Chander Mahabir
Chander Mahabir is the Managing Partner at Sjiem Fat & Mahabir.
Chander joined Sjiem Fat & Mahabir Trademark Consultants N.V. in 2004 and became partner in 2009. On January 15, 2015, he was elected the Managing Partner of the firm, based in Paramaribo, Suriname.
In 2016, Chander became the Managing Partner of Sjiem Fat & Mahabir Intellectual Property N.V. (Sjiem Fat & Mahabir), a firm he founded on November 1, 2016.
He is responsible for the protection of intellectual property rights such as trademark rights in Suriname and several Caribbean countries.
Chander has extensive experience on trademark legal issues including advising, registration, and renewal of trademarks. He assists a variety of clients in this area, including both local and foreign clients, companies involved in oil and gas manufacturing, tobacco industry, computer software and hardware manufacturing, clothing, cosmetics, industrial operators, shipping lines, pharmaceuticals, home and health care, food and beverage and general retail.
He advises clients on strategies for protection of their trademark rights, including numerous Fortune 500 companies and top-ranked law firms.
Memberships
Chander is a member of the International Trademark Association (INTA) and regularly attends their annual meetings. He is also a member of the Inter-American Association of Intellectual Property (ASIPI) and the Intellectual Property Caribbean Association (IPCA).
Committee Memberships
Country Guide of Suriname of the INTA Publications Committee
Vice Chair of the Enforcement and Anti-Counterfeiting Committee of the IPCA
Previous INTA committees
Emerging Issues Committee: January 2024 – December 2025
Social Media Subcommittee: January 2024 – December 2025
Leadership Communications Subcommittee: January 2022 – December 2023
Leadership Development Committee: January 2022 – December 2023
Chander is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Time Media N.V., a Surinamese media company based in Paramaribo, which publishes the news website Suriname Herald.
Education
Chander graduated from the VU University Amsterdam in the Netherlands, where he obtained a master’s degree.
Languages
Dutch and English
Area of Practice
Intellectual Property
Publications
Contributor to the INTA Country Guide of Suriname, International Trademark Association (INTA), 2019.
Workbook political orientation, Democracy Unit, Anton de Kom Universiteit van Suriname, 2010.
Power balance between the executive and legislative branches of government, Parlementair, October 2005.
The political system of the United States, in de Ware Tijd, Kompas, February 2005.
