Lars Karnøe

Lars Karnøe is a partner at Potter Clarkson, the full-service intellectual property firm, and heads Potter Clarkson Legal in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was recognised as Food Sector Advisory Expert of the Year in Denmark at the 2024 Corporate INTL Global Awards, an accolade that reflects the specialist advice he provides to businesses in the food and drink industry alongside his broader intellectual property practice.

An experienced intellectual property lawyer with more than twenty-five years spent at established Danish firms, Lars Karnøe combines deep IP knowledge with a particular focus on the food sector. The food and drink industry raises a distinctive blend of legal issues, from the protection of brands, recipes and product presentation to regulatory and commercial questions surrounding how products are made, labelled and marketed. Advising in this space calls for a practitioner who understands both the intellectual property framework and the commercial realities of food producers, retailers and their supply chains, and it is at this intersection that Lars Karnøe has built his reputation.

He leads Potter Clarkson Legal in Copenhagen, the firm's Danish legal practice, where he is an experienced IP litigator supported by a small specialist team. The practice focuses on specialist dispute resolution offerings in the Nordic region, complementing the wider Potter Clarkson network. Potter Clarkson traces its history back to 1889 and operates from offices in Copenhagen, London, Nottingham and across Sweden, helping businesses, organisations and individuals identify, protect, commercialise and enforce the value of their ideas and brands through work spanning patents, trade marks, designs and copyright.

Lars Karnøe's standing extends beyond his day-to-day practice into industry and academic circles. He holds panel and committee positions with the International Trademark Association and a European trademark body, and he serves as an external lecturer at the University of Aarhus. These roles reflect both his recognised expertise in trade mark and intellectual property matters and his engagement with the wider development of the field, including the particular questions that arise for food and drink brands operating in the Nordic and European markets.

For clients in the food sector, this blend of experience offers advice that treats intellectual property not as an abstract legal question but as a commercial asset central to a food business's identity and value. Whether protecting a distinctive brand, addressing a dispute or navigating the enforcement of rights, Lars Karnøe brings a specialist perspective grounded in decades of Danish and international practice.

The Corporate INTL Global Awards recognise leading advisers and firms across jurisdictions and practice areas, drawing on research into the market to identify those demonstrating particular expertise. The 2024 award to Lars Karnøe as Food Sector Advisory Expert of the Year in Denmark highlights his position as a leading Danish adviser to the food and drink industry, and the specialist capability he brings to Potter Clarkson Legal in Copenhagen.