Intellectual Property | Asia-Pacific

Baker McKenzie has a comprehensive offering of top-league IP practices across jurisdictions in the Asia-Pacific region including China, Singapore and Japan as well as Australia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, South Korea, Thailand and Taiwan. The team handles the full array of IP matters including trade mark and patent portfolio management and transactional IP issues. It additionally offers an ASEAN one-stop trade marks package to assist clients with filing applications in all ASEAN countries, boasting industry-specific expertise in the food and drink, media and entertainment sectors. It advises clients on a wide array of copyright issues, including moral rights and licensing matters.

Bird & Bird is a law firm with highly reputed IP specialists with strongholds in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia, whilst also offering Japan expertise from its Singapore office. The firm offers an impressive IP skill set, being especially talented in brand management issues, including trade mark enforcement and exploitation. It has particular industry expertise in the technology, electronics and life sciences sectors. The team advises both government and multinationals on intellectual property law, and boasts an array of strategic partnerships with respected local firms in Malaysia, South Korea and Indonesia.

Hogan Lovells has standout practices based in China and Japan, covering the whole range of IP issues, including global and regional portfolio management, trade secrets, copyright and design protection. The firm is known for a particularly strong offering on disputes within the life sciences industry. It acts for an impressive roster of clients across the pharmaceutical, food and drink, entertainment, retail, TMT and consumer goods sectors. The firm has established competence in handling IP-related unfair competition cases. It also has a noted team in Vietnam.

Jones Day has top-performing practitioners across China and Japan, alongside a notable presence in Australia. The firm maintains a strong track record on IP litigation, particularly involving patents and trade secrets, and also handles portfolio management including trade mark prosecutions and transactional IP matters. It has strength related to life sciences sector expertise, and is also active in the TMT space. Clients benefit from the firm's ability to leverage the support of colleagues from its extensive network of offices across the USA.

DLA Piper LLP has a respected offering whose Chinese and Australian teams are in high demand. The firm advises on issues including data protection, franchising and commercial contracts as well as brand and patent prosecution and litigation. The team enjoys an especially strong following of clients in the media, entertainment and life sciences industries. It regularly receives IP mandates from multinational companies in the food and retail sectors and also maintains strong strategic alliances with firms in India, Malaysia and Myanmar. It is a counsel of choice for multinational pharmaceutical companies with intellectual property law needs.

Mayer Brown is a respected practice that provides a wide range of IP services to a high-end client base, including many well-known Chinese and overseas brand owners. The law firm is known for its expertise in trade mark litigation and portfolio management. The team also enjoys a strong reputation for its commercial IP work, particularly in the field of copyright licensing. It is well equipped to advise on brand protection and management. Mayer Brown is instructed by blue-chipclients in the fashion, consumer goods,telecommunications, technology and education sectors. The team is also active on IP matters involving South-East Asian countries and the USA.

Morrison Foerster has a market-leading Japan-based IP team, whilst also enjoying a sound reputation in this space across Mainland China and Hong Kong and extending to Singapore. It is especially strong in patent litigation cases, and in handling cross-border transactional matters. The firm possesses an impressive client following among technology, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. It also advises on the IP issues arising out of data privacy, cybersecurity regulations and related compliance questions.

Clifford Chance has a well-reputed team with expertise across contentious and non-contentious patent and trade mark work, including IP and licensing work. It is also well-versed to advise on the IP aspects of acquisitions, joint ventures and investments. Its client base covers a range of sectors, including healthcare, technology and financial services. The firm offers a strong regional network in Asia-Pacific and includes IP specialists based in the Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai offices.

Herbert Smith Freehills has a pre-eminent Australia group with an outstanding track record in patent litigation in both the pharmaceutical and technological sectors. Its expertise crosses the spectrum of IP services, with groups of commercial IP practitioners and litigators as well as a dedicated trade marks management and prosecution team. The firm has significant experience handling commercialisation and transactional matters. The team regularly advises leading multinational clients on all aspects of IP protection, including the coordination of multi-jurisdictional cases, as well as advising on trade mark portfolio management and the IP aspects of market entry for new products.

Norton Rose Fulbright offers an established Hong Kong-based team, well versed in managing large trade mark portfolios for blue-chip clients. Additionally, the firm is active in a broad range of IP disputes, patent infringement and enforcement, software development agreements and domain name disputes, and also works on licensing issues. It offers a knowledgeable practice across the IP sector in Asia and acts for an impressive client roster in patent, copyright and trade mark cross-border cases. The firm is active in patent and trade mark infringement cases and also has a solid track record advising on the IP aspects of cross-border M&A.

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP is a US-headquartered law firm with an IP team based across the Beijing, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Taipei offices. The firm is known for its handling of patent infringements and anti-counterfeiting mandates, often advising on cross-border work between the US and China. In Taipei, the firm advises on both contentious and non-contentious IP work and has expertise regarding US and European court and patent proceedings. The firm's client base includes major international names from the pharmaceutical, manufacturing and technology sectors.

Paul Hastings' office in Tokyo has an active IP practice, acting for high-profile clients in the technology and chemical sectors. Its large network of offices allows the team to engage expertise from across Asia, Europe and North America. The firm is particularly adept at handling mandates involving the USA and maintains a strong reputation for its work on patent litigation and infringement disputes. The team also handles transactional and IP licensing matters.

Ropes & Gray houses a talented group with a focus on IP litigation between China, South Korea and the USA. It has key strengths in patent infringement litigation for technology and pharmaceutical companies in addition to being well-versed in copyright and trade mark issues. Also, the firm handles transactional matters involving a range of IP assets. The team has specialist knowledge of the pharmaceutical and semiconductor industries. It leverages support from teams in Boston, New York, Silicon Valley and Washington, DC to coordinate mandates for leading US-headquartered corporates.