Katalin Szamosi

PRESIDENT, SBGK ÜGYVÉDI IRODA

BACKGROUND Katalin Szamosi is the president of SBGK Attorneys at Law and Patent Attorneys, with 40 years of experience. Her practice areas include patent, trade mark, industrial design and copyright-related matters, representation before national and international courts, arbitration, mediation and advice on consumer protection and antitrust matters. Szamosi is a board member of the most relevant IP organizations, she frequently contributes articles to the press and she is a well-known market commentator. She is also a member of the Permanent Arbitration Court attached to the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In 2019, Szamosi was elected president of the committee responsible for the “Hungarikum” trademark. She also provides IP lessons for postgraduate students at universities and at the Academy of Budapest Bar Association. She also contributes to the work of Forum, an American organization that provides arbitration and mediation services to businesses and WIPO in domain disputes. OF WHICH ACHIEVEMENTS ARE YOU MOST PROUD? Last year, SBGK was one of the first private legal service providers in Hungary that could celebrate its 50th anniversary. Since the foundation of SBGK in 1969, the world has completely changed, but our commitment to the Hungarian market and our clients has remained the same. Consequently, our office is still owned exclusively by Hungarian partners and we are extremely proud that many of our clients have trusted us for decades. During the last couple of years, SBGK and its colleagues received numerous awards and achieved countless successes, but what makes me personally the mostproud is the undoubted trust we feel from many and to see our satisfied clients after a successfully closed transaction or solving a highly complex problem. I am especially delighted that SBGK is not just a workplace, an office from which to work, but a real community. There are some families in which the third generation now works in the firm; their loyalty and affection are unbroken. It is a real pleasure that I have been able to contribute to this successful story with my two decades of leadership.

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WHAT DREW YOU TO LAW AS A PROFESSION? Traditionally, there have been lawyers in our family; my father also worked as an attorney-at-law for many decades and ran the SBGK office and its legal predecessor. Next to the family tradition and motivation, the knowledge that I acquired at home provided me the first initial inspiration to choose the legal career. However, it is of paramount importance to find one’s own path, interest and commitment. In the process of self-realization, getting

involved in legal education, professional public life, and active participation in the operation of IP organizations was an enormous support for me. It is a great pleasure that my sons, who are also partners of the firm, have also chosen this career and I always encourage them to find their own direction that suits them best, among the beauties of law.

HOW DID YOU PICK YOUR LEGAL SPECIALTY AREA? Since its foundation, our office has been a key player in IP consulting. Interestingly, even our biggest competitors in the field of legal and patent advisory have emerged from SBGK’s “umbrella.” So, it was quite obvious for me that I would start to develop my professional knowledge in this field as well, and even today I am looking back with good heart to the professional guidelines and help of my great predecessors Ádám Szentpéteri, Béla Kende and Róbert Bérczes. Changes in the economic, political and legal environment, customer needs and expectations, and the changed market environment have also diversified SBGK’s professional range, and today we represent our clients in a wide variety of complex mandates. Of these specializations, competition law, domain and design matters are closest to me.

WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE TO IMPROVE THE LEGAL ENVIRONMENT IN HUNGARY? In the past, during the legislative processes, the legislator paid close attention to the professional opinions of the legal community, especially in the field of intellectual property. These previous consultations have always been useful, although lately we see that these are either lagging behind or there is such a short time to express an opinion that the representatives of the profession cannot reconcile the opinion among themselves. It would be desirable for legislators to repeatedly involve prominent members of the profession in these processes, which would ensure that individual pieces of legislation are properly created or transposed.

“It is a great pleasure that my sons, who are also partners of the firm, have also chosen this career and I always encourage them to find their own direction that suits them best.”

Name of law firm SBGK Ügyvédi Iroda

Name of associate non-Hungarian law firm or cooperation network AIPEX

Address 1062 Budapest, Andrássy út 113.

Managing partner Katalin Szamosi

In charge of position since 2001

Year of Hungarian law firm's establishment 1969

No. of attorneys with license to practise in Hungary on Sept. 15, 2020 24

No. of partners of Hungarian law firm on Sept. 15, 2020 12