Antonia has over 20 years experience as a registered attorney, and is currently a registered NZ and Australian patent attorney.

Antonia's main areas of qualification & expertise include patent drafting, engineering and mechanical inventions, and IP strategies.

She has experience dealing with clients from backyard inventors through to multinational corporates, but especially enjoys working with small to medium sized (SMEs) innovative businesses.  That has also provided an opportunity to hone her skills to use the flexibility of the Intellectual Property system to the business needs and realities of her clients.

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Antonia has three degrees in Chemistry, minoring in Computer Science.  As many of her clients are involved in engineering, she has also developed an extensive understanding in this area.  She considers one of her strengths as patent drafting, and years working on patent opposition cases where patent applications are challenged have allowed her to refine these skills.

She also considers herself a generalist, a rather rare breed - "Clients don't come in just wanting a patent application filed. They want a solution which addresses their business objectives.  This not only means understanding the invention, but considering how the client plans to enter the market, marketing strategies, potential future business relationships, exit strategies ... these are all part of the equation I have to consider."

Antonia has also been on the Board of Export NZ - Bay of Plenty.  This exposed her to many of the specific issues that exporters face, and is avid about the potential benefits to businesses from exporting goods and/or services.

Antonia currently resides in Wanganui NZ and services clients throughout the country and overseas.

A more in depth profile

Born in Dunedin, Antonia moved to Hamilton at an early age. Apart from three and a half years in Sydney, Antonia completed her education in the Waikato. Dux of her high school, Antonia excelled in subjects such as physics, chemistry, mathematics, and history. She also created an unofficial newspaper in the 7th form, and was on the yearbook staff.

Antonia's tertiary education was completed at the University of Waikato,
beginning with a B.Sc majoring in chemistry and having a strong computer science component. Her subsequent degrees, an M.Sc(Hons) and M.Phil also majored in chemistry. During this time Antonia also picked up considerable practical experience in computer programming, and hands on skills in building construction, and working on automobiles with friends and brothers.

When Antonia joined the Patent profession in 1988 she trained under the late Barry James who had founded the Hamilton firm of Barry V. James &
Associates. Described by Barry as a natural when it came to patent
drafting, she honed her skills under Barry’s tutelage and assisted Barry
with research, opinions, and patent opposition work for Barry’s more
prominent Hamilton clients such as Trigon Plastics, Avalon Engineering,
and Gallagher Group Ltd.
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Antonia soon established her own practice, specialising mainly in patent
draughting and oppositions, though was in a unique position where she
was required by her clients to help develop IP strategies which matched
their growth and changing needs. Antonia also enjoyed taking on the occasional ‘hospital pass’ type case for new clients, enjoying the challenge they presented.

Antonia for a considerable time performed the patent opposition work for the firm, and has dealt not only with a range of local clients throughout the
country but also having acted either for or against large multinationals
such as Union Carbide corporation, American National Can, Dow, Fletcher
Challenge Forests, and the NZ Dairy Board.

Antonia combined expertise in oppositions with a strong technical background, being intimately involved in the preparation of technical documents such as the Statement of Case, Counterstatement, evidence, and Hearing submissions.

Her wide area of technical expertise is often an advantage, with specific cases including subject matter as diverse as: interlocking building construction elements, phyto-oestrogenic food supplements, cryogenic manufacturing processes for grated cheese, floating flooring systems, electronic drench gun
apparatus, various fertilizer manufacturing methods, plastic film and
oxygen barrier films for the food industry, various electric fence energiser
developments, intravaginal synchronisation devices for livestock, etc.
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Antonia's expertise and experience in drafting in even more extensive, and
reflects the industrial nature of many central North Island businesses. Antonia
has drafted many a patent application for forestry equipment and
machinery, natural products, horticultural and agricultural inventions of all
kinds, building construction methods, automotive and aeronautic
improvements, pharmaceutical and veterinarian/animal remedy
inventions, natural product and manuka honey inventions – to name a few.