“IP Law Is Too Slow for the AI Age”: Oana Leonte Urges Legal Sector to Catch Up with Reality
Brand strategist and Unmtchd. founder Oana Leonte is sounding the alarm: intellectual property law is falling dangerously behind the pace of innovation, and business leaders, and their lawyers, can no longer afford to ignore it.
“Traditional IP law is too slow, too local and too reactive,” says Oana. “In the age of AI and simulation, IP strategy needs to be fast, global and embedded from the very beginning.”
With more than 20 years of global experience at companies such as Disney, Puma, Warner Bros and Paramount, she is calling for urgent reform in how legal and business communities handle IP.
As AI becomes a foundational layer of commerce, and as virtual product development in platforms like NVIDIA’s Omniverse becomes standard practice, Oana argues that IP has become infrastructure, not a post-launch legal chore.
She highlights critical questions the legal profession must now confront:
Who owns an AI-generated design?
Is a digital twin protectable, or only the physical product it simulates?
How should we define and defend synthetic brand personas?
“We’re moving from static trademarks to dynamic, code-based assets. From territory-bound protections to borderless creation and diffusion,” Oana explains. “Yet many brands still leave IP planning to the end of the process, if they think about it at all.”
She is now urging legal professionals to shift from reactive filing to proactive strategy, working with clients to identify, protect and monetise intellectual property before it enters the market.
“As we shift into an AI-first economy, lawyers have a unique opportunity to move from reactive enforcers to proactive partners in innovation,” says Oana.
“Firms and leaders need to understand the real risks of the breakdown of traditional IP models to the legal blind spots in generative design and simulation. If we want to help client’s future-proof their ideas, legal professionals must become strategic partners in innovation. If we wait until launch to think about IP, we’ve already lost ground.”
Oana is available for expert commentary on a range of topics, including but not limited to:
- The legal blind spots emerging around AI-generated content and digital ownership
- The gap between traditional IP law and modern brand-building
- Why businesses need upstream IP strategy, not just legal protection after launch
Unmtchd. is a brand-building platform and education hub designed to help founders and creators transform their expertise into scalable, IP-driven brands. Founded by Oana Leonte, a former marketing leader at Disney, Warner, and PUMA, Unmtchd. delivers the strategies, tools, and community needed to create brands that last.
To learn more or join the platform visit www.theunmtchd.com
