Michael Handler

Professor Michael Handler is a Professor in the Faculty of Law & Justice at UNSW Sydney and former Head of the School of Private and Commercial Law (2021–24). He specialises in intellectual property law, particularly trade mark law, geographical indications, and copyright. His research critically examines national and international IP frameworks, focusing on issues like trademark distinctiveness, exhaustion, and dilution.

Handler co-authored major texts including *Australian Trade Mark Law* (LexisNexis, 2024) and *Australian Intellectual Property: Commentary, Law and Practice* (Oxford, 2021). He has published extensively in journals such as the *Oxford Journal of Legal Studies*, *Melbourne University Law Review*, and *Trademark Reporter*. His work often addresses legal reforms, trade mark registration critiques, and the intersection of IP with consumer protection laws.

Handler is Chair of the Trade Marks Subcommittee of the Law Council of Australia’s Intellectual Property Committee and a member of IP Australia’s Trade Marks and Designs Consultation Group. He has led major research projects, including an ARC-funded study on entertainment rights and personality laws (2009–14), and contributed to government submissions on IP law reforms.

His teaching spans courses like *Intellectual Property 1: Copyright and Designs* and *Trade Mark Law and Related Rights*. Handler’s recent focus includes AI’s impact on IP systems and the global implications of trade mark law frameworks.