Professional Experience
Kujtesa Nezaj-Shehu is the founder and the
managing director of IPLegals. She has extensive experience in handling complex
IPR litigation and enforcement matters, including representation before courts,
negotiating with infringers and working closely with the customs and other
enforcement authorities. Kujtesa also has a broad experience and assists
clients with drafting and structuring commercial agreements in general and
IP-related transactions in particular including licenses, assignments,
franchising, entertainment, and other agreements involving intellectual
property and technology.
She chaired the Legal Committee of the
American Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo and is currently the chair of the
Steering Council of the Arbitration Center within the AmCham, having an
unparalleled expertise in commercial and investment arbitration procedure.
Kujtesa is an active member of several
leading international intellectual property organizations, including INTA,
AIPPI, and ECTA, and regularly contributes to committees and publications on a
wide range of intellectual property topics.
Kujtesa has continuously been recognized
by the IP community as an expert in this field. Various ranking organizations
for the legal industry, such as WTR 1000 rankings have ranked her in the highest-ranking
tiers for her professional achievements for many years.
Before
stablishing IPLegals, she headed the Kosovo office of a regional IP firm where she worked closely with
numerous international experts, providing consultancy on numerous intellectual
property issues and other related matters for multinational
companies across various industries.
Apart from that, she is also engaged as a
consultant and expert in several projects funded by the USAID, EU and other
donors, all aimed at legal reform, capacity building in the justice sector as
well as awareness raising. She is a
certified trainer by the Justice Academy of Kosovo and regularly provides
training to judges, attorneys, and other relevant stakeholders.
Education
·
University
of Pittsburg School of Law, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S., LL.M in intellectual
property (2010).
·
Faculty
of Law, University of Prishtina, Kosovo, LLB, 2006.
Qualifications
·
Attorney
at Law, Kosovo Chamber of Advocates, 2016
·
Arbitrator,
Arbitration Center, American Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo, 2015
·
Patent
and trademark representative, Kosovo, 2008
Publications
·
Co-author
of Statutory Damages Tested in Kosovo: The Puma Case, published at Statutory
Damages Tested in Kosovo: The Puma Case | Kluwer Trademark Blog
· Co-author of Evolution of Kosovo's Investment Arbitration Law: Defining the Foreign Investor and the State's Role in Arbitration, published at Evolution of Kosovo's Investment Arbitration Law: Defining the Foreign Investor and the State's Role in Arbitration | Kluwer Arbitration Blog (October 2024).
·
Author
of the Kosovo Chapter, ICLG – Patent Laws and Regulations (October 2023).
·
Arti
i rrugës dhe e drejta e autorit (Street art and copyright), Autori #VIII, pages
24-28 (April 2023).
·
Co-author
of the Kosovo Chapter, ICLG – Patent Laws and Regulations (October
2022).
· Manual
for Handling of Applications for Patents, Designs and Trade Marks Throughout
the World," SDP KOSOVE in Arnold & Siedmsa (ed) (Kluwer Law
International BV, 2013-2022).
·
"Empowering
Women Entrepreneurs Through Intellectual Property Protection". Horizon.
Issue 29. AmCham Kosovo. (March, 2019).
·
Stabilization
and Association Agreement and its impact on the protection of IP rights in
Kosovo, IPWatchdog, June 1, 2016.
·
Manual
on Patents, USAID Contract Law Enforcement Program, November 2015.
·
Manual
on Trademarks, USAID Contract Law Enforcement Program, June 2014.
· IP in
Kosovo: The State of Play, CEE Legal Matters, February 2014 (available at
http://
www.ceelegalmatters.com/index.php/premium-content/experts-review/intellectual-propertytrademarks).
· Co-author
of the "Problems with Kosovo's Criminal Copyright Enforcement".
Law360, A LexisNexis Company, November 15, 2013 (available at
http://www.law360.com/articles/484576/problemswith-kosovo-s-criminal-copyright-enforcement).
· "Trademarks,
Practice & Forms, Kosovo". Oceana Publications, a Division of Oxford
University Press, Inc., acquired and published by Thomson Reuters/West
(7/2012).
·
"Recent
Intellectual Property Developments in Kosovo: Lessons Learned, Challenges
Ahead". Bloomberg Law Reports Vol. 5 No. 44 (October, 2011);
·
Contributing
case summaries for Kosovo – The Trademark Reporter Vol. 101 No. 3.
International Trademark Association. (May-June, 2011).
·
Co-author
of the "Border measures in Montenegro and Kosovo". Trademark World
#207 by Informa Law (May, 2008).
Recognitions
WTR 1000 – Recommended Individual, 2025 -
2026
“At the forefront,
Kujtesa Nezaj also joins the guide for the first time. A contentious and
commercial ace, Kujtesa boasts great courtroom acumen, seamlessly shakes off
infringers, and collaborates with customs and other enforcement authorities.
She drafts intricate commercial agreements for tech-intensive and IP-rich
deals, with particular skill in licenses and franchising.”