Suranga Jayalath

Suranga Jayalath (MBusLaw 2006) specialises in intellectual property law as an associate at leading Sri Lankan law firm Julius & Creasy. In his most recent case he represented a major international bakery chain in its fight to stop a competing business from using its logo.

Unfair competition is one of many areas that Suranga advises. He particularly enjoys working to combat counterfeits.

“I get a lot of satisfaction from giving a good opinion to a company on intellectual property matters,” Suranga said.

“There are many companies out there who are willing to copy another company’s logo and so I help protect my client’s trade name and brand.”

Suranga’s area of expertise - trademarks and copyrights - includes domestic and international trademark prosecution, counselling and enforcement. He also handles matters concerning domain name disputes; consent, co-existence and licensing agreements; and website agreements, such as privacy and acceptable use policies.

Suranga is also a member of the Sri Lankan Bar Association. When he is not representing clients at Julius and Creasy, he works as a visiting lecturer in law at The Open University in Sri Lanka. He teaches Law in English to second and third year undergraduates in the Bachelor of Law program. English, he notes, is Sri Lanka’s “business language” and a vital prerequisite for students wanting to practise law in Sri Lanka.

Suranga completed a Bachelor of Law degree in Sri Lanka before pursuing a Master of Business Law at Monash University. His Masters included a minor thesis on anti-money laundering and its local and international implications.

“I was interested in a prestigious university with a degree recognised worldwide. I found that Monash University had everything I needed,” he said.

“The university provides an excellent environment for research and it has advanced library facilities. The Master’s degree from Monash helped me to achieve greater heights in the legal profession.”

Suranga has since left Julius & Creasy and now works as legal counsel at Capital Maharaja Group.in Sri Lanka.