Walid Nasser studied law at Saint Joseph University in Beirut and graduated with Honors in 1975. He then obtained a Master’s Degree in Law (DEA) from Jean Moulin University in Lyon, France, in 1977, and a Master’s Degree in Law (LL.M.) from Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1984. Between 1977 and 1981 he practiced law in Beirut in the law offices of Me. Edouard Karam. In 1976 he practiced law at the Lyon, France, Law firm of Solange Ehret-Niel. In 1982, he left Lebanon for Kuwait, where he worked in the legal department of the Al-Ghanim Industries. Between 1984 and 1985, he was associated with the New York Law firm of Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison. Between 1985 and 1993, he headed the Middle East Anti-Piracy Operations of the Motion Picture Association of America (“MPAA”) where he was responsible for securing the protection of the intellectual property rights of the seven major film production companies in Hollywood. As a part of his duties as the Head of the Anti-Piracy Operations for the MPAA in the Middle East, he analyzed the legal provisions that existed at the time in the Middle East and Mediterranean regions, investigated the markets for pirate products, devised strategies to combat film piracy, established anti-piracy organizations in Italy, Greece, and Turkey, initiated lawsuits against pirates, and liaised with local governments to pass new copyright laws, or amend their then current copyright laws. As a result, many Middle Eastern countries either amended their current copyright laws, or passed new copyright legislations in the late eighties or early nineties. Mr. Nasser was requested at the time to review and comment on some of the drafts of the said copyright laws before they were passed. Thereafter, he served as the MPAA’s Vice President and Deputy General Counsel in the Head Office in Los Angeles, California. In 1997, he became the Acting General Counsel for the MPAA. At the end of 1997 he resigned from the MPAA and decided to return to his native country Lebanon, where he resumed work in the law firm he had established in 1981. Through his long and diversified career, Mr. Nasser was exposed to various legal and business related issues such as new market entry plans for foreign companies, litigation, acquisition, sale and rental of major real estate properties, incorporation of various types of companies, restructuring the international operations of various companies, drafting agreements, providing advice to various businesses, establishing offices or incorporating in foreign territories, antitrust, banking, money laundering law, contracts, mergers and acquisitions, copyright, corporate, franchising, labor law issues, lease agreements, patents, tax, construction and trademark laws. In 2009, he was the lead counsel in a mega transaction involving the sale of sports broadcasting rights for $1.1 billion. He has practiced law in Dubai for more than 10 years, and is currently associated with a Dubai based law firm. Mr. Nasser is one of the drafters of the newly enacted copyright and patent laws of Lebanon. In addition, he drafted the Biodiversity Law, and the Biosafety Law for Lebanon. Furthermore, he contributed to the drafting of the biodiversity section of the special book on the environmental laws and regulations in Lebanon, and authored a certain number of articles that were published in international legal publications. Some of these articles include: “Transforming Lebanon Into A Tax Haven”; “Reconstruction of Lebanon”; “Trademark Laws In The Middle East”. He served as an ICC co-arbitrator to settle a major dispute involving a construction contract in Qatar, where a multimillion dollars award was handed down. He also served as co-counsel in a major ICC arbitration case involving a contractual dispute over the sale of television rights, and in two other ICC arbitration cases. In March 2014 he handed down his decision as a sole arbitrator in a DIAC arbitration matter. In 2016- 2017 he served as an ICC co-arbitrator to settle a dispute between the main contractor and the sub-contractor for a part of the new Qatar airport. In October 2018 he handed down a decision as sole arbitrator in a DIAC dispute, and was recently appointed as sole arbitrator in another DIAC case, and the lead counsel in a ICC arbitration. He handed down in 2020 an award as a sole arbitrator in the DIAC Case. He is currently a co-arbitrator in an ICC Case involving a contractor and a sub-contractor. A decision in the latter ICC case is expected in April of 2021. In May 2021 he handed down his award in yet another DIAC Case where he also served as a sole arbitrator. Mr. Nasser represented and continues to represent the major international industries that thrive on copyright protection such as the Pharmaceutical Industry, the Software Industry, the Music Industry and the Motion Picture Industry. He also advises the local PhRma companies, either individually or as a group, on various regulatory matters. In addition, he also represents the National Committee of Gibran Khalil Gibran, a famous Lebanese author, for all matters that relate to the protection of his books on an international basis. He is a featured speaker in many local and regional conferences on intellectual property matters in the Middle East. Mr. Nasser is the former Chairperson of the Intellectual Property Commission of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Lebanon, and a former member of the Advisory Board of the Initiative for Biodiversity Studies in Arid Regions (IBSAR). Mr. Nasser is licensed to practice law in Lebanon since 1975. He is fluent in three languages (English, French, and Arabic).
