A strong start to 2016

As the year begins, Deacons’ Intellectual Property practice is pleased to announce two prestigious achievements.

From patents to trademarks, our successes in the practice of intellectual property have been acknowledged by both a market-leading journal and an independent legal directory.

We are very fortunate to have received these accolades and would like to take this opportunity to thank our clients and friends for their untiring support.

We look forward to continuing our close relationship with you in 2016.

We have been ranked as a Gold Tier law firm in Hong Kong for enforcement and litigation and prosecution and strategy. The World Trademark Review only features two categories for Hong Kong and Deacons has placed in the Gold Tier for both of those. Our six partners are also all ranked, which is the highest proportion of partners ranked by firm in Hong Kong.

The editorial says,

“No other firm understands the ins and outs of the trademark scene in Hong Kong as well as Deacons.” The leading independent outfit’s abundant resources are a boon to many clients keen to tap the Chinese market; with six partners and 20 lawyers and other fee-earning staff, it can handle any brief going. “The entire team is super friendly and easy to work with, and offers excellent value for money.” It handles Nestlé’s entire portfolio in Hong Kong, which includes the oldest trademark – registered in 1874 – in the special administrative region. Vivian Poon showcases a deft touch in the management of sprawling portfolios.

Rodney Goh is another touchstone for clearance, filing and brand management briefs and a whizz on the subject of non-traditional marks; colleague Patsy Lau’s specialist subject is Chinese character marks. The group has seen some notable contentious action recently; IP co-head Charmaine Koo scored a resounding win for Tsit Wing in a complex infringement trial, going on to prevail on appeal.

Department co-head Annie Tsoi is an award-winning strategist whose work spans the trademark spectrum. Ace patent litigator Catherine Zheng also has deep soft IP experience and manages trademark portfolios with aplomb.

We featured in China Business Law Journal’s Deals of the Year 2015 for our advice on JAC Capital’s US $1.8 billion acquisition of NXP Semiconductors’ power amplifier business.

JAC Capital is a subsidiary of JIC Capital, which is a Chinese state-owned investment company. This ground breaking transaction was one of the largest outbound technology deals in 2015 in China. The intellectual property and technology accounted for approximately half the value of the transaction which involved extensive patent due diligence and drafting of patent and technology transfer agreements and licences in many major jurisdictions.

The team was led by corporate finance partner Alexander Que and also featured partners Catherine Zheng (intellectual property) and Kelvan Cheung (corporate finance). They were supported by senior associate Ian Liu (intellectual property) and associate Mario Cheung (corporate finance).

About the publications:

WTR 1000 – The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals is the only standalone research directory to focus exclusively on trademark practices and practitioners. It is regarded as the definitive resource for those seeking legal trademark expertise. The WTR 1000 is presented by World Trademark Review – the world’s only independent daily news and information service dedicated exclusively to reporting on strategic and legal trademark issues for in-house and private practitioners internationally – this year’s publication builds on the success of previous editions to identify the trademark industry’s leading lights in 71 jurisdictions around the world. To learn more about the relevant rankings in Hong Kong, please refer to the WTR 1000.

The China Business Law Journal is the only fully-bilingual monthly magazine for China focused business and legal practitioners. The “Deal of the Year” report focuses on the most significant or most complex China-related transactions, dispute resolution cases and IP achievements of 2015. For more information, please visit their website.