In memoriam: Sally Cooper

10th Aug 2023

We are deeply saddened to learn of the death of CITMA member Sally Cooper.

With thanks to Barbara Cookson for the following words:

Sally was a professional colleague in the way that solo practitioners have reliable friends from whom they can seek consolation when they lose their mojo, or share their indignation about perverse and totally unreasonable opposition decisions.

She was always great company when we met at INTA annual meetings or in later years more likely CITMA events. An event in London was always an excuse to catch up with her daughter who worked there for a time before wisdom or love carried her back to Sally’s northern climes.

Sally was born on 8th August 1954 and today as I write this it would have been her 69th birthday had she not succumbed to cancer on 8th July 2023.

Fortunately Sally had led a full life as a law student at Cambridge University (1973/6), Solicitor and Trade Mark attorney litigator, and extremely proud mother of two very bright and successful children she was lucky enough to see married off if I can be permitted to revert to Jane Austen style. 

While we both studied at New Hall Cambridge, now rebranded as Murray Edwards College, Sally moved in the more illustrious legal circles. Professionally, our paths crossed when she was an in-house lawyer at Ocean Software Limited (subsequently Infogrames).

Later she joined the ranks of sole practitioners and from December 1990 worked from home in the leafy suburbs of Hale outside Manchester, first as a Solicitor and then gradually migrating to exclusively trade mark practice in 2001.

A flat in Windermere acquired in 2013 eventually resulted in a full migration of home and practice to the Lake District and more sailing, swimming and running began to be interspersed with trade mark practice.

She was an early member of our loose association of solo practitioners created in 2006.

Sally was an expert at networking but her contacts were good friends with whom she chose to debate professional matters. She was a contributor to the Solo IP blog which, with the support of Jeremy Phillips, ran from 2008 until finally fizzling out around 2017 though posts on Solo IP are still occasionally read.  

Jeremy commented “Sally was a very thoughtful and caring member of our little corner of the IP community, and a woman of great integrity too. I felt privileged to know her”. 

The trade mark profession has lost a valued member who practised with great integrity and concern for her clients. She was always prepared to talk as Keven Bader commented  “I had many enjoyable chats with Sally over the years and she will be truly missed”.

Barbara Cookson
8th August 2023

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