Australian Securities Exchange-listed IPH Limited has promoted 25 across a number of its member firms and businesses, including seven new principal appointments. IPH employs more than 1,200 people working in Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

Among the promotions were 10 at Spruson & Ferguson offices in Australia and Asia, including Andrew Rankine, who has been promoted to principal in the firm’s Sydney office. Rankine specializes in intellectual property disputes; he has particular expertise in handling complex patent disputes for global leaders in the pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and medical device industries. He has acted in a number of Australia’s leading cases in this area, for clients including Sanofi, Wyeth, Zoetis, Samsung Bioepis, Novozymes, Smith & Nephew, ResMed, and Cochlear. His cases typically relate to products with annual revenues in the tens to hundreds of millions of dollars. He recently acted for Sun Pharma in its successful action against Mylan relating to patents covering cholesterol-lowering medications. A majority of his cases represent the Australian limb of multi-national disputes; he is accustomed to working closely with overseas legal teams, including in the United States, the UK and Europe, to develop effective multi-jurisdictional strategies and ensure seamless integration.

Charis Lam has been promoted to principal in the firm’s Hong Kong office, where she has experience in trademark prosecution, protection and enforcement in Hong Kong, China and other Asian regions. She advises on trademark portfolio management, filing strategies, and brand clearance. Her practice also covers trademark opposition, revocation and invalidation, trademark enforcement and passing-off actions, as well as domain name disputes in Hong Kong and China. She assists clients across a wide range of industries and has particular expertise with luxury goods, food and beverages. Prior to joining Spruson & Ferguson, Lam practiced at several leading intellectual property law firms in Hong Kong.

Vivian Or has been promoted to principal in the firm’s Hong Kong office, where she has has extensive experience in trademark prosecution, protection and enforcement in Hong Kong, China and other jurisdictions. She advises on trademark portfolio management, filing strategies, brand protection and brand clearance. Her practice also covers trademark opposition, revocation and invalidation, trademark enforcement and passing-off actions, as well as domain name matters in Hong Kong, China and other jurisdictions. Prior to joining Spruson & Ferguson, Or worked in the Hong Kong Intellectual Property Department and practiced in leading intellectual property law firms in Hong Kong.

Xiaoli Liu, a patent attorney in Beijing, has been promoted to special counsel at the firm. After graduating with a master’s degree in food science, Liu initially worked as a R&D engineer in a biotech company for three years and had full experience in molecular and cell biology. She began the intellectual property job in 2011 and became a qualified patent attorney registered in China in 2013. Liu previously worked as a patent attorney at a leading patent firm in Beijing for more than nine years. She is proficient at application preparation, patent drafting, answering office actions from both the substantive examination and re-examination stages as well as responding to inquiries about patents.

Marie Kidd has been promoted to senior associate at the firm. Kidd, a Sydney-based registered Australian and New Zealand patent attorney and Australian trademark attorney, joined Spruson & Ferguson’s chemical/life sciences team in 2019. Since then, she has prosecuted more than 1,000 Australian and New Zealand patent applications for local and international clients, primarily in the fields of biotechnology, immunology, molecular biology, microbiology and pharmaceuticals. Kidd is responsible for a large portfolio of local and foreign patent applications, in which she assists local clients with managing patent protection in jurisdictions such as the United States, Europe, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, China and Japan. She has drafted provisional and PCT applications in a diverse range of fields, including protein analysis, neuronal stimulation, methods of medical treatment, alloreactivity, electrochemical biosensors and transgenic plants.

Brendan Mezzapica has been promoted to senior associate at the firm. Mezzapica is a member of the firm’s engineering team, specializing in mechanical, medical and construction technologies and designs. Prior to joining Spruson & Ferguson, Mezzapica gained industrial experience at a medical technology company, where he was tasked with designing a non-invasive intracranial pressure monitoring device. Having had experience as a client seeking patent protection for an innovative device, Mezzapica understands client concerns and is focused on helping clients to reach their business goals through the protection of their intellectual property. He has recently completed a Master of Intellectual Property at the University of Technology, Sydney.

Brynn Bei has been promoted to senior associate at the firm. Bei, a Beijing-based patent litigation attorney, holds a Bachelor's degree and a Master’s degree in chemical engineering from Northeast Forestry University. She previously worked as a patent attorney at a leading patent firm in Beijing for more than five years, where her primary responsibilities involved patent drafting, prosecution during substantive examination and re-examination as well as response to consultation. She is a member of the All-China Patent Agents Association.

Connie Land, Taryn Fancis and Vivian Ng have been promoted to associates at the firm.