Sakina Bounaga, PhD
"A striking litigator who brings invaluable academic prowess and specialist knowledge of science and technology to secure patrons’ business needs; she's making great strides where intellectual property meets organic, polymer and pharmaceutical chemistry."
IAM Patent 1000 (2024)
Function:
Partner European Patent Attorney European Patent Litigator / UPC Representative
Services:
Patents Patent Drafting, Filing & Prosecution Licensing Patent Opinions & Analysis UP & UPC Patent Litigation & Contentious Proceedings IP education Contentious proceedings Customized IP protection
Sectors:
Languages:
English French
Sakina Bounaga holds a PhD in Bioorganic Chemistry from the University of Huddersfield, UK. She has a Master of Advanced Studies in Chemistry of Biomolecules from the University of Montpellier, France, and holds a Master in Plant Chemistry and Biology from the University of Perpignan, France.
Prior to joining De Clercq & Partners, Sakina was a Senior Scientist and Project Leader at Cropdesign N.V., a leading Belgian biotech company.
Sakina joined De Clercq & Partners in 2001 and qualified as a European Patent Attorney in 2006. She became a partner in 2010. In 2023, Sakina succesfully obtained the Certificate on Patent Litigation in Europe from the Politecnico di Milano. She has been registered as a representative before the Unified Patent Court (UPC).
Sakina has been praised repeatedly in the IAM Patent 1000 as an extraordinarily skilled Patent Attorney in Chemistry.
Areas of practice
- Drafting, filing and prosecution of European, and PCT patent applications
- Drafting and prosecution of national patent applications
- Oppositions and appeal proceedings before the EPO
- Oral proceedings before the EPO in examination and opposition and before the Boards of Appeal
- Opinions regarding patentability, freedom-to-operate, infringement and validity of intellectual property rights
- IP due diligence and advice on licenses and IP acquisitions
- Portfolio management, advice and strategy
- General strategic and legal advice in IP matters
- Acting as an European Patent Litigator before the Unified Patent Court (UPC)
She often lectures at conferences and is a member of LES and AIPPI.
Languages
Sakina is a native French speaker, is fluent in English, and has a working knowledge of Dutch and German.
Competences
Sakina has a scientific experience in various fields of technology including chemistry, life sciences, material sciences, as well as mechanical engineering inventions, and in particular in organic and inorganic chemistry, polymer chemistry, small molecules, pharmaceutical chemistry, agrochemistry, food processing, molecular and cellular biology, biochemistry and biotechnology.
What they say about Sakina
"A striking litigator who brings invaluable academic prowess and specialist knowledge of science and technology to secure patrons’ business needs; she's making great strides where intellectual property meets organic, polymer and pharmaceutical chemistry." - IAM Patent 1000 (2024)