Michael Wolnizer

Michael Wolnizer is the Principal at Davies Collison Cave, renowned for his extensive expertise in trade mark law. His practice spans all areas of trade marks, including availability and infringement searches, prosecution, opposition, and dealing with trade mark infringement issues. Michael oversees the trade mark portfolios of numerous Australian and multinational companies, with a distinct proficiency in internet-related trade mark and copyright matters. He leads the firm's domain name practice group and was instrumental in the reform of the .au domain policy, serving on the inaugural auDA Domain Name Advisory Panel. His dedication to intellectual property law has garnered numerous accolades, including being ranked highly by Best Lawyers Australia for Intellectual Property Law from 2014 to 2025 and being recognised as one of the world's leading trade mark practitioners by Expert Guides at various intervals. Michael's influence extends to being listed as a leading individual for trade mark strategy and prosecution by the World Trademark Review 1000 and being noted as a global leader in private practice by the World Trade Mark Review Global Leaders. An esteemed member of the International Trademark Association, Michael received the Volunteer Service Award for his contributions to the association. His accomplishments are reflected in rankings as an IP Star by Managing Intellectual Property and as a leading practitioner in multiple other guides, including the International Who’s Who of Trade Mark Lawyers, Asia Pacific Legal 500, Doyle’s Guide, and Who’s Who Legal. In addition to his legal practice, Michael is a Senior Fellow at the University of Melbourne, co-teaching the International Trade Mark Practice course in their Masters of Law program. His career at Davies Collison Cave spans over three decades, initially joining as a trade mark lawyer and progressing to partner. He also gained experience early in his career as a solicitor at Stedman Cameron. Michael's academic credentials include a Master of Laws from the University of Melbourne and further leadership training at Harvard Business School. His reputation as a pioneer in trade mark and intellectual property law continues to influence both the industry and the clients he serves.