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Throughout his professional lifetime, Kay was committed to trade marks. He studied law in Cologne. Even before qualifying, he worked in the law firm of Walter Oppenhoff which, with its roots in trademark law and a history since the 1930s, had developed into one of the leading law firms in Germany. Here the young apprentice Kay got insight into the business behind global brands such as Coca-Cola, Wyeth and Merck & Co. He also received a first taste of long-lasting and trusting professional relationships.
In 1990 Kay started working as a lawyer in the trade mark department of Boden-Oppenhoff Rasor Raue. Eleven years later, in January 2001, when the firm was integrated into Linklaters, he became head of this department and thus responsible for the largest trade mark portfolio of foreign origin in Germany. In 2007, when Linklaters closed its Cologne office, Kay, taking on the heritage of 70 years, the organisation, the personnel, and the responsibility for thousands of trade marks from Linklaters, went ahead to form his own firm together with Martin Viefhues. Apparently he intended to make his name a brand: Jonas Rechtsanwälte. This step proved to be a tremendous success. The new firm attracted a lot of new clients, grew rapidly and as early as 2011 Jonas Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft was awarded the title German Trade Marks Law Firm of the Year by Acquisition International.
Kay joined MARQUES in 1998 and soon became a member of Council and the Executive. He was a member of the Programming Team and co-founder of the China Team. While Kay accepted many duties, he had a particular interest in the annual conferences, which he helped to plan years in advance with great care, inspiration and enthusiasm. Kay was one of a handful of individuals who devoted thousands of hours of his lifetime to make MARQUES a success. As a member of the Executive he was one of the faces which represented MARQUES. As a person, he formed and lived the values and the spirit which make MARQUES a unique professional organisation: an unbiased friendliness, a ceaseless interest in people, a commitment to trade marks going beyond the legal and a dedication to quality.
In his personal attitude, Kay was different from what one might expect of a typical lawyer. Although connected to many people and influential within the MARQUES organisation, he did not tend to stand alone in the spotlight or in the middle of the stage. Rather, he was a personal role model for team-players. Perhaps his strongest characteristic was his decency. The last event which Kay had pushed forward and organised for MARQUES was the German Judges’ Meeting which took place in Munich on November 25, 2011, a great success and a great pleasure for all who attended. Kay was on the panel as he always was: dedicated to his tasks, intelligent, knowledgeable and with a fine sense of humour.
For those of us who had the honour and pleasure to work with Kay, the loss will be permanent. We will miss him.
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Issue 018
