Matthew Laight > Bird & Bird > Hong Kong, Hong Kong > Lawyer Profile

Singled out for its expertise in commercial and regulatory TMT matters, Bird & Bird‘s broad offering covers NFT transactions, autonomous driving, cloud, IT and telecoms work. Fintech and payments mandates also continue to be a strength for a group that has seen an increase in instructions relating to data protection and privacy matters, namely security assessments. Leadership duties are split between Beijing-based partner James Gong and Wilfred Ng, who joined from Tencent in November 2022 and spearheads the corporate and commercial TMT team in Hong Kong. Matthew Laight’s caseload includes contentious and non-contentious IP matters, while Hank Leung’s IP know-how extends to mandates involving monetisation in China and across the APAC region. Calista Chiu is another key contact in the group. Clarice Yue left the firm in December 2022.

Often working closely with practitioners on the Mainland, Bird & Bird‘s Hong Kong team provides a comprehensive non-contentious and contentious IP offering to both large and smaller retail and consumer, life sciences and technology companies on the protection and enforcement of their IPR. Hank Leung is well-versed in advising on trade mark and copyright matters, including portfolio management and the effective commercialisation of IPR through licensing and other contractual agreements. Leung is particularly adept at advising gaming clients on IP matters, work which has recently included innovative issues relating to non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in the space. Ted Chwu has also been at the vanguard of new technologies and business models, handling a considerable volume of work as it relates to NFTs, the blockchain and AI. In her role as head of life sciences and healthcare throughout APAC, Alison Wong handles a range of IP and regulatory issues for clients in the sector, including in the context of commercial contracts and patent litigation. Matthew Laight, who heads up the firm’s overarching APAC IP offering, is also very adept at handling patent litigation, and is regularly involved for technology clients bringing infringement claims throughout China, as well as internationally. Victor Tse, who was promoted to partner in May 2023, effectively parlays his technical background in science to good effect when handling complex IP litigation.

With the experienced duo Christine Yiu (Shanghai) and Hank Leung (Hong Kong) at the helm, Bird & Bird‘s comprehensive offering covers all areas of IP, including trademarks, patents, trade secrets, copyright and designs. The team has an enviable track record in litigation and providing strategic commercial IP advice; the department’s combined sectoral experience encompasses the tech, life sciences, healthcare, retail, consumer goods, media, entertainment and sports (including e-gaming) sectors. In Beijing, Rieko Michishita handles contentious and non-contentious IP matters and is a regular advisor to Japanese companies; Dorie Wong‘s workload includes protection strategies, trademark portfolio management and litigation. Also in Beijing, the firm’s IP consultancy enables the team to conduct trademark and copyright matters before mainland Chinese government departments, including registration and enforcement matters; and through its association with PRC firm Lawjay Partners, it assists with litigation before China’s courts. The Hong Kong-based Asia-Pacific IP group head Matthew Laight is also recommended.