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

Cookies Settings

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

Rival IP teams return to court for a closely watched appeal over AI and copyright, but observers hoping for answers to some of the technology’s biggest legal questions may be left disappointed
Eight years after its launch, members of the Australian patent firm’s Singapore office explain its growth strategy over the past year
Lawyers at Bowmans Kenya discuss the digital blind spots posed by the transition from physical ledgers to cloud databases and digital co-development models
The Powell Gilbert co-founder discusses the confidence required to launch a firm, building an enduring patent litigation practice and why developing the next generation has changed her measure of success
Cabinet M Oproiu’s Raluca Vasilescu explains why AI is changing what clients expect from patent attorneys, where the technology is overhyped and what the next generation will need to do differently
As clients demand more flexible fees and AI-driven efficiencies, IP firms are rethinking pricing without abandoning the value of their work
HG Law was formed largely by ex Fish & Neave lawyers who left after the latter's merger with Ropes & Gray; now those experiences are shaping its latest combination
David Rodrigues and Evan Lazerowitz – attorneys at Robinson & Cole – offer practical guidance on the steps a business might consider to preserve and maximise IP value before entering financial distress or insolvency
Daniel Law CEO Alicia Daniel-Shores may have stepped into a family business, but she has spent two decades building her own vision around technology and litigation
Law firms don't particularly like saying no to clients. Perhaps they should get better at it
Gift this article