Theo Doubell
Theo Doubell, South African citizen and tax resident, ID 611120 5078 081, is a chemical &
metallurgical engineer and a qualified & practicing patent attorney, with B. Eng (Chemical &
Metallurgical) engineering degrees, obtained with an Anglo-American Scholarship from the
University of Stellenbosch, and B Proc. and LLB law degrees, from the University of Johannesburg.
He is admitted to the High Court and registered as a patent attorney in South Africa.
Theo was a research metallurgist for Anglo Corporation (1986 to 1990), and a patent candidate
attorney, attorney, associate and partner / director of Kisch IP (previously DM Kisch Incorporated)
(1991 to 2004).
He is a founding partner / director of Bouwers Incorporated and the head of its Patents and Designs
Department (since 2004).
Academic and other Qualifications and Training:
1979 – Matric / Grade 12: Grey College, Bloemfontein;
1980/1 – Military conscription in South Africa, comprising of two years mandatory military
service (Officer);
1986 – Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering: University of Stellenbosch;
1991 – B. Proc: University of Johannesburg (previously Rand Afrikaans University);
1993 – LL.B: University of Johannesburg (previously Rand Afrikaans University);
1993 – Admitted as an Attorney to the High Court of South Africa;
1997 – Registered as a Patent Attorney in South Africa; AIM 100, 200 & 300 AIM LESI certified trainer on intangible asset (IA) Management,
including IA & IP Valuation; and
Civil Mediation Certificate, 2025 (L.E.A.D - Law Society of SA).
Professional Association Memberships & Responsibilities:
Past Member of the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy;
Duly registered with the South African Legal Practice Council and the Law Society of South
Africa (Past member of the Law Society of the Northern Provinces);
Fellow (Patent) of the South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law (SAIIPL);
Member, past board member & past president of the Licensing Society of SA (LES SA);
Member of the International Federation of Intellectual Property Attorneys (FICPI);
Member of the International Trade Mark Association (INTA);
Member of the International Licensing Society (LESI), and member of the LESI standing
committee on IA & IP Valuation;
Member of the French Association for Management and Valuation of Intangibles (AMAVI);
Member of the International Expert Consultative Group on the Valuation of Intangible
Assets of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO); and
Past Lecturer & Examiner (2001-4) and Present Lecturer & Examiner (2025-8) for the SA
Patent Examination Board for Paper 1 of Group 2 (Final Patent Specification Drafting).
Professional Experience (general):
Theo has more than 30 years’ experience in technology related legal matters, with extensive
experience in intellectual property (IP) management, with procurement, protection and
commercialisation, including patent prosecution, litigation and commercialisation, valuations and
damages assessments, excluding his initial 5 years’ experience in chemical and metallurgical
research & development for the Anglo-American group of companies.
He has acted for numerous local and multinational private and public entities, tertiary institutions and
research counsels as well as various national governments, including government departments and
state owned enterprises, such as South Africa (the Departments of Science & Technology (DST),
Trade and Industry (DTI), Treasury (Revenue Services (SARS)), the National Intellectual Property
Management Office (NIPMO) and the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), Mozambique and the
United Arab Emirates with IP related matters, including strategies, policies, collaborative research &
development and IP sensitive commercial transactions, including listings, group restructurings,
mergers, public-private partnerships, industry clustering, taxation and valuations.
Theo was lead counsel in the drafting of the Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Technologies Research,
Development and Innovation Strategy for South Africa (HYSA) and in the HYSA negotiations and
contract drafting between the DST and South African and foreign private and public companies and
research institutions.
He has conducted numerous IP due diligences and valued many IA and IP portfolios for purposes
of local and cross-border transactions, SA Reserve Bank approvals, transfer pricing, tax write-offs
and liquidations over a period of more than three decades.
During this time, Theo has quantified various IA & IP related values and damages claims in
mediation, arbitration and litigation proceedings, including reasonable royalty assessments, and
advised & appeared as expert witness concerning IP related valuations, damages and reasonable
royalties in such proceedings.
He was outside legal counsel in the drafting of the Technology Innovation Agency Act and the
Intellectual Property Rights from Publicly Financed Research and Development Act (SA’s “BayhDole” Act), as well as the proposed legislation regarding Biodiversity and Indigenous Knowledge,
and has made various IP related submissions and presentations to Parliament on behalf of LES SA
and the Anglo American, SAPPI and Sasol group of companies thereon.
He is a past (2001-4) Lecturer & Examiner and present (2025-8) Lecturer & Examiner for the SA
Patent Examination Board for Paper 1 of Group 2 for the Final Patent Specification Drafting Examination for the SA Patent attorney candidates.
Theo obtained his formal, DiSAC accredited, civil mediation certification via L.E.A.D of the South
African Law Society. He has written, delivered and participated in various articles, papers, seminars and lectures, and acted in numerous panel discussions, workshops and conferences regarding IA & IP locally and internationally, including valuations, in cooperation with stakeholders such as the SA Government
(DTI, DST, SARS and Treasury), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD), the Pan African Intellectual Property Organisation (PAIPO), the World Intellectual Property
Organisation (WIPO), the International Partnership for Hydrogen & Fuel Cells in the Economy
(IPHE), LESI and LES SA.
