Joanne van Harmelen
Location
Cape Town, South Africa

Joanne van Harmelen

About

Dr. Joanne van Harmelen is a qualified attorney with over 15 years of experience in the legal profession. She specialises in patent filing and prosecution in the biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and chemicals sectors as well as advising clients on related regulatory and IP commercial matters.

Joanne’s approach to advising clients is to consider holistically the commercial and intellectual property aspects of the clients’ business. Her expertise extends to the assessment of the patentability of inventions, preparation and filing of patent...

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Practice Area(s)

  • Life sciences and biotechnology
  • Chemicals and pharmaceuticals
  • Plant breeders’ rights
  • IP commercial matters
  • Life sciences and publicly financed research regulatory matters

ACADEMIC
List of academic qualification(s) including institution and year of completion:

  • PhD, Medical Microbiology – University of Cape Town | 1999
  • BSc (Honours) – Rhodes University | 1992
  • BSc – Rhodes University | 1993
  • LLB – Unisa | 2008

QUALIFICATIONS
List of professional qualification(s):

  • Admitted Attorney | 2009
  • Patent Attorney | 2009

CREDENTIALS
Joanne is a member of the following professional institutions:

  • SAIIPL – South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law (fellow)
  • LESI – Licensing Executives Society International (co-Chair of Life Sciences Committee)
  • LES South Africa – Licensing Executives Society South Africa (vice-President of the board)
  • AIPPI (Association Internationale pour la Protection de la Propriété Intellectuelle)
Joanne van Harmelen News & Podcasts
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news

US Patent and Trademark Office notably increases patent application fees from 19 January 2025

The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has published that there will be notable increases in some of its patent application fees as from 19 January 2025.  Since South African patent applicants ge...

FIRM NEWSJoanne van HarmelenPieter VisagieTrade Marks
news

NEWSFLASH: WIPO ADOPTS TREATY ON BIOPROSPECTING, TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE

While South Africa has been understandably caught up in election fever, a quietly momentous event has taken place in Geneva. On 24 March 2024, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) membe...

Intellectual PropertyJoanne van HarmelenPatentsThomas Schmidt
news

Adams & Adams strengthens patent team with new appointments.

Adams & Adams is very pleased to announce two new appointments to their patent team, which will further enhance the firm’s highly regarded patent, design and Plant Breeder’s Rights(PBR) legal ...

Adams NewsJoanne van HarmelenThomas Schmidt