New EU commissioners for IP portfolios

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

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

New EU commissioners for IP portfolios

Elžbieta Bienkowska, formerly deputy prime minister of Poland, is to be the new EU Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SME Commissioner

bienkowska.jpg

Her nomination to the expanded directorate was announced today by President-elect Jean-Claude Juncker.

Her portfolio covers most of the work previously handled by the Enterprise and Industry and Internal Market and Services commissioners.

Notably, she will take over most IP matters from former Commissioner Michel Barnier of France, including oversight of OHIM and responsibility for the proposed trade mark reforms and the work on the Unitary Patent and Unified Patent Court.

However, copyright work will fall under Commissioner Günther Oettinger of Germany, who is in charge of Communications Networks, Content and Technology.

The European Parliament now has to give its consent to the full College of Commissioners, following hearings in the relevant parliamentary committees.

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

After almost a quarter of a century, Marshall Gerstein has a new managing partner
Abbott winning another round against Sinocare and Menarini, and 'long arm' clarification on the UK's position within the UPC, were also among major developments
Maria Peyman, head of IP at Birketts, explains why the firm is adopting a ‘seamless approach’ for clients by integrating two of its practice areas
Matthew Swinn, who leads the firm’s IP practice, discusses why Mallesons is well-placed to remain a major IP force
Lawyers at A&O Shearman analyse developments regarding UPC’s long-arm jurisdiction, including its scope and jurisdictional limits
Michelle Lee discusses reaching milestones at the USPTO, AI’s role in legal work, and how to empower women in tech and IP
Executive chair Matt Dixon, who reveals a new associate hire, says the firm wants to offer a realistic pathway to partnership while avoiding the ‘corporate machine’ route
Mayer Brown’s role in cardiovascular technology dispute reflects how firms are pursuing precedent-setting cases to try and guide AI and patent law
Kevin Mack, Via’s new president, emphasises the importance of collaborative licensing structures and shares how AI tools can help create new lines of business
A Tokyo District Court ruling concerning movie spoilers, and a second chance for VLSI against Intel were also among the top talking points
Gift this article