Welcome to the latest instalment of Managing IP’s ‘Five minutes with’ series, where we learn more about intellectual property practitioners on a personal and professional level. This time we meet Volkan Hamamcıoğlu, founder of InPera IP in Turkey
Someone asks you at a party what you do for a living. What do you say?
I’d say I’m a patent attorney. I help inventors protect their inventions and turn their ideas into something legally secure.
Talk us through a typical working day.
I try to start the day with a bit of movement – either a walk or a pilates session. Over breakfast, I catch up on the news. In the mornings, I usually take care of tasks that don’t require deep focus. Then in the afternoon, I block out around four uninterrupted hours for more demanding, concentration-heavy work.
What are you working on at the moment?
One of my clients has unknowingly infringed a competitor’s patent, so I’m conducting an invalidity search to see if there are grounds for challenging that patent.
Does one big piece of work usually take priority, or are you juggling multiple things?
If you’d asked me this before I discovered meditation and yoga, I would’ve proudly said I juggle lots of things at once. But over the past few years, I’ve come to realise that multitasking just doesn’t work for me. I now try to focus on one meaningful task at a time.
What is the most exciting aspect of your role, and what is the most stressful?
The most stressful part is definitely the deadlines, though I must admit, I tend to become strangely productive when the pressure is on!
What excites me most is helping clients during patent disputes. Seeing things resolved and knowing I played a part in that is incredibly rewarding.
Tell us the key characteristics that make a successful IP lawyer/practitioner.
If you put the world’s top ten patent attorneys in a room and give them the same invention, you’d probably end up with ten different specifications. Our work is all about playing with language, so I’d say a love of literature is one of the most important qualities for success in this field.
What is the most common misconception about IP?
The most common misconception is that patents don’t offer strong protection. In reality, when drafted and managed by the right professionals, a patent can be one of the most powerful tools for safeguarding innovation.
What or who inspires you?
My greatest inspiration is Sertaç Köksaldı – the person who hired me at Beko and mentored me in my early career. Sadly, we lost him far too soon and unexpectedly. His influence continues to guide me every day.
If you weren’t in IP, what would you be doing?
I’d be a screenwriter or a director. Cinema is my true passion; it’s a big part of who I am.
Any advice you would give your younger self?
Spend more of your free time reading and staying active, because later in life, finding time for yourself will become much harder.
What is your motto in life?
Ophelia approaches Hamlet and asks, “My lord, what are you reading?” He replies, “Words, words, words.” That line has always stayed with me. It captures so much about how I see the world and my work.
