Intellectual Public Property - Keeping the Fences Up at a Major Event

Lucas Robertson, General Counsel, Victoria Racing Club Limited

Fashion houses and other consumer brands in the front line of trade mark infringement continually open war chests in the name of enforcement to protect their brands and their bottom lines. In many cases, finding the perpetrators is an arduous task because they do not advertise or establish an identifiable shopfront. Pursuing civil claims or prosecutions can be equally troublesome, depending on the jurisdiction. However, the matter of infringement itself is normally quite clear-cut because the infringers go to some lengths to make their copies look legitimate: no-one wants to carry around a fake designer handbag that looks like a fake!

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Australia Intellectual Property Leisure April 2009 Vol. 2, No. 7, Spring 2009

Lucas Robertson

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Lucas Robertson was born and educated in Melbourne, Australia, obtaining a Bachelor of Laws with Honours at the University of Melbourne and commencing his professional career in 1995 with the commercial firm Purves Clarke Richards, which later merged to form the Melbourne office of Gadens Lawyers. During this time, Lucas specialised in intellectual property and technology while enjoying the chance to engage in a broad spectrum of general commercial work. Lucas made the move in-house in 2001, joining the legal team at Coles Myer Ltd, Australia’s largest retail chain. There he found himself in a range of legal and compliance roles amidst continual restructures and other major challenges for the company. In March 2008, Lucas moved to Victoria Racing Club as its sole legal counsel. Lucas has a wife and three young children. When time permits, he continues to pursue musical and sporting interests and remains active in the local school community.

Victoria Racing Club Limited

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Victoria Racing Club Limited (VRC) manages Australia’s best-known horse racing venue, Flemington Racecourse, where the Group 1 Melbourne Cup is run each year. “The Race that Stops a Nation” attracts 100,000 people to Flemington on the day of the Cup and forms part of a four-day racing, fashion and entertainment carnival that has become an unmissable part of the calendar not only for Australians, but also for a growing number of devotees internationally. Having acted for much of its history as the racing authority in the State of Victoria, the VRC still participates as a major stakeholder in the administration of the racing industry but with a focus on commercial activities at the famous racecourse. In addition to its racing program, the VRC operates a first-class events business at Flemington, hosting everything from trade shows to weddings and music festivals.

Australia Intellectual Property Leisure April 2009 Vol. 2, No. 7, Spring 2009