectual Property Law Sections)
  • Franchise Council of Australia Legal Committee