Our dear colleague and friend, Henrik Pontén passed away
2020-05-18Henrik Pontén passed away on Maj 16th after being severely injured in a bike accident. Henrik was truly a front-line defender of intellectual property rights and copyright. He was motivated by a strong drive for justice, always going to bat for those who needed protection.
Henrik had a bearing on the development of intellectual property rights in Sweden and during an intense period, he was constantly discussing and debating these issues in national media. He defended others’ intellectual property rights and paid a high price privately when threats were directed at him and even his family.
Despite the multiple threats, Henrik remained resolute. Many a time he told us to “keep our eyes on the end-goal" and focus on what really made a difference and not on the low-hanging fruit. This was just one of the many aspects that made him a unique person and our collaboration incredibly rewarding.
Henrik was warm and out-going and enjoyed speaking to people. During trial proceedings, we often heard him exchanging words with the defendants rather than their trial attorneys, finding these conversations more stimulating. He strived to understand people - even those on the other side of a debate.
He was down-to-earth, disliking hierarchy and unnecessary structures. If something wasn't logical and efficient, he worked tirelessly to improve it. After the accident, we were able to tell him that the legislative change regarding aggravated intellectual property crimes that he had advocated for such a long time, was about to be implemented. It made him very happy. We call it “Lex Pontén”.
Many years and thousands of days, we have spent together with Henrik. We cherish every minute. Henrik was not only a skilled professional, he was also a close friend and a remarkably fun one. Throughout the years, we have travelled together. We commiserated over problems and rejoiced in each other’s accomplishments as you do with a very close friend.
There was nothing grey or dull with Henrik. If something was boring, we heard about it quickly. He then either became mischievous – or fell asleep. When something was interesting and important he went about the business with enormous energy – ensuring that he involved everyone and everything needed, like a force of nature. This capacity to keep the herd together and to make everyone feel that they were needed was truly fantastic.
We will maintain and uphold his pursuit to do good and right, and let that guide us as we continue the work. We miss him incredibly much.
Anders and Sara
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To all who have come in contact with Henrik – please use this e-mail address to send in your messages of remembrance, your thoughts, and images of Henrik. We will collect these memories, and print a book to give to his family.
inmemoryofhenrik@rattighetsalliansen.se
About us
Against illegal commerce
Rights Alliance works mainly against different forms of internet crime. Mainly we use preventive measures. In some cases this is not enough, we then have the competence to move forward with legal claims. We will give you an overall strategy to act effectively against infringements. Different measures are often needed to achieve certain results.
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