Shield Advocates - Al Hawy & Hassane

Shield Advocates – Al Hawy & Hassane is a full-service Egyptian law firm headquartered in the Greater Cairo Area, with a market-leading Intellectual Property practice serving multinational corporations, regional businesses, government entities, and emerging companies across the Middle East and North Africa.

The firm's Intellectual Property Department provides comprehensive legal services covering trademark, patent, industrial design, copyright, software, plant variety, domain name, commercialization, licensing, anti-counterfeiting, enforcement, customs recordals, investigations, and IP litigation. The team manages complex multi-jurisdictional portfolios and regularly advises on brand protection strategies, prosecution, disputes, licensing, franchising, and regulatory matters across the MENA region.

The department is headed by Hassane El Sheref, who leads the firm's IP practice and advises clients on contentious and non-contentious intellectual property matters across a broad range of industries. He is supported by a dedicated team of experienced IP practitioners handling both regional portfolios and sophisticated enforcement and commercialization projects.

Notable practitioners: Hassane El Sheref, Ibrahim Khalil, Omneya Moawad, Emad Helmy, Zeina Gad, Mahmoud Temsah.

Key practice areas:

Copyright & related rights, Intellectual property, Designs, IP transactions, Trade mark, Patent, Other

Key Sector Expertise:

Automotive, Banking, Computer technology & services, Construction and materials, Consumer goods and services, Electrical, Electronics, E-commerce, Energy, Fashion & luxury goods, Film, Food and beverage, Furniture, Financial services, Healthcare, Hospitality & leisure, ICT & software, Investment management, Insurance, Manufacturing, Optics & photonics, Pharmaceutical, Oil and gas, Real estate, Retail, Shipping, Sports, Tourism, Transport

• Meet the team
• Managing partner biography
• LinkedIn

Hassane El Sheref - Intellectual property - h.elsheref@shieldadvocates.com

Omneya Moawad - Intellectual property - o.moawad@shieldadvocates.com

• Omneya advised Nerhadou Pharmaceuticals on the strategic management and protection of its patent portfolio, covering key innovations in the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical sectors. Her work included coordinating national filings, monitoring competitor activity, and implementing long-term protection strategies tailored to regulatory and commercial needs in the MENA region.
• Omneya provided critical legal support in matters relating to the protection of plant varieties under the UPOV framework. Her role included reviewing technical test reports, advising on compliance with local regulations, and coordinating the registration of new varieties, ensuring legal and procedural alignment with both Egyptian and international requirements.

Rana Magdy - Intellectual property - r.magdy@shieldadvocates.com

• Rana led the intellectual property efforts for EFG Holding, overseeing trademark prosecution, handling software registrations, and managing contentious trademark matters across multiple jurisdictions. Her work included coordinating litigation strategies, advising on enforcement and risk mitigation, and conducting in-depth investigations across several continents to support rights protection. Rana’s comprehensive involvement ensured brand integrity and legal consistency in complex, cross-border matters.
• Rana serves as the lead advisor for all intellectual property matters of Benefit for Healthy Food and Beverage (V7 and V Super Soda), overseeing trademark portfolio management, enforcement strategies, and advisory work across multiple jurisdictions. Her role also includes reviewing contracts involving IP clauses across different legal systems, managing trademark assignments, and providing tailored legal advice on the full spectrum of intellectual property matters.
• Rana advised Beit Belo on the full spectrum of intellectual property matters relating to a large-scale creative and commercial project involving original works by authors, composers, and designers. Her role included drafting IP clauses and reviewing multiple copyright related agreements to ensure the company’s ownership and licensing rights were properly secured and enforceable. She also provided strategic counsel on copyright protection, and prosecution planning, helping structure a cohesive IP framework aligned with the project's commercial goals.

Ibrahem Khalil - Intellectual property - i.khalil@shieldadvocates.com

• Ibrahem represents Fix Price in a broad range of contentious trademark matters. He is currently handling multiple court proceedings involving cancellation actions, trademark infringement, third-party interference, and unfair competition, in addition to managing petitions and oppositions before the Egyptian Trademark Office. His responsibilities include developing litigation strategies, preparing evidentiary submissions, and coordinating with enforcement authorities to protect the client’s rights in a highly competitive retail sector. Ibrahem’s proactive and persistent approach has been instrumental in securing interim relief and advancing Fix Price’s enforcement objectives in several ongoing disputes.
• Ibrahem successfully took over and resolved a long-standing trademark ownership dispute on behalf of Bonyan for Development and Trade involving a UAE-based defendant. The case had been stalled for years due to persistent procedural hurdles in cross-border service. Despite obtaining court authorization for diplomatic service, the executing court repeatedly refused to proceed. Ibrahem escalated the matter by petitioning the Public Prosecutor and filing an injunction to compel enforcement. His efforts resulted in a favorable ruling and formal instructions from the Public Prosecutor’s Office, delivering a long-awaited breakthrough in a case that had remained inactive for years.
• Ibrahem has led high-impact enforcement actions for major clients, including Alibaba Group and Orascom. For Alibaba, he successfully handled a sensitive investigation against a local infringer operating under the name Alibaba Travel, securing a cease-and-desist undertaking and a domain name transfer. In parallel, he oversaw the protection of Orascom’s well-known Gouna trademark, coordinating cross-sector investigations and issuing tailored cease-and-desist notices. His strategic approach resulted in multiple settlements, effectively safeguarding brand rights and preserving market exclusivity.