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18 ASIAN LEGAL BUSINESS – MAY 2020 W W W.LEGALBUSINESSONLINE.COM
IP RANKINGS HONG KONGPATENTS
TIER 1• Baker&McKenzie• Bird&Bird• Deacons• DLAPiper• HoganLovells• MayerBrown• Orrick,Herrington&Sutcliffe
TIER 2• AWAAsia• Barron&Young• CMS• ELLALAN• FangdaPartners• FreshfieldsBruckhausDeringer• JonesDay• Morrison&Foerster• NixonPeabody• Oldham,Li&Nie• QuinnEmanuelUrquhart&Sullivan
• StephensonHarwood• Wilkinson&Grist• Winston&Strawn• VivienChan&Co
TIER 3• Dechert• EagleIP• Morgan,Lewis&Bockius• NortonRoseFulbright• RobinBridge&JohnLiu• Ropes&Gray• SquirePattonBoggs
COPYRIGHT/TRADEMARKS
TIER 1• AWAAsia• Baker&McKenzie• Bird&Bird• CMS• Deacons• DLAPiper• ELLALAN• HoganLovells• MayerBrown• Orrick,Herrington&Sutcliffe• SIPS• StephensonHarwood• Wilkinson&Grist• VivienChan&Co
TIER 2• Dechert• FangdaPartners• FreshfieldsBruckhausDeringer• MinterEllison• MMLCGroup• NixonPeabody• NortonRoseFulbright• Oldham,Li&Nie• QuinnEmanuelUrquhart&Sullivan
• RobinBridge&JohnLiu• RouseHK• Simmons&Simmons
TIER 3• Barron&Young• CliffordChance• JonesDay
C O V E R S T O R Y
Withthecoronaviruspandemiccertaintopulldownglobaleconomicprospectsfromthisyearon,2019couldgodowninhistoryasboththelasthurrahbeforetheimpendingslumpandthepreludetoaneweraininno-vationinindustriespushedtotheforetomitigatetheunprecedentedhealthcrisis.
“Last year was the best year wehave experienced in the course of thepast decade,” was how Francis Gurry,theoutgoingdirector-general ofWorldIntellectualPropertyOrganization(WIPO),describesthe2019performanceofWIPO’sservices.
Internationalpatent,trademark,andindustrialdesignapplicationsfiledwiththeWIPOsystemsallpostedrecordgrowthslastyear,accordingtotheUnitedNations(UN)agencyforIP.Year-on-yearinterna-tionalpatentapplicationsfiledwiththePatentCooperationTreaty(PCT)grewby5.2percentto265,800;internationaltrademarkapplicationsfiledwiththeMadridSystemgrewby5.7percentto64,400;andindus-trialdesignapplicationsfiledwiththeHagueSystemgrewby10.4percentto21,807.
ForthefirsttimeinthelonghistoryofPCT,Chinabecamethebiggestuserofthesystemlastyear,WIPOreported.ThiswasapositionpreviouslyheldconsistentlybytheUnitedStatessincethesystembeganoper-ationsin1978.Chinafiled58,990PCTappli-cationslastyear,a200percentincreasefromthe276applicationsitfiledin1999.
“China’srapidgrowthtobecomethetopfilerofinternationalpatentapplicationsviaWIPOunderlinesalong-termshiftinthelocusofinnovationtowardstheEast,withAsia-basedapplicantsnowaccountingfor
morethanhalfofallPCTapplications,”saysGurry.
ChinaandAsia’snewdominantroleinglobalinnovationwasalsohighlightedinaseparateWIPOreporton“TheGeographyof Innovation: Local Hotspots, GlobalNetworks”thatwaspublishedlastyear.Thereportfindsthatwhileinnovationhasbecomemorecollaborativeandtransna-tional,itremainsconcentratedinahandfulofcountriesandevenwithinthesecountries,inparticularcitiesandregions.
China,Japan,andSouthKoreawerethree of the five countries, along withGermanyandtheU.S.,whichaccountedformostofthepatentproductionandscientificactivityfrom2015to2017.
“ChinaandtheRepublicofKoreaarelargelyresponsiblefortherisingshareofnewareasinknowledgeproductionandinnovation;together,theyaccountforover20percentofpatents registered in theyears2015–2017,comparedtounderthreepercentin1990–1999,”notesthereport.
Patents filed in Asia rose to 48percentfrom32percentsincethe2000s,whilescientificpublicationsincreasedto36percentfrom17percent.“ThisreflectstheriseofChinaandtheRepublicofKoreaandcomesdespitetherelativedeclineinJapan’sshareofpatentsandpublications,”thereport furtherelaborateswhilealsoemphasizingtheemergenceofnewglobalinnovationproducers,amongthemIndiaandSingapore.
AtestamenttoAsia’sriseintheglobalIPandinnovationscene,amajorshiftinleadershipatWIPOfavouringtheAsiangroupissettohappenthisyear.
As Asia becomes a major innovation hub, and the filing ofpatents and trademarks continues at pace, law firms specialising inintellectual property are finding themselves increasingly in demand.
In the 2020 edition of its annual list, ALB once again picks thetop firms for IP work across the region.
BYMARICELESTAVILLOANDASIANLEGALBUSINESS
19ASIAN LEGAL BUSINESS – MAY 2020W W W.LEGALBUSINESSONLINE.COM
• Morrison&Foerster• Spruson&Ferguson• SquirePattonBoggs
INDIAPATENTS
TIER 1• AjaySahni&Associates• AnandandAnand• Chadha&Chadha• Khaitan&Co• K&SPartners• Lakshmikumaran&Sridharan• L&LPartners• Remfry&Sagar
TIER 2• AZB&Partners• Beruar&Beruar• CyrilAmarchandMangaldas• FoxMandal&Associates• IndusLaw• Khurana&Khurana• RahulChaudhry&Partners• Singh&Associates• Majmudar&Partners• Mason&Associates• R.K.Dewan&Co• SamvadPartners• Singh&SinghLall&Sethi• Subramaniam,Nataraj&Associates
TIER 3• ALMTLegal• DePenning&DePenning• FidusLawChambers• Mason&Associates• PerfexioLegal• RNAIPAttorneys• Saikrishna&Associates• ZeusIP
COPYRIGHT/TRADEMARKS
TIER 1• AjaySahni&Associates• AnandandAnand• AZB&Partners• Beruar&Beruar• Chadha&Chadha• CyrilAmarchandMangaldas• FoxMandal&Associates• IndusLaw• Khaitan&Co• KLaw/Krishnamurthy&Co• L&LPartners• RahulChaudhry&Partners• Remfry&Sagar• SujataChaudhriIPAttorneys• Saikrishna&Associates• Singh&Associates
TIER 2• FidusLawChambers• Khurana&Khurana• Lakshmikumaran&Sridharan• Majmudar&Partners• Mason&Associates• R.K.Dewan&Co• RNAIPAttorneys• SamvadPartners• Singh&SinghLall&Sethi• Subramaniam,Nataraj&
Associates• ZeusIP
TIER 3• DePenning&DePenning• K&SPartners• Krishna&SaurastriAssociates• Mason&Associates• PhoenixLegal
INDONESIAPATENTS
TIER 1• AmBadar&Partners• DwipoLubisBaskoro&Partners• HHPLawFirm• Rouse/Suryomurcito&Co• SKCLaw• Tilleke&Gibbins
TIER 2• AcemarkIP• AMRPartnership• BarumunInternationalPatent• BiroOktroiRoosseno• GeorgeWidjojo&Partners• HadromiAdnanIPGroup• InterPatentOffice• JanuarJahja&Partners• K&KAdvocates• PacificPatentMultiglobal• Roosdiono&Partners
TIER 3• AssegafHamzah&Partners• BudidjajaInternationalLawyers• CitiusIntellectualProperty• Lumenta,Sitorus&Partners• Makarim&TairaS.• Pulungan,Wiston&Partners• PrawiranegaraInternationalPatent&Trademark
• SS&RLegalConsultants• StephensonHarwood
COPYRIGHT/TRADEMARKS
TIER 1• AssegafHamzah&Partners• HHPLawFirm• InterPatentOffice• JanuarJahja&Partners• K&KAdvocates• Roosdiono&Partners• Rouse/Suryomurcito&Co• SKCLaw• Tilleke&Gibbins
TIER 2• AcemarkIP• AmBadar&Partners• BarumunInternationalPatent• BiroOktroiRoosseno• BudidjajaInternationalLawyers• DwipoLubisBaskoro&Partners• GeorgeWidjojo&Partners• HadromiAdnanIPGroup• PacificPatentMultiglobal
TIER 3• AssegafHamzah&Partners• CitiusIntellectualProperty• HeruLukito&Partners• Lumenta,Sitorus&Partners
• Makarim&TairaS.• Pulungan,Wiston&Partners• Prawiranegara• StephensonHarwood
JAPAN DOMESTICPATENTS
TIER 1• Abe,Ikubo&Katayama• AndersonMori&Tomotsune• MoriHamada&Matsumoto• NagashimaOhno&Tsunematsu• Nakamura&Partners• Oh-EbashiLPC&Partners
TIER 2• Abe&Partners• Atsumi&Sakai• FukamiPatentOffice• ItohInternationalPatentOffice• Nishimura&Asahi• Ohno&Partners• OndaTechnoIntl.PatentAttys.• RyukaIPLawFirm• SeiwaPatent&Law• ShigaInternationalPatentOffice
• SoeiIntellectualPropertyLaw• Sugimura&Partners• TMIAssociates
COPYRIGHT/TRADEMARKS
TIER 1• AndersonMori&Tomotsune• Atsumi&Sakai• MoriHamada&Matsumoto• NagashimaOhno&Tsunematsu• Nakamura&Partners• TMIAssociates
TIER 2• Abe,Ikubo&Katayama• FukamiPatentOffice• ItohInternationalPatentOffice• Nishimura&Asahi• Oh-EbashiLPC&Partners• Ohno&Partners• OndaTechnoInt.PatentAttys.• RyukaIPLawFirm• SeiwaPatent&Law• ShigaInternationalPatentOffice
• SoeiIntellectualPropertyLaw• Sugimura&Partners
JAPAN INTERNATIONALPATENTS
TIER 1• Baker&McKenzie• Finnegan,Henderson,Farabow,Garrett&Dunner
• HoganLovells• Morgan,Lewis&Bockius• Morrison&Foerster• Orrick,Herrington&Sutcliffe• QuinnEmanuelUrquhart&Sullivan
• Ropes&Gray
TIER 2
• Foley&Lardner• MayerBrown• SquirePattonBoggs
COPYRIGHT/TRADEMARKS
TIER 1• Baker&McKenzie• HoganLovells• Morrison&Foerster• Orrick,Herrington&Sutcliffe
TIER 2• Finnegan,Henderson,Farabow,Garrett&Dunner
• Foley&Lardner• MayerBrown• Morgan,Lewis&Bockius• SquirePattonBoggs
MALAYSIAPATENTS
TIER 1• LAWPartnership• Marks&Clerk• ShearnDelamore&Co• Skrine• Tay&Partners• Wong&Partners• ZICOIP
TIER 2• Christopher&LeeOng• RahmatLim&Partners• RajaDarryl&Loh• ShookLin&Bok
TIER 3• LeeHishammuddinAllen&Gledhill
• WongJinNee&Teo
COPYRIGHT/TRADEMARKS
TIER 1• LAWPartnership• LeeHishammuddinAllen&Gledhill
• Marks&Clerk• RahmatLim&Partners• ShearnDelamore&Co• Skrine• ShookLin&Bok• Tay&Partners• Wong&Partners• ZICOIP
TIER 2• Christopher&LeeOng• RajaDarryl&Loh• WongJinNee&Teo
PHILIPPINESPATENTS/COPYRIGHT/TRADEMARKS
TIER 1• ACCRALAW• CastilloLamanTanPantaleon&SanJose
• CruzMarcelo&Tenefrancia• QuisumbingTorres
C O V E R S T O R Y
19ASIAN LEGAL BUSINESS – MAY 2020W W W.LEGALBUSINESSONLINE.COM
20 ASIAN LEGAL BUSINESS – MAY 2020 W W W.LEGALBUSINESSONLINE.COM
Deep & Far is confident to be the best IP firm, and is prepared to take challenge for verification of its competence by receiving from the client, e.g. 1) a pending or granted patent for comments about how it can improve the claims, 2) a pending patent specification without the claims for drafting the claims for comparison with the original claims, or 3) an initial disclosure for preparing a claim set at the same time with the firm the client is currently using so that the client can compare and find out which firm can provide the better claims. The claims Deep & Far prepares always trap therein all competitors of the clients.
台北市中山北路三段27號13樓 業務涵括知識產權之申請、侵權及訴訟13th Fl., 27 Sec. 3, Chung San N. Rd., Taipei 104, Taiwan, R.O.C.Phone: 886-2-25856688 Fax: 886-2-25989900/25978989
Email: [email protected] Website: www.deepnfar.com.tw
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
C O V E R S T O R Y
• RomuloMabantaBuenaventuraSayoc&delosAngeles
• SyCipSalazarHernandez&Gatmaitan
• Villaraza&Angangco
TIER 2• Baranda&Associates• BengzonNegreUntalan.Simply,IP
• BetitaCabilaoCasuelaSarmiento
• CaragCaballesJamora&Somera
• MarksPro• PuyatJacinto&Santos
SINGAPOREPATENTS
TIER 1• Allen&Gledhill• AmicaLaw• Baker&McKenzieWong&Leow• Bird&BirdATMD• DentonsRodyk• Drew&Napier• Donaldson&Burkinshaw• JurisAsia• Lee&Lee• Marks&Clerk• Rajah&Tann
TIER 2• DaviesCollisonCave• EvershedsHarryElias• JoyceA.Tan&Partners• GatewayLawCorporation• MayerBrown• MorganLewis• OCQueenStreet• RavindranAssociates• RHTLawAsia• Spruson&Ferguson• Viering,Jentschura&Partner
TIER 3• CantabIP• CNPLaw• MirandahAsia• StephensonHarwood• WongPartnership
COPYRIGHT/TRADEMARKS
TIER 1• Allen&Gledhill• AmicaLaw• Baker&McKenzieWong&Leow• Bird&BirdATMD• DentonsRodyk• Drew&Napier• Donaldson&Burkinshaw• EvershedsHarryElias• GatewayLawCorporation• JurisAsia• Lee&Lee• OCQueenStreet• Rajah&Tann• RHTLawAsia• WongPartnership
TIER 2• CNPLaw• JoyceA.Tan&Partners
• RavindranAssociates• Robinson
TIER 3• DaviesCollisonCave• MayerBrown• MirandahAsia• MorganLewis• StephensonHarwood• Spruson&Ferguson
SOUTH KOREAPATENTS
TIER 1• Bae,Kim&Lee• Kim&Chang• Lee&Ko• Ropes&Gray• Shin&Kim• Yoon&Yang• Yulchon
TIER 2• C&SPatentandLawOffice• Dr.AhnInternationalPatentLawOffice
• Finnegan,Henderson,Farabow,Garrett&Dunner
• LeeInternationalIP&LawGroup• RoyalPatent&LawFirm
TIER 3• AIPPatent&LawFirm• AJUKimChang&Lee• BarunIP&Law• CentralIntellectualProperty&Law
• Cho&Partners• KasanIP&LawFirm• Kim,Choi&Lim• KoreanaPatentFirm• MuhannPatent&LawFirm• StephensonHarwood• YangjaeLawFirm• YOUMEPatent&LawFirm• Y.P.LeeMock&Partners• 5TInternationalPatentLawFirm
COPYRIGHT/TRADEMARKS
TIER 1• Bae,Kim&Lee• Kim&Chang• Lee&Ko• Shin&Kim• Yoon&Yang• Yulchon
TIER 2• AJUKimChang&Lee• Finnegan,Henderson,Farabow,Garrett&Dunner
• KBKPatentLawOffice• LeeInternationalIP&LawGroup
• Ropes&Gray
TIER 3• BarunIP&Law• CentralInternationalLawFirm• Cho&Partners• Jipyong• Kim,Choi&Lim• MuhannPatent&LawFirm
• StephensonHarwood• YOUMEPatent&LawFirm• YPLeeMock&Partners
TAIWANPATENTS
TIER 1• Baker&McKenzie• Finnegan,Henderson,Farabow,Garrett&Dunner
• JonesDay• LeeandLi• SaintIslandInternationalPatent&LawOffices
• TaiEInternationalPatent&Law• TIPLO
TIER 2• Chen&Lin• FormosanBrothers• FormosaTransnational• Tsar&Tsai• WinklerPartners
TIER 3• Deep&Far• Eiger• Tsai,Lee&Chen
COPYRIGHT/TRADEMARKS
TIER 1• Baker&McKenzie• Chen&Lin• Eiger• LeeandLi• SaintIslandInternationalPatent&LawOffices
• TaiEInternationalPatent&Law• Tsar&Tsai• TIPLO• WinklerPartners
TIER 2• Deep&Far• Finnegan,Henderson,Farabow,Garrett&Dunner
• FormosaTransnational• FormosanBrothers• JonesDay• Tsai,Lee&Chen
THAILANDPATENTS
TIER 1• Baker&McKenzie• DomnernSomgiat&Boonma• Rouse• Tilleke&Gibbins• ZICOIP
TIER 2• Apisith&Alliance• Chavalit&Associates• Satyapon&Partners• SiamPremierInternational• Vidon&Partners
TIER 3• AnandaIP• Dej–Udom&Associates
• DharmnitiLawOffice• MayerBrown
COPYRIGHT/TRADEMARKS
TIER 1• Baker&McKenzie• DomnernSomgiat&Boonma• Tilleke&Gibbins• ZICOIP
TIER 2• Apisith&Alliance• Chavalit&Associates• Rouse• Satyapon&Partners• SiamPremierInternational• Vidon&Partners
TIER 3• AnandaIP• Dej–Udom&Associates• DharmnitiLawOffice• MayerBrown
VIETNAMPATENTS
TIER 1• Baker&McKenzie• Pham&Associates• Tilleke&Gibbins• Vision&Associates
TIER 2• HoganLovells• IndochineCounsel• InvestConsultGroup• Rouse• SBLaw• ZICOLaw
TIER 3• BROSS&Partners• IPMAXLaw• Phuoc&Partners• MayerBrown
COPYRIGHT/TRADEMARKS
TIER 1• Baker&McKenzie• BROSS&Partners• HoganLovells• IPMAXLaw• Tilleke&Gibbins• Vision&Associates
TIER 2• IndochineCounsel• InvestConsultGroup• Pham&Associates• Rouse• SBLaw• ZICOLaw
20 ASIAN LEGAL BUSINESS – MAY 2020 W W W.LEGALBUSINESSONLINE.COM
21ASIAN LEGAL BUSINESS – MAY 2020W W W.LEGALBUSINESSONLINE.COM
Deep & Far is confident to be the best IP firm, and is prepared to take challenge for verification of its competence by receiving from the client, e.g. 1) a pending or granted patent for comments about how it can improve the claims, 2) a pending patent specification without the claims for drafting the claims for comparison with the original claims, or 3) an initial disclosure for preparing a claim set at the same time with the firm the client is currently using so that the client can compare and find out which firm can provide the better claims. The claims Deep & Far prepares always trap therein all competitors of the clients.
台北市中山北路三段27號13樓 業務涵括知識產權之申請、侵權及訴訟13th Fl., 27 Sec. 3, Chung San N. Rd., Taipei 104, Taiwan, R.O.C.Phone: 886-2-25856688 Fax: 886-2-25989900/25978989
Email: [email protected] Website: www.deepnfar.com.tw
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
C O V E R S T O R Y
COUNTRY REPORTS
Hong KongLast December, Hong Kong startedacceptingandexaminingfilingsunderanewpatentsystemwhichcreatesadirectrouteforapplicantsofstandardpatentprotection.
“TheOGP(originalgrantpatent)systemdemonstratesthegovernment’scommitment to bringing the localpatentsystemonparwiththemain-streampatentpracticesoftheinterna-tionalcommunity.ItwillalsofacilitatethedevelopmentoftheinnovationandtechnologysectorinHongKong,”saysDavidWong,HongKong’sdirectorofIP.
Asoneofthebusiertradehubsintheregion,HongKongwasaroutinelegforgloballawfirmsmanagingforeignIPformultiplejurisdictionsintheregion.Passingoffand trademark infringe-mentcases involving foreignbrandsweresomeofthetopcaseshandledbytoplawfirmslastyear.
Inmostcases,thework,fromduediligence,toprosecution,orenforce-ment,bundledtheterritorywithneigh-bouringMacauandChina.Inonekeyaccount forMcDonald’s, DLA PiperhandledIPmanagementfortheiconicAmericanbrandinHongKong,Macau,andMainlandChinaasitrampedupitsbrandprotectionstrategyintheregionfollowingthedivestmentofitsassetsinthethreeterritoriestoCITICandCarlyleinadealreportedlyworth$2billion.
Inanotherlandmarkcasehandledlastyear,MayerBrownworkedwiththeAsiaVideoIndustryAssociationtofindasolutiontocopyrightinfringementinInternetstreamingpendingchangesinHongKong’scopyrightregulation.
IndiaIPisbothasourceofprideandamatterofcontentioninIndiaespeciallywithsome of its trading partners whichdemandhigherlevelofprotectionfortheirexportedIPs.
TheU.S.forinstance,inits2019Special301ReportthatputIndiaonthePriorityWatchListcontinuedtopushforreformsinthecountry’spatentsystem.
“India has yet to take steps toaddresslong-standingpatent issuesthat affect innovative industries.Companies across different sectorsremainconcernedaboutnarrowpatent-abilitystandards,thepotentialthreatofcompulsorylicensingandpatentrevo-cations,aswellasoverlybroadcriteriaforissuingsuchlicensesandrevocationsundertheIndiaPatentsAct,”itsays.
IPisofparticular importanceinIndia’spharmaceuticalindustry.India’sgenericdrugs industry istheworld’sbiggestandlocalmanufacturersareeithercompetitorsorcollaboratorsoftheworld’stoppharmaceuticalcompa-nies.Naturally,thecaseloadoftoplawfirmsinIndialastyearincludedfilingsandlitigationcasesforbothdomesticandforeignpharmaceuticalfirms.
Outsidepharmaceutical,Anand
22 ASIAN LEGAL BUSINESS – MAY 2020 W W W.LEGALBUSINESSONLINE.COM
C O V E R S T O R Y
&AnandhandledalandmarkcaseforFeridAllaniagainsttheUnionofIndiawhichcouldpavethewayforsoftwareinnovationpatents,atimelydevelop-mentamidsttheriseofAIsandblock-chain technologies. In its decision,thecourtforthefirsttimegaveanewinterpretationofSection3(k)ofIndia’sPatentsActwhichexcludesalgorithmsfromgettingapatent.
Incopyright,oneofthebigtrans-actionshandledbyAZB&PartnerswasThomasCookIndia’s$1.9millionacquisi-tionofthe‘ThomasCook’brandforIndia,SriLankaandMauritius.ThisenabledThomasCookIndiatoretainthebrandinthethreejurisdictionsdespiteThomasCookUKenteringintoliquidation.
AjaySahni&Associateswereinthetoptierinbothpatents,aswellastrademarksandcopyright.Owingtoaboom in theeCommerce industry,the firm received severalmandatestoinitiateenforcementactionagainstcounterfeitersonpopulareCommerce
websitesandsocialmediaplatforms,sayspartnerKritikaSahni.“Withbusi-nessesgoingdigitalandgettingaccesstoaglobalaudience,infringersareusingmoresophisticatedtechniquessuchasautomatedbotstocreatenewselleraccountsorsocialmediahandleswhenpreviousonesgetdelistedorblocked,”shesays.“Anotherdisturbingtrendthatemergedwasthemushroomingoflocalstartupsthatstealfrompatentsownedbylargermultinationalcompanies,oftennotcommercialisedinIndia,andreceivelargeseedorpre-seriesAfundingfromVCs,usuallywithoutconductingIPduediligence.Wereceivedmanybriefstocontestpre-grantoppositionsagainstsuchinfringingpatentapplications–thatwereoftenonafast-trackroute,owingtotheapplicant’sstartupstatus.”
IndonesiaDespiteexperiencingaslowereconomicgrowthof5.02percentin2019,SoutheastAsia’slargesteconomycontinuedtobe
anin-demandmarketforforeignbrandsintheregion.
Withitsstrongconsumermarketandhavingthefourthlargestpopulationintheworld,IPprotection,especiallyofcopyrightandtrademarks,accountedforabigshareinthecaseloadofIPlawfirmsinIndonesia.
BasedonWIPOdata,trademarkfilingshadbeenonanincreasesince2015,postingagrowthof59percentinfouryears.TrademarkfilingsviatheMadridsystemstoodat65,206in2018.PatentfilingsviaPCT,meanwhile,wereat1,451inthesameyear.
AtthetopofthelistofconcernsofIPholdersinthecountryaretherela-tivelywidespreadpiracyandcounter-feiting.Oflate,lawfirmshavehandledanincreasingnumberofIPdisputesontheInternetandsocialmedia.
While IP work continued to becopyright and trademark-heavy,patentprotectionisgaininggroundinIndonesia.
www.drewnapier.com • [email protected] • T: +65 6535 0733
23ASIAN LEGAL BUSINESS – MAY 2020W W W.LEGALBUSINESSONLINE.COM
C O V E R S T O R Y
Lastyear,theDirektoratJenderalKekayaanIntelektualsignedanagree-mentonreinforcedpartnershipwiththeEuropeanPatentOffice,thesecondIPofficetodosoinSoutheastAsiaafterMalaysia.Theagreementisaimedatstrengtheningbilateralcooperationoncapacityforsearchingandexaminingapplications amid steady growth inpatentfilings.
Demandforcomplexpatentworkhas also started to pour in. Tilleke&Gibbins handled one for PingAnTechnology,thetechincubatorandAIR&DarmofChina’slargestinsurancecompany.
JapanDespitetherelativelysluggishperfor-manceofIPfilingsinJapaninrecentyears compared to its East Asiancounterparts, it remainsoneof thetop producers of innovation in theregionandanindispensablemarketforforeignIP.
Japan’s totalnumberofpatentapplicationsdeclinedby1.78percentto 307,969 in 2019.Whiledomesticfilingswereslightlydown,internationalpatentapplicationsgrewby4.6percentto66,968fromthepreviousyear.Patentregistrationstotalled179,910lastyear.
KoreaLastyear,SouthKoreaintroducedanewlaw,theMedicalDeviceIndustryandInnovativeMedicalDeviceSupportAct,whichisaimedatpromotingthedevel-opmentofnewinnovativetechnologiesandcreatinganewbreedoflocalinno-vativecompanies.
TherewasnoshortageoflandmarkcasesinSouthKorealastyear,especiallyinhealthcare.
Yulchon successfully repre-sentedGSKinapreliminaryinjunctionproceedinginatrademarkinfringementandunfaircompetitioncaseagainstadomestic pharmaceutical companyover itsdisk-shaped inhalerbearing
similarappearancetoGSK’sDiskus.Inthisparticularcase,thefirmwasabletoconvincethecourtthattherewasalikelihoodofconfusiondespiteitbeingaprescriptiondrug.
MalaysiaFollowingMalaysia’simplementationofitsnewtrademarklawlastyear,asubse-quentincreaseinfilings,especiallyfornon-traditionaltrademarksisseen.
TheTrademarksAct2019offersprotectionforshapeofgoods,pack-aging,sound,scent,colour,holograms,positioningandsequenceofmotionsthatcouldbegraphicallypresentedtoidentifygoodsandservices.ThenewlawhasalsoraisedpenaltyfortrademarkinfringementstoRM1million($232,070),amaximumoffiveyearsimprisonment,orboth.
In 2019, trademark filings inMalaysiawere upby 6.6 percent to46,530whileregistrationsdippedby43.6percentto19,481.Industrialdesign
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C O V E R S T O R Y
numberofcopyrightcases involvingpartiesbasedinotherpartsofAsia.
OnelandmarkcopyrightcaseinSingaporelastyearwastheonehandledby Allen & Gledhill for Sea Group/Garena.Itwastoutedasthefirstcopy-rightcaseinthecity-staterelatingtothemobilegameindustry.
TonyYeo,managingdirectorandheadofTier1firmDrew&Napier’sIPpractice,andYvonneTang,adirectorintheIPpractice,saythatthedepart-menthasbeenkeptbusythisyearas2020broughtonawholenewsetofchallenges.“InlightoftheCOVID-19pandemic, the department had toquickly adapt to allow for work tocontinueseamlessly,firstonanalter-nativeteambasisasabusinessconti-nuitymeasureandsubsequentlytoafullwork-from-homebasis,”theysay.“ThesemeasureswereimplementedswiftlyandefficientlytoallowDrew&Napiertohonouritscommitmenttoourclientstocontinuetoprovideexcellentserviceregardlessofthecircumstanceslikewehavedonesoforthepastyears.Wearegratefulforourclients’continuedtrustandconfidenceinourwork.”
SignificantmilestonesforDrew’sIPpractice in2019-20 includedYeobeing appointed to the IntellectualPropertyofSingapore’s(IPOS)panelofIPAdjudicatorsforatwo-yeartermstartingApril2019.“OnlyaverysmallnumberofleadingprivatepractitionersareappointedasIPAdjudicators,”sayYeoandTang.“AsanIPAdjudicator,TonyrecentlyheardatrademarkoppositionmatteratIPOS.Thematterispendinghiswrittenjudgment.”
Also,ateamcomprisingYeoandfellowdirectorMerylKoh,andseniorassociate JavierYeo, represented IIaTechnologies,anindustryleaderandmanufactureroflab-growndiamondswiththelargestdiamondgrowingfacilityintheworld,inapatentinfringementsuitcommencedbyElementSixTechnologies,asubsidiaryoftheDeBeersGroup,inSingaporeHighCourtSuitNo.26of2016.“ThesuitincludesacounterclaimbyIIaTechnologiesto invalidateandrevokeElementSixTechnologies’patentsintheSingaporeHighCourt.Thesuitwasoneofthelongestpatentinfringement
trialsheardinSingapore,spanningoversevenweeksintwotranches,”sayYeoandTang.“Theissuesinthesuitinvolveextremelytechnicalandcontentiousandhighlycomplexpatentinvalidationandinfringementissues,makingitoneofthemostcomplexpatentinfringementcasethattheSingaporeHighCourthasheard.Thereweretwopatentsconcerned,bothofwhichrelatetodiamondsgrownbychemicalvapourdeposition(CVD).”
TheyaddthattheSingaporeHighCourtdelivered itswritten judgmentonFeb.7 thisyear.“TheHighCourtagreedwithIIaTechnologiesthatoneofElementSix’spatentwasneithernewnorinventiveandorderedforthepatenttoberevoked,”sayYeoandTang.“Asaninvalidpatentisacompletedefencetoinfringement,theHighCourtalsofoundthatIIaTechnologiesdidnotinfringethesaidpatent.Asfortheotherpatent,theHighCourtfoundthatthepatentwasvalidand infringed. IIaTechnologieshasfiledanappealagainstthisfindingandDrew&NapierwillrepresentIIaTechnologies Pte Ltd at the appealbeforetheCourtofAppeal.”
Additionally,Tangandherteam,senior associate JaswinKaur KhosaandassociateEdsmondCheong,alsosuccessfullyrepresentedAdidasinitsappealagainstthedecisionofPrincipalAssistantRegistrarofTrademarks,inatrademarkoppositioncommencedin2016againstamarkfiledinClass25byLutongEnterprisewhichresembledaninversionoftheiconicAdidastrape-zoidmark.
TaiwanTaiwan,aknowntechnologymanufac-turinghub,isseentobeabigwinnerfromtheU.S.-Chinatradewar.ArecentreportbytheUNConferenceonTradeandDevelopment(UNCTAD)estimatedtheamountofwindfalltotheislandfromthetradetensiontoreach$4.2billion.
The Government of TaiwanlaunchedlastyearaprogramtoluremoreTaiwanesecompaniesoperatingintheMainlandforatleasttwoyearsandareaffectedbythetradetensiontomovebackhome.Thetransferscouldgiveaddedlifttoitstechnologyindustry.
Lastyear,patentapplicationsin
applicationsby3.1percentto1,904whileregistrationsweredownby16percentto1,238.Meanwhile,patentapplicationsin2019grewby3.3percentto7,743whileregistrationsfellby3.8percentto4,213.
PhilippinesThePhilippinessawrecordgrowthinIPprotectionfilingsin2019,withtotalfilingsincreasingby10percentfromthepreviousyearto43,000.
Being a consumption-driveneconomywithstronggrowthprospects,filingsfortrademarkslastyeargrewby10percentto39,399.Mostofthefilingswereintheareasofagriculturalprod-uctsandservicesandpharmaceuticals,health,andcosmetics.
Industrial design applicationsgrewby7percentto1,631;utilitymodelfilingsincreasedby4percentto2,228;andpatentfilingsgrewby2percentto4,024from3,962.ThetopfilersforpatentprotectionwerefromtheU.S.,Japan,andChina.
Like the rest of the developingeconomiesintheregion,IPprotectioninthecountry ishamperedbycoun-terfeitingandpiracy.Thecaseloadofthetoplawfirmsincludedconductingcriminalraidactionsformostlyforeignbrands.TheincreasingpopularityoftheInternethasalsocreatedanewavenueforcounterfeitersandcopyrightpiratestodistributefakeproducts.
SingaporeInastepaimedatstrengtheningitsposi-tionastheregion’salternativedisputeresolutionhubforIP,SingaporeworkedwiththeWIPOArbitrationandMediationCentertoofferreducedratestobusi-nessesandcreatorswhooptformedia-tiontoresolvecopyrightdisputesinthecity-state.Thepreviousarrangementonlycoveredpatents,registereddesigns,andtrademarks.
“Thegoalisforthediversestake-holdersinthecopyrightandcreativeindustries to gain greater access tomoreefficientandcost-effectiveroutesto resolve their copyright disputes,including those relating to collec-tivemanagementandorphanworks,”theSingaporeIPOfficesays.Itnotesthattherehadbeenanincreaseinthe
25ASIAN LEGAL BUSINESS – MAY 2020W W W.LEGALBUSINESSONLINE.COM
Taiwanincreasedby2percentfromthepreviousyearto74,652.Ofthetotal,inventionpatentswereat48,268;designpatents at 8,804; andutilitymodelpatentsat17,580.
Thegovernmentreportedthatthetotalinventionpatentapplicationsfiledbyresidentsat18,984in2019wasthehighestinfiveyearsduetoincreasesinthenumberofapplicationsfiledbycorporations, large enterprises andsmallandmedium-sizedenterprises.Inpatents,JapanesefirmswerethetopapplicantsfollowedbyChinesefirms.
Inadditiontopatentfilings,toplawfirmsinTaiwanforIPwerekeptbusyhandlinginfringementcases,withsomepatent-relatedcasesmattersofcross-borderlitigation.
Meanwhile,trademarkapplicationsat86,794werethehighestsince2001.“Thiswasduemainlytoa3percentincreaseinresidentapplications,”thegovernmentreports.
“Some industrieshavestronglybackedupeitherthepatentortrademark
filingsin2019soeverythinglooksquitewell fromtherelevantstatistics,”CFTsai,managingpartnerofTaiwanesefirmDeep&Far,said.“However,fromthefirm’sperspective,2019wasahard-shipyearbecausethisfirmwassubjecttoalasttransitionperiodfromhuman-basedmanagementtodeeplycomputer-basedonebywhichwehaveseenvarioussignsofrecoveryevenattheseCOVID-19rampantmonths.”
ThailandIPprotectionhasimprovedconsider-ablyinThailand,butafewchallengesremained,atleastthat’saccordingtotheU.S.inits2019Special301Report.
“Concernsremainregardingtheavailabilityofcounterfeitandpiratedgoods,both inphysicalmarketsandonline,”itsaysinitsunilateralreviewofIPprotectionofitstradingpartners.ThereportputThailandonthewatchlistwithVietnaminAsia,whileChina,India,andIndonesiawereontheprioritywatchlist.
Indeed,IPprotectionanddeploying
anti-counterfeitingmeasuresfortheirclientsformedabigpartoftheworkoflawfirmsinThailandlastyear.
Forthebiggerlawfirms,theworkcoveredmanagingIPportfolioforthelargerSoutheastAsia.Inonecase,ZICOIPdidthetrademarkportfoliomanage-mentineightcountriesinSoutheastAsiaforpropertyandcasualtyinsurerChubbLimited.
VietnamVietnampassedanew law lastyeareffectingkeychangestoitsIPregula-tionandtomakeitmorealignedwiththetermsofanewtradeagreementitsignedwith10countries,theComprehensiveandProgressiveAgreementforTrans-PacificPartnership(CPTPP).
Amongthechangesarethelongergraceperiodforpatentapplicationsfromthedateofpublicdisclosureto12monthsfromtheprevioussixmonthsandthetermsindeterminingcommonnameofgoodsinapplicationsforgeographicalindications.
AjaySahni&Associates(ASA)isaboutiquecorporatelawpracticefocusedonintellectualproperty,innovationandtechnology.Thefirmwasfoundedin1983withtheobjectiveofrenderingcreative,robustandeffectivestrategiclegaladviceandrepresentationalservices.
ASAiscommittedtodeliveringout-of-the-box,avant gardesolutionstocomplexproblemsfacedbyitsclients.Theteamstrivestoworkwithitsclientsaspartners,helpingthemmanageriskandnavigatechallenginglegalandbusinesslandscapes.
ASAhasaverystrongdisputesandenforcementpracticewithover100reportedjudgmentsinleadinglawjournalsandreportstoitscredit.ThefirmhandleslargeIPportfoliosformanyFortune500clients(bothIndianandinternational)ontheprosecu-tionside.Ithasvariousawardsandlistingstoitscredit,suchastheInternationalClientChoiceAward(Trademark),World Trademark Review(Leadingfirmandindividualinenforcement&litigationaswellasprosecution&strategycategories),Thomson Reuters Asian Legal Business IP Rankings(Tier1firmforTrademarkandCopyright,Tier2firmforPatent)andThomson Reuters Asian Legal Business India Rising Stars 2019,amongothers.Itsmembersserveonvariouscommitteesandexpertgroupsininternationalassocia-tions,aswellasgovernmentbodies.
ASAworkswithasophisticatedartificialintelligenceandautomationbasedin-housetrademarkportfoliomanagementsystemtomanagecompliances,monitorthreatsandalertsforclients.ItisalsothefirstlawfirminIndiatoofferblockchain-basedIPprotec-tionservices.
ASAisledbyitsfounderAjaySahni,whohasbeenpractisingIPlawsince1983attheSupremeCourt,highcourts,districtcourtsandtribunallevelsacrossIndia.Hehasarguednumerouslandmarkcases,manyofwhichhavebeenreportedinleadinglawreportsandjournals.Hisdisputeresolutionexperiencecoversawidespectrumofindus-tries,includingpharmaceutical,retail,infrastructure,realestate,automotive,finance,fast-movingconsumergoods,power,telecommunications,education,chemicalandindustrialproducts.
A strong founderMrSahni’sexperienceisevidentinthenumberofkeypositionsheholdsorhasheld:• formervicepresidentatIntellectualPropertyAttorneysAssociation,NewDelhi;• formervicepresidentatAsianPatentAttorneysAssociation(IndiaChapter);• invitedbytheRajyaSabhaSecretariat(upperhouseoftheParliamentofIndia)
andexaminedasanexpertwitnessbytheParliamentaryStandingCommitteeonCommerceinrelationtotheTrademarks(Amendment)Bill2007;
• memberontheAdvisoryBoardofThe Patents and Trademarks Cases,aleadingmonthlyjournalofIPcaselawinIndia;
• regularspeakeronIPlawsattheInstituteofCompanySecretaries,theInstituteofCharteredAccountants,theHaryanaPoliceAcademyandtheExportPromotionCouncilofIndia;and
• formerlyappointedasaseniorpanelcounselintheHighCourtofDelhiforconductingcentralgovernmentcases.
Inaddition,MrSahnihaswrittenextensivelyonthesubjectofIPlaw,includingas:• arevisingauthorofLal’sCommentary on the Indian Copyright Act,1957;and• aco-authorofsevenvolumesofthebooktitledCases and Materials on Trademarks
and Allied Laws.
Firm’s key service offeringsLitigation, enforcement and dispute resolution• Handlingcivil,criminalandregulatorycasesoninfringementofpatent,trademark,
copyright,design,tradesecrets,unfaircompetition;commercialmediationandarbitration
• IPdawnraids,enforcementcasesanddomainnamedisputes• Disputestrategy,riskassessment,draftingofsubmissions,preparationofdocumen-
tation,evidence,witnessesProsecution, compliance and audit• IPprosecution• Entryassistance:clearancesearches,landscapestudies,freedom-to-operatesearches• IPauditsandhealthchecks• IPcompliancemanagementservices• Cutting-edgetoolsbasedonautomationandAIfor360-degreeIPmonitoring,threat
assessmentandcompliancemanagementservicesTransactional• AcquisitionandcommercialisationofIPassets• IPvaluation• Technologytransactionsandlicensing• SafeguardingIPassetsinmergers,acquisitionsandjointventuresAdvisory and public policy• Anti-counterfeitinvestigations,forensicsandenforcementstrategy• Customsborderprotectionassistanceandstrategy• Branding,advertising,marketing,packagingandlabellingstrategies• Drugandpharmaregulatoryfilings,representationandsupport• Dataprotectionandprivacy• Publicpolicyadvisory,advocacyandstrategiclitigationsupport
AjaySahni&Associates177, Lawyers’ Chambers, Delhi High Court, New Delhi 110003 T +91 11 41032782, 41022982 E [email protected] W www.asahni.co
BROUGHTTOYOUBYA JAY SAHNI & ASSOCIATES