Stephanie Parkin is a well-respected Intellectual Property Lawyer dedicated to promoting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rights and protocols within the arts and broader industries.
As a proud Quandamooka woman of Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island), Stephanie understands the importance of protecting the intellectual and cultural property of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and communities.
She believes that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art is an “expression of identity” underpinned by knowledge, experience and connection to country.
With almost a decade of combined legal and engagement experience, Stephanie has provided advice to a range of clients with regards to their commercial arrangements including drafting and negotiating intellectual property licensing agreements, product supply and services agreements, confidentiality agreements, research and development agreements, advising in relation to IP ownership, infringement and protection and on franchising, privacy and data protection matters. Stephanie’s experience extends to delivering educational workshops in regards to IP and ICIP management and protocols when engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and culture.
In 2020, Stephanie completed a Master of Philosophy at QUT where in her thesis she addressed the issue of fake Aboriginal art and craft explored relevant IP and consumer laws and the colonial influences and power imbalances that contribute to the lack of law reform and change.
Stephanie has also worked for the Copyright Agency, a not-for-profit licensing agency where she assisted artists with a range of matters. Today, Stephanie is the Chairperson of the Indigenous Art Code, a national voluntary industry code of conduct aimed at promoting ethical and transparent dealings between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and those who sell and license their works. Within her own Quandamooka community, Stephanie is a director of the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation and President of the North Stradbroke Museum on Minjerribah.
Stephanie has co-founded Parallax Legal to focus on advocacy and assist in all legal matters pertaining to Indigenous Cultural Intellectual Property.
