Prof. (Dr.) Nishantha Sampath Punchihewa is a Professor in Commercial Law and the current Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo. He is a reputed scholar and legal researcher with nearly two decades of experience, after starting his academic career as an Assistant Lecturer in the same Faculty. His expertise lies in Intellectual Property Law, and he is one of the few academics in the country to hold a PhD in this subject. One significant contribution of his academic career is publishing two books with internationally renowned publishers titled “Promoting a Second-Tier Protection Regime for Innovation of Small and Medium Enterprises in South Asia: The Case of Sri Lanka” published by NOMOS, Baden-Baden, Germany; and “Intellectual Property in Tourism and Culture in Sri Lanka” published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). In addition, he secured the Senate Award for Research Excellence by the University of Colombo in 2018.
Prof. Punchihewa has an outstanding academic track record. He obtained his LL.B. (Hons) from the Faculty of Law of the University of Colombo, considered to be the premier seat of legal education in the country. He pursued his postgraduate studies in Germany where he obtained his LL.M. in Intellectual Property and Competition Law from the Munich Intellectual Property Law Center (MIPLC) and a PhD in IP Law (magna cum laude) from Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich /Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition, the highest ranked University in Germany. He is also an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka and was called to the Bar in 2001.
Prof. Punchihewa has not only excelled as a renowned academic but also as an accomplished administrator, holding key positions such as the Director of University Business Linkage (UBL) Cell of University of Colombo as well as the Coordinator of the MPhil-PhD Programme of the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo. He has also served as a Faculty Board Member of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Open University of Sri Lanka. Additionally, he has contributed his expertise at both the international and national levels by serving as a Consultant to the WIPO and a National Legal Specialist in Intellectual Property Rights and Sri Lankan Law to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. He is a Member of the Intellectual Property Advisory Commission (constituted under the Intellectual Property Act No. 36 of 2003).