Joanne E. Wood Rattray

Partner

Joanne’s practice focuses on corporate and commercial law, with a specialist practice in intellectual property, information technology, and related rights and issues.

Joanne has acted for significant interests in the hotel and tourism sector; and dealt with and advised on numerous corporate and commercial matters involving financial loan documentation, securities and related legal opinions, cross-border transactions and related tax consequences. Her specialist experience uniquely equips her to advise on matters cross border acquisitions and project financing; loan and security documentation; mergers and acquisitions; joint ventures and shareholders’ agreements; public private partnerships and corporate finance; prosecution and enforcing of intellectual property interests and rights for major industrial interests and sectors. She routinely advises national and international clients with respect to large commercial transactions and everyday commercial and business issues.

In addition, Joanne routinely advises clients on transactions with the significant IP components, taking steps to prosecute and enforce trade marks, patents, copyright and confidential information and agreements, the handling of opposition proceedings, claims for passing off and infringement; licensing, distribution, franchising agreements and related arrangements; publication and royalty agreements and related claims; domain names, domain name disputes, issues relating to the online use of proprietary information; information technology including protection of computer software, access and control of digital information, privacy issues, data protection, internet access and usage, electronic commerce; licensing, distribution, franchising, and related agreements.

Joanne is one of the Caribbean’s most respected trade mark experts, and has repeatedly been selected for inclusion in independent publication, World Trademark Review (WTR1000), the World’s Leading Trademark Professionals. She is a member of the Intellectual Property Law Committee of the Jamaican Bar Association and is DunnCox’s designee to the International Trademark Association (INTA) where she is an active member, having served on the Internet and Geographical Indications Committees. Joanne has been rated by IFLR1000 as “Highly Regarded” in the practice areas of Mergers and Acquisition.

Internationally renowned top-flight commercial law firm DunnCox adopts an inter-disciplinary approach to solve clients’ legal and business problems, whatever they may be. The IP group sits within the broader commercial practice, but is by no means just a support unit; it has strong standalone trademark skills and prosecutes with poise while seizing on monetisation opportunities so that clients get the best return on their IP investment. A key contact for interested parties is Joanne Wood Rattray; her transactional IP nous is second to none. – World Trademark Review (WTR)