Baker McKenzie‘s Hong Kong-based team is well-versed at advising clients on contentious and non-contentious trade mark, patent and copyright matters, and forms a key component of the firm’s huge global IP offering. Although she is active for clients across a range of industry sectors, team head Isabella Liu is particularly skilled at advising life sciences companies – in part due to her professional background in biochemistry and pharmacology – both on patent prosecution and enforcement work, as well as IP transactional work in the space. The ‘outstanding’ Andrew Sim is the principal contact for litigation and regularly works alongside practitioners in Mainland China to enforce the IPR of many well-known brands. Other key contacts include senior partner Loke-Khoon Tan, who is vastly experienced at advising consumer goods and retail clients on the protection and enforcement of their IPR; Ruby Chan, for trade mark portfolio management and commercial IP matters; and Grace Gao, who excels at handling commercial IP matters for TMT clients.

Led by Hank Leung, Bird & Bird‘s acclaimed Hong Kong team is adept at advising clients from core firmwide industry sector strengths, including technology, media, entertainment, and sports across the full scope of their IP needs, often acting as a hub to manage, protect and enforce the IP assets of large multinational brands and smaller regional entities throughout APAC.  Ted Chwu‘s background in prosecuting IPR as a patent and trade mark attorney ensures he is able to provide additional insight to clients, particularly in the context of multi-jurisdictional litigation – a core area of focus for the team as a whole by dint of its vast array of global experts. The vastly experienced Matthew Laight, who heads up the overarching IP offering throughout APAC, is also very skilled at handling multi-jurisdictional disputes work, including for technology clients. Alison Wong is the main contact for life sciences/healthcare-related IP work and has broad expertise that includes providing advice on patent infringements and research and development (R&D) agreements and technology licensing. Victor Tse has deep technical and legal skills, ensuring he has a growing reputation among clients seeking advice on patent matters involving a wide range of technologies.

Deacons‘ longstanding and skilled work in the field has seen it cultivate a strong and loyal roster of many large regional and international businesses, including within the consumer goods, financial services and life sciences sectors. Trade mark instructions account for a significant proportion of workflow, with the team, which is headed by Catherine Zheng, responsible for managing the portfolios of many large global brands. Jeffrey McLean is skilled at representing clients on patent litigation matters, while his technical background and his previous role as a Patent Examiner affords him an insider’s perspective into Examiner’s objections when prosecuting patents. Theresa Luk also handles some patent litigation, alongside a portfolio of work that includes IP commercialisation strategies and work at the intersection of media and entertainment and IP law. Patsy Lau specialises in the protection of large multinational and regional trade mark portfolios, work which includes registrations and opposition/invalidation proceedings. Consultant Charmaine Koo has a pre-eminent reputation in the field as a result of her versatile practice that includes trade mark litigation, IP commercialisation mandates and data privacy work.

Working on its own as well as delivering effective services alongside key global offices, Rouse & Co. International (Overseas) Limited has an excellent market reputation among start-ups and large multinational brands, advising on the full scope of trade mark issues throughout Asia and beyond. Rachel Tan excels in providing highly strategic advice to companies seeking to grow their brand recognition globally, helping clients, including large technology companies and a growing roster of fashion brands, on brand clearance, protection and enforcement. Theresa Mak also excels in managing large IP portfolios, as well as prosecuting trade marks for high-profile international clients. Adelaide Yu is the principal contact for enforcement matters, work which sees her regularly teaming up with Hong Kong Customs to effectuate seizures of counterfeit goods.

Mayer Brown provides ‘very practical, efficient, and responsive advice’ to financial services, retail and TMT clients, among others, seeking to manage, protect and enforce their IPR throughout Greater China and beyond. Vastly experienced team head Gabriela Kennedy exemplifies the breadth of the practice, acting on high-profile cross-border trade mark and copyright disputes, as well as helping clients monetise their IPR and providing IP due diligence associated with M&A transactions. Allied to her broader TMT-related regulatory, litigation and advisory work, Amita Haylock is also very well-versed across IP matters, including on software and electronics-related patent and copyright infringement cases.

The ‘well organised and efficient’ team at Norton Rose Fulbright provides ‘practical advice’ to local and international companies from a broad range of industry sectors, including financial services, education and pharmaceuticals, across the full scope of their non-contentious and contentious IP needs. ‘Approachable’ Hong Kong and UK-qualified team head Justin Davidson has ‘deep knowledge’ across all aspects of IP, including on technology transfer matters and the management of the global trade mark portfolios of numerous well-known international brands. Davidson also handles some patent-related work, as does Stanley Ng, whose previous employment at a patent agency firm ensures he can provide added insight to technology and pharmaceutical clients seeking to prosecute and commercialise their IPR.

Led by vastly experienced litigator Ling Ho, Clifford Chance is particularly well-placed to advise multinationals and Chinese-headquartered companies in the automotive, pharmaceutical and fintech industry sectors on enforcement matters. The team’s work frequently spans multiple jurisdictions, drawing on the firm’s global network to deliver seamless support. It also provides regular due diligence and advisory input on M&A and securities transactions in IP-rich sectors, working closely with the firm’s leading corporate and private equity practice. Charmaine Kwong is key to much of this work and is also gaining a strong reputation on IP prosecution and portfolio management matters.

Led by Jonathan Chu, who splits his time between Hong Kong and Beijing, CMS Hong Kong LLP provides ‘business-oriented’ advice to regional and international TMT, life sciences and consumer products clients across the gamut of their Greater China IP needs. The team also regularly interacts with lawyers outside of the region – including from the firm’s London patent prosecution offering – ensuring it is also well-placed to provide a one-stop-shop service for clients on portfolio management matters. Although he is well-versed at handling issues affecting the full range of IPR, Chu is particularly noted as an ‘excellent trade mark lawyer’, both on the advisory and litigation front.

Led from Hong Kong by Edward Chatterton and also forming part of a cohesive global offering alongside lawyers across the firm’s vast international network, DLA Piper acts on Greater China specific and broader multi-jurisdictional non-contentious and contentious IP matters. Clients in the financial services, consumer goods, and food and beverage sectors provide a steady stream of instructions, with Chatterton often leading for major household brands on the protection, development, and enforcement of their IP rights across APAC. Elizabeth Wong is also pivotal to the team’s success for clients seeking to prosecute and enforce their trade marks, as well as handling commercialisation strategies and IP due diligence associated with transactions handled by the corporate team.

Headed by Cedric Lam, Eversheds Sutherland advises a strong and growing roster of IP-rich companies across a broad swathe of non-contentious and contentious matters, including enforcement actions relating to copyright, trade mark and domain name infringements. As well as handling some matters for local entities, much of Lam’s workflow originates from international clients seeking to acquire, exploit and enforce their IPR throughout Greater China. Qualified in multiple jurisdictions, including China and the UK, Sum Lam is the main contact for patent matters, and is a key member of the team that also includes Koon-yiu Tse, who is particularly well-versed at handling commercial and transactional IP matters.

Despite de-coupling from Mayer Brown, the ‘user-friendly’ team at Johnson Stokes & Master has retained many of its IP lawyers and is still well-placed to provide ‘practical and timely’ advice to a number of large regional and international companies on their portfolio needs. Team head Michelle Yee is the chief contact for this brand management work, providing highly strategic advice to large multinationals on the protection and exploitation of their IPR throughout Greater China and APAC, and also working with international counsel for regional companies seeking to grow into other markets. The ‘meticulous’ Grace Wong demonstrates ‘exceptional attention to detail’ and is also a key member of the team whose workload includes enforcement and IPR commercialisation advice.

Led from Hong Kong by Haifeng Huang and also able to leverage the expertise of its own wholly-owned Mainland China-based IP agency, Jones Day can provide a ‘solutions-oriented’ one-stop-shop service to international and regional clients across the full scope of their IP-related prosecution, litigation and transaction needs. Qualified in New York and Hong Kong, Huang demonstrates ‘a deep understanding of cross-border legal intricacies’, skills which frequently come to the fore in patent litigation for Chinese technology companies as respondents before the ITC and federal courts throughout the US.

Headed from Hong Kong by Annie Tsoi and also aided by an IP agency in Beijing, Wilkinson & Grist is well-placed to advise clients seeking to protect, commercialise and enforce their IPR throughout Greater China. The firm is a prolific filer of trade marks in Hong Kong and also advises many multinational corporations on the management of their IP portfolios throughout the region. Tsoi, Shireen So and Florence Lam  are all key contacts for this work, with So and Lam also excelling at handling enforcement work, including those involving cross-border issues.

Combining ‘local and regional IP expertise with a pragmatic, client-focused approach’, Dorsey & Whitney excels in advising clients from core firmwide industry sectors of strength, including healthcare and technology, on trade mark prosecution, commercialisation and enforcement matters. Team head Janet Wong has an ability to ‘balance legal precision with business practicality’ and regularly handles Greater China-related IP matters for US-headquartered clients.

Led from Hong Kong by Helen Tang and forming part of a much larger Greater China offering alongside numerous offices on the Mainland, IP boutique East IP is adept at providing contentious and non-contentious IP advice to clients from a range of sectors, including fashion, pharmaceuticals and technology. Tang, who provides added insight by dint of her previous role at the IP department of the Hong Kong government, is particularly skilled at handling Greater China trade mark portfolio work for international clients as well as for an increasing number of Chinese clients seeking protection in Hong Kong and globally.

Led from Hong Kong by Eugene Low and able to draw upon experts on the Mainland, as well as throughout the firm’s vast international network of offices, Hogan Lovells excels in advising both local and international clients across a range of inbound and outbound IP matters. Low is particularly skilled at assisting sports, gaming and entertainment clients on trade mark and copyright protection and enforcement matters.

With key offices in Hong Kong and Beijing, well-established IP specialist firm Marks & Clerk Greater China is well-placed to assist regional and international companies seeking to robustly secure their patent and trade mark needs throughout Greater China. One of many patent attorneys in the team with a technical and scientific background, Zephyr Su has ‘a deep understanding of complex legal and technical issues’, ensuring he is very adept at drafting and filing patents, as well as advocating for clients in invalidation proceedings before the Chinese Patent Office and courts. Jacqueline Chu provides ‘timely feedback and pertinent opinions’ on trade mark matters and is skilled at handling work for local and international clients from a range of IP-rich industries, including entertainment, consumer goods and fashion. Monique Chu heads up the overarching IP team and has vast experience at handling patent matters.

Independent Hong Kong firm Gallant has strong direct ties with local and international companies which entrust it to advise on the protection and enforcement of their IPR in Greater China, as well as regularly serving as local counsel for foreign law firms in a referral capacity. Consultant Rebecca Lo continues to take the lead on a raft of key work, including trade mark portfolio management matters for a number of well-known international brands. IP litigator Emily Chick co-heads the team alongside Lo.

Independent Hong Kong-based firm Haldanes provides ‘thorough and well-considered’ advice to clients seeking to protect, exploit and enforce their IPR. Anthony Leung provides ‘practical, precise and insightful’ advice on trade mark opposition and revocation enforcement matters. Leung is also very skilled at advising media, entertainment and sports clients across a range of contractual matters, including licensing agreements and general IP issues, as is very experienced team head John McLellan, who handles this work as part of his broader corporate and commercial law practice.

At K&L Gates, US-qualified team head Jay Chiu has a niche practice representing local and regional technology clients in patent litigation before the International Trade Commission (ITC) and US federal courts. Winnie Chan is the other key contact and handles trade mark portfolio work for local and international clients.

Lewis Silkin provides counsel to regional and multinational clients across a broad swathe of their transactional, brand management and contentious IP needs. Team head Jezamine Fewins has ‘a professional and thorough understanding of commercial practices’, enabling her to provide tailored strategies to clients on core IP matters and where IP intersects with employment law, including confidential information and trade secrets theft.

Led by Steven Birt, Minter Ellison represents local and multinational companies from a range of IP-rich industries, including pharmaceuticals, media and entertainment and technology, helping them to secure, protect and enforce their IPR throughout Greater China. As well as assisting clients to commercialise their IPR and helping on brand management concerns, Birt is also an accomplished litigator whose work includes China-related counterfeit raid actions against factories and retailers.

Although better-known for its TMT expertise, Morrison & Foerster also handles a significant amount of IP advisory work, including in the context of technology-centred JV structures, IP licensing arrangements and IP due-diligence/structuring concomitant to the team’s M&A work in the sector. Asia technology chair Gordon Milner excels in handling cross-border commercial technology transactions throughout the region.

Hong Kong independent law firm Oldham, Li & Nie is well-versed at handling Greater China IP work for regional and international publishing, clothing, jewellery, catering and travel industry companies. Team head Vera Sung is across both the contentious and non-contentious aspects of this work and is best-known for her trade mark expertise that includes prosecution and enforcement actions, often working closely with Chinese customs authority to prevent counterfeits.

Leveraging the expertise of a substantial number of IP-focused lawyers in Hong Kong, as well as being able to draw upon resources in Beijing, Vivien Chan & Co can provide a one-stop-shop service to regional and international clients seeking to protect and commercialise their IPR. Founding partner Vivien Chan handles a significant amount of IP work as part of her broader commercial practice, including as it relates to trade mark prosecutions, registrations and cancellations. Anna Mae Koo and Owen Tse co-head the team alongside Chan and are noted for their IP-related transactional expertise and contentious IP skill, respectively.