The 50 most influential people in IP

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 4 Bouverie Street, London, EC4Y 8AX

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2025

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

The 50 most influential people in IP

cover-puff.jpg

For the past 10 years Managing IP has listed what it considers to be the most influential people in the world of intellectual property. This year we have ranked the top 10 in order for the first time.

This adds an extra dimension to the list, comparing the different roles of companies, politicians and IP offices, and we hope it will stimulate some debate.

If you want to take part in that discussion, please comment on the stories online or join us on LinkedIn or Twitter (#MIP50)

top10.jpg

  • 1

    top10-1.jpg
    Larry Page

    Larry Page may not have guessed he would become a pivotal figure for IP, but as four high-profile cases pan out against Google across patents, trade marks and copyright, that’s exactly what he and his company have become

  • 2

    top10-2.jpg
    Francis Gurry

    When representatives of WIPO member states met in Beijing last month and signed a treaty, it was the first significant international IP agreement in 15 years.

  • 3

    top10-3.jpg
    David Kappos

    With the 2012 US presidential election imminent, David Kappos may be nearing the end of his reign – but for now he is leading the US into a new era of patent law

  • 4

    top10-4.jpg
    Tian Lipu

    IP rights in China have developed at a breakneck pace under Tian Lipu’s stewardship; what else does he have in store for the world’s second largest market?

  • 5

    top10-5.jpg
    Kerstin Jorna

    Kerstin Jorna has to steer Europe’s unitary patent package through some particularly choppy political waters. If she can do it, proponents say patent applicants can expect to save thousands of dollars

  • 6

    top10-6.jpg
    Bernd Schlömer

    The chairman of Germany’s Pirate Party believes in liquid democracy but not copyright. Now his biggest test is to build on the Party's early electoral success

  • 7

    top10-7.jpg
    Chief Judge Randall Rader

    The chief judge of the US patent court says the economy depends on patents

  • 8

    top10-8.jpg
    Nicola Roxon

    Nicola Roxon took on Big Tobacco with a law in Australia that prioritises public health over trade mark rights. IP owners will wait to see which countries – and which products – could be next

  • 9

    top10-9.jpg
    Judge Toshiaki Iimura

    Already known as Japan’s IP maverick, Toshiaki Iimura is now in a position to fundamentally change the country’s IP landscape

  • 10

    top10-10.jpg
    Christian Louboutin

    An unlikely candidate for the Top 50, Christian Louboutin has become embroiled in a trade mark fight that could change the way colour marks are protected and clarify aesthetic functionality

The rest of the Top 50       AMERICAS    ASIA    EUROPE AND AFRICA What do you think of the Top 10? Have your say by using the comment function at the top of the page, or join us on LinkedIn or Twitter (#MIP50)

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Leaders at the newly merged firm Jones Maxwell Smith & Davis reveal their plan to take on bigger firms while attracting more clients and talent
Charles Achkar, who will bring a team of two with him, said he was excited about joining ‘one of the few strong IP boutiques’
Andy Lee, head of IP at Brandsmiths and winner of the Soft IP Practitioner of the Year award, tells us why 2024 was a seminal year and why clients value brave advice
The deal to acquire MIP's parent company is expected to complete by the end of May 2025
Jinwon Chun discusses the need for vigilance, his love for iced coffee, and preparing for INTA
Karl Barnfather’s new patent practice will focus on protecting and enforcing tech innovations in the electronics, AI, and software industries
Partner Ranjini Acharya explains how her Federal Circuit debut resulted in her convincing the court to rule that machine learning technology was not patent-eligible
Paul Hastings and Smart & Biggar also won multiple awards, while Baker McKenzie picked up a significant prize
Burford Capital study finds that in-house lawyers have become more likely to monetise patents, but that their IP portfolios are still underutilised
Robert Reading and Faidon Zisis at Clarivate unpick some of the data surrounding music-related trademarks
Gift this article