Willem du Preez
IP Professional
Having personally lived what a carefully developed IP strategy can do to support commercialisation, there is nothing more rewarding for me than to navigate this journey with others, sharing my experience along the way.–Willem du Preez - IP Professional
Willem specialises in securing IP protection such as patents and trademarks, always with an eye on the broader IP strategy, and how this combines with product development and commercialisation.
Before starting his career in IP, Willem was an electrical engineer at a large mining explosives manufacturer where he was responsible for project management and process automation, giving him valuable industry insight into standard engineering practices.
After registering as a South African patent attorney, Willem joined the in-house IP team at a large agtech research and commercialisation multinational company, where he was responsible for developing the IP protection and commercialisation strategy for newly developed technologies.
Willem acts for large multinationals, SME’s, universities and their spin-offs, and is particularly passionate about working with new startups. Most recently he has advised clients in the space of medtech and medical devices, and combining these fields with artificial intelligence.
Willem has a masters degree in intellectual property law from the University of Melbourne and bachelors degrees in electrical engineering and law.
He is an admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa (non-practicing) and a registered South African patent attorney.
In his free time, Willem enjoys the outdoors, particularly swimming, where he has competed in several open water long distance swims. Willem is also a competent chess player and avidly follows the professional chess scene.
Attorney snapshot
- Masters degree in Intellectual Property Law (MIP Law) from the University of Melbourne
- Bachelors degree in law (LLB) from the University of South Africa
- Bachelors degree in electrical engineering (B.Eng (Elec)) from the University of Pretoria
