Sharon Givoni Consulting
Commercial & Intellectual Property Lawyers
Commercial & Intellectual Property Lawyers

About Us

Sharon Givoni Consulting is a boutique legal practice based in St Kilda, Melbourne. Our focus is on intellectual property law for all sized businesses.

Sharon Givoni, the principal of the firm is highly experienced in Intellectual Property matters. She is on a number of intellectual property committees including the IP Committee of the Law Institute of Victoria and is a member of the Intellectual Property Society of Australia and New Zealand. She is also the General Editor of the highly reputable Intellectual Property Law Bulletin and the Internet Law Bulletin, published by LexisNexis.

Clients include wholesalers, manufacturers, retailers, service providers, distributors and all creative industries. To read about our principal practice areas, please refer to Our Services page.

Sharon Givoni Consulting was established with the aim of offering clients cost effective, high quality, solution-focused advice for all your intellectual property needs.

Sharon Givoni
 
Eight reasons to choose our firm for your intellectual property needs:
1. We offer strategic advice - Our firm does not give legal advice in isolation but take your business goals and objectives in the context of your commercial objectives and budgetary constraints.
2. You pay for the legal work, not office services - unlike most law firms, we do not routinly charge additional fees for secretarial services, faxes, photocopies and interstate or international calls. 
3. Highly competitive legal fees - our fees are highly competitive when compared to other law firms and we also provide itemised bills so you get no surprises.
4. We focus on being proactive, not reactive - don’t wait till your intellectual property is infringed before protecting it. We assist you to identify what intellectual property you might and how it can be protected to allow you to gain a competitive edge. 
5. We are efficient and prompt - we provide very prompt service and believe in communicating with clients every step of the way.
6. Forget legal jargon - our letters are straightforward and use plain English.
7. Depth of industry knowledge - We advise clients in a very broad range of industries and sectors. These include IT, professional services, retailing, branding and marketing, cosmetics, clothing and fashion, food products, entertainment, coaching  and consulting, publishing, creative products and services, electronics baby products and many more.
8. We can assist you to protect your intellectual property overseas and work for overseas clients
 
 
If this is not enough to convince you, read some of our testimonials:

What clients have said:

"Sharon provides the most prompt and personal IP advise and service. Her thoughtfulness and attention to details enabled our company to be fully protected for its intellectual integrity."
- Albert Yang, Chief Executive Officer www.jasu.com.au



"As a new start up business, I required the services of a Trademark attorney. Sharon Givoni of IP Legal was highly recommended by a business associate and I was impressed with Sharon's credentials and experience. My company has been successful in several Trademark registrations due to the responsiveness and attention to detail that IP Legal provides. The cost effectiveness of IP Legal's services is excellent without compromising the expertise my company requires."
- Damian Prasad, Managing Director, Proplenish Pty Ltd


"I have worked closely with Sharon Givoni on numerous trade mark issues relating to my nutrient bar business, Slim Secrets. In that time I have found Sharon to be THE most approachable lawyer I have dealt with. Her fees are reasonable and, most importantly, the quality of her work is thorough. Sharon evidentially loves what she does and this is reflected in the quality of her work. Having to deal with so many unknowns in the world of food legislation, labelling and trade  marks, Sharon has been a fantastic help for me!"
-  Sharon Thurin, Slim Secrets Pty Ltd (Nutritional food bars)

 

"Sharon Givoni assisted us with the protection of our IP and registration of trade marks.  She was a pleasure to deal with, working collaboratively with our marketing team and handling all requests promptly and effectively.  As a result, we now have the security of ownership of a new suite of trade marks, with the process being completed easily and quickly.  I would use Sharon again in the future and have no hesitation in recommending her to others. "
-
Dianne Taylor, Project Manager, Stug Australia Pty Ltd (service plastics & metal machining company providing custom made components

 

"Sharon Givoni has been fundamental in protecting the cornerstone of our business - the “Trampoline” brand.  She has taken the time to explain the pros and cons of every action associated primarily with intellectual property and trade mark matters and has provided sound and clear advice in a timely manner."
- Jean Nankin, (Ex) Development Manager, Trampoline, October 2007 (Retail ice cream and gelato outlets)

 

"Dear Sharon, I would like to take this opportunity to thank for your prompt and professional service in registering our trade mark 'Driving Force'.  In this world of very average service and care provided to clients by many service providers, your expertise in the area of trade marks, your ability to convert 'legalese' to English and your follow through was second to none.  All this great service at very reasonable rates. To top it all off, you were great to deal with. I thoroughly recommend your services to anyone looking for trade mark advice and support.  Wishing you every success!"
-
Ashley Collins, Director, ProCoach Australia

 

"Hi Sharon, Thanks for your help in obtaining our USA trade marks to allow us to export The Uncorked Cellar to the USA. Your contacts with the USA lawyers gave us a cost effective path to get specific intellectual property advice on what was required for the USA market, and your notes from the conference call you arranged with them really helped ensure we recalled all of the required detail. You quick responses to my email questions helps you stand out from the crowd. It is great to see another business applying the same levels of customer support that we apply to ourselves."
- Brian Allen, Managing Director, Uncorked Cellar Pty Ltd (Wine inventory software and guides)

 

" Midway through our brand development Sharon highlighted a potential issue with our packaging design that we had not thought of.  Once she identified the issue she then took ownership for helping us resolve it, providing us with easily understandable advice in a timely manner. Sharon always did what she said she was going to do, so much so, that sometimes it was hard keeping up with the pace of her quick turnaround times. The logo in question is quite distinctive and whilst we knew it was essential to our brand success it did not occur to us to trade mark it until Sharon pointed it out.  By protecting our logo as a trade mark, we have not only protected our brand from imitators but increased its value as well. Thank you Sharon."
- Kirrily Davis, Aja Business Manager, Valcorp Fine Foods Pty Ltd

 

"Thank you for your professional and prompt attention to handling of our trade mark application. In particular, we are very grateful for your straightforward advice which allowed us to understand the stages involved in overcoming the barriers and securing our trade mark.  We achieved all this within our budget and were billed as quoted and with no hidden fees. I would not hesitate to recommend you to any business associate."
- Ismail Akinci, CEO, Meaningful Exchange - Translation Services

 

" As a business owner, establishing a safe path for my business and protecting what I have has been a real education and journey. What better guide could I have found in Sharon Givoni.  Her quiet, plain, easy, to understand and yet astute counsel, sense of partnership and above all a commitment to giving more than just value - truly makes her stand out as a service professional."
- Mary Dabadie, Managing Director, igroom - Men’s skincare)

 

"Sharon Givoni has provided Cristina Re Designs with professional and timely advice on IP strategy and trade marking. Sharon has been both supportive and responsive to our needs in such a way that we feel we have the benefit of an in-house lawyer.
Providing our company with fast, easy to follow advice, Sharon makes herself available and can discuss issues that come up at a moment’s notice if need be. Our company is on the verge of major expansion with the addition of new product ranges. Knowing we have access to Sharon to provide us with up to the minute advice on our IP strategy ensures we are protected adequately and sufficiently where ever we supply our products and concepts."

- Cristina Re, Managing Director, Cristina Re Designs (stationery)

 

"I would like to say I was very pleased with the fact that Givoni Consulting understood the nature of my business from the word go. Whilst I have a relatively new business, I was particularly happy with the fact that she did not charge me an arm and a leg like some other legal firms I've dealt with in the past.  We felt confident in her advice and Sharon was always prompt in getting back to me.  Thank you!"
- Colin Foster, Jam 4 Awareness, Sydney (a youth and music initiative)

 

"Sharon organised some IP work for me and was both professional and friendly in my dealings with her.  She was easily contactable and always promptly
responded to any communications.  Her explanation of the trade mark protection process was also very concise and easy to understand. I highly recommend Sharon as a lawyer and will continue to use her services in the future."

- Managing Director, Kikko Bags (Luxury unique leather bags)

 

"When I sought legal advice in relation to a trade mark dispute that involved a multinational company, I contacted several IP lawyers. Here I was, a sole trader, just starting out with a large multinational corporation opposing my trade mark. The IP lawyers I spoke to either did not want to take my case as they did not want to go against such a large organisation or just did not bother to follow up after my initial inquiry. Sharon Givoni, on the other hand, was immediately responsive, displayed a high degree of professionalism and gave me sound advice.  Sharon was always on top of things, focussed on cost effective and practical solutions and kept me-up to-date on a regular basis. As a result of her work, we came to a fast resolution and I was happy with the result. I am certainly glad I had Sharon on my side."
- Kathleen Alexander trading as “Clever Fox” (Coaching services)

 
 
Case studies

Recent matters that Sharon has been involved in or advised on:
  • Federal court litigation in relation to the use of Adwords and sponsored links
  • Intellectual property dispute in relation to the use of a well-known confectionary product
  • Advising on a matter in relation to a rip-off design of a nappy
  • Resolving an ownership dispute in relation to software between two major companies
  • Advising in relation to the classification of foods and therapeutic goods
  • Advising in relation to food labeling
  • Resolving a dispute in relation to copyright infringement (copycat websites)
  • Advising in relation to the registrability of fashion garments
  • Brand strategy advice and trade mark registrations for numerous public companies
  • Design registrations for a packaging company
  • Resolving IP disputes so that the parties with the best outcome for the client and minimal cost


Recent hot issues that Sharon has advised on:

  • Federal court litigation in relation to the use of Adwords and sponsored links
  • Intellectual property dispute in relation to the use of a well-known confectionary product
  • Advising on a matter in relation to a rip-off design of a nappy
  • Resolving an ownership dispute in relation to software between two major companies
  • Advising in relation to the classification of foods and therapeutic goods
  • Advising in relation to food labeling
  • Resolving a dispute in relation to copyright infringement (copycat websites)
  • Advising in relation to the registrability of fashion garments