Partners search

Business services

View business services contacts 

Geoff Steward

 

Partner

 
 
 
 

Geoff qualified with Macfarlanes in 1995 and became a partner in 2002. He heads the firm's contentious intellectual property group, as well as undertaking a broad range of contractual and commercial disputes. He has developed particular expertise in the television, sports, newspaper, retail and food and drink industries. A number of Geoff's recent disputes have been resolved by mediation and LCIA/ICC arbitrations.

Recent highlights include:

  • acting for 1Malaysia in relation to a breach of contract, trade mark and passing off dispute with Group Lotus in relation to the use of the name and mark "Team Lotus" in Formula One, which went to speedy trial in the High Court in March 2011;
  • acting on a High Court breach of contract dispute by a former management consultant against Trafigura which went to trial in December 2010;
  • acting on a major ICC arbitration in respect of an international licensing dispute for Umbro, the leading international sports brand and kit supplier for the England football team; and successfully defending a High Court and Court of Appeal breach of contract claim for the same client by a former US licensee;
  • conducting an LCIA arbitration, governed by Indian law but with the seat in London, relating to the disputed exercise of a call option over shares in an Indian joint venture company;
  • representing Anheuser-Busch on their UK Budweiser trade mark litigation, particularly against the Czech brewers of "Budvar", in respect of which he has acted on a number of reported High Court and Court of Appeal decisions;
  • acting on a court appointed independent enquiry into an alleged fraud relating to the dissipation of oil sector assets in Russia; and
  • representing a leading wine supplier on an ICC arbitration relating to the contested termination of its UK warehouser.

Related practice areas

Related publications

"Geoff Steward 'is a crystal ball for what will happen next in litigation; he's incredibly business savvy and approachable'."

Chambers UK 2011