PETOŠEVIĆ PEOPLE: Q&A with Darko Bajalski

On his 12-year anniversary in the firm, we talked to Associate Darko Bajalski based in our Skopje office. Darko mainly handles contentious trademark matters, but he is also involved in patent work in North Macedonia. In fact, Darko helped a client obtain the first ever SPC issued in the country! We asked Darko about his work, his favorite pastimes, food, and much more.

1. How did you start your career in the IP field?

   I became interested in IP some 15 years ago when my father, an attorney at the time, started working more and more on intellectual property matters. As my brother is also a lawyer, law-related discussions were popular at home and intellectual property was often mentioned. I instantly liked the idea of protecting something intangible. Shortly thereafter I passed the IP representative exam and here I am now.

2. What is the most challenging aspect of your work?

   Enforcing IP law in a country where IP sits very low on the priority list.

3. What do you most enjoy doing at work?

   Drafting oppositions.

4. What would you be working in, if you weren’t working in IP?

   I would probably be a criminal lawyer.

5. What was the first job you’ve ever had?

   During a summer break in high school, a friend of mine suggested that we can earn some money by helping out at a construction site. Four of us went there and moved construction materials from the parking lot to the fourth floor using the stairs. It wasn’t the brightest idea — the hardest EUR 8.5 I ever made.

6. What is your favorite thing to do when you are not working?

   I love playing sports. Basketball is my favorite. I also love riding motorcycles.

7. What book did you read last?

   “Rogue Lawyer” by John Grisham.

8. What is your favorite song/music at the moment?

   I don’t listen to music that often, and when I do it is usually the radio. The only CD I ever bought was U2’s “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb”.

9. What is your favorite dish of all time?

   Turlitava — a common, traditional dish in North Macedonia, basically a mixture of all the vegetables and meat you have in your fridge baked in the oven for half a day.

10. If you could meet anyone in the world, from the past or present, who would it be and why?

    Michael Jordan. As a teenager I used to watch every NBA game that was broadcasted on our local TV and MJ was my idol.

11. What was your favorite subject in school and why?

    Physical education. I guess I wasn’t interested in most of the subjects and couldn’t wait to play sports.

12. What did you want to be when growing up?

    I always wanted to be a lawyer. Except when I was playing on a junior basketball team and wanted to “be like Mike”.

13. Tell us something most people don’t know about you.

    As a student I filed a lawsuit against the Faculty of Law and won. The claim was for unjust enrichment — students were being charged a fee for submitting their master’s theses, which wasn’t indicated in our contracts or in Faculty’s bylaws. The Faculty’s administration was angry and upset instead of proud.

14. If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?

    Computer programming.

15. What is your biggest frustration about the world around you?

    I hate that people are obsessed with politics, everywhere.

16. What is the most important thing you have learned in the last five years?

    Changing diapers. It is a crucial skill when left alone with a baby.

17. What do you wish you could have told yourself at age 13?

    Don’t skip German language classes!

18. What cities/countries have you lived in?

    I have only lived in Skopje.

19. If you could live in another country of the 30+ countries where PETOŠEVIĆ operates, which would you pick and why?

    Croatia. Any city along the coastline would do!

20. If someone came to your city for 24 hours, where would you take them?

    On a pandemic-free day, we would start with burek for breakfast in Debar Maalo, which is an old neighborhood in Skopje packed with cafes and restaurants. Then we would go on a short walk to the City Park and back again to Debar Maalo for brunch/lunch which we would probably stretch to dinner. In the social distancing period, we would have burek to-go and go for a hike to Mount Vodno, to the southwest of Skopje. We would then have coffee to-go in the City Park and go on a short trip to the Matka Canyon just outside of Skopje.