Owen Dean is a former partner and chairman of Spoor & Fisher, specialist intellectual property solicitors, and holds the chair of intellectual property law at Stellenbosch University. He practised as a specialist intellectual property lawyer for 38 years, specialising in trademark and copyright law, primarily as litigator. He served for many years on a statutory advisory committee on intellectual property law to the South African government and had a role in drafting many of South Africa's current intellectual property statues. He is also the author of the Handbook of South African Copyright Law and Chapters in several compilations dealing with intellectual property law. He has also published numerous articles in SA legal journals.