Bastiaan Koster

Bastiaan Koster is a registered South African Patent Attorney and Trademark practitioner. With educational background in electronic engineering, he began his career in Intellectual Property (IP) in 1988. Currently, he is the Managing Partner at Von Seidels, aCape Town based IP law firm.

Over the years, Bastiaan has developed an interest in advising clients on IP matters with specific emphasis on commercialisation and competitiveness. He also has extensive expertise in the area of Plant Breeders’ Rights (PBR), including commercialisation and PBR licensing. For many years, Bastiaan served on the Council of the South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law (SAIIPL) and held its Presidency in 2007.

Apart from his qualifications in South African law, Bastiaan is also involved in IP in the international context. He is a past president of the International Federation of Intellectual Property Attorneys (FICPI) and has previously chaired the FICPI sub-committee dealing with Traditional Knowledge, Genetic Resources, and Folklore