Fifty-nine firms from 21 Asia-Pacific jurisdictions took home trophies at the 15th annual Asia IP Awards, held November 17 at Blackbird restaurant in Manila.

At the same event, eight law firms from India received trophies for awards won in October’s Asia IP India Awards, honouring the best in domestic Indian intellectual property work. 

Blackbird is located in Nielson Tower on the site of Manila’s first international airport. In July 1937, Nielson Airport was inaugurated, with a terminal building and control tower designed to resemble an airplane from a bird’s eye view. What are now Ayala Avenue and Paseo de Roxas were once the runways. When Philippine Air Lines was established in 1941, their first flight departed from Nielson Airport for Baguio carrying nine passengers onboard a Beechcraft Model 18.

The awards named top trademarks, patents and copyright practices as determined by in-house counsel from Asia, Europe and the Americas. More than 5,000 in-house counsel were polled by Asia IP throughout the first part of 2024. The event also named Asia-Pacific award winners in each of the practice areas. The complete list of winners follows.

“There is so much high-level intellectual property work being done in Asia,” said Asia IP publisher Darren Barton. “Each year, winning an Asia IP trophy becomes more and more difficult.”

Three international law firms won multiple awards at the event, either in multiple practice areas or multiple jurisdictions. Regional firm Tilleke & Gibbins was recognized for its work in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam and for its regional patent work. Global firm Baker McKenzie-affiliated firms won five awards on the evening, including the regional Asia Pacific award for its trademark work, as well as its work in China, Hong Kong, Indonesia (as HHP Law Firm), Malaysia (as Wong & Partners) and Vietnam. Bird & Bird won for its regional copyright work, as well as for its work in China. The firm also won an award in Singapore, where it operates as Bird & Bird ATMD. 

The China awards given at the evening’s ceremony honour international law firms for their work in China. Leading Chinese law firms are recognized annually with the Asia IP China Awards early each year. 

Asia IP is a vital source of intelligence for IP-owning companies active in Asia, and for international law firms which want to keep ahead of the key issues. The magazine includes a range of in-depth features, news and analysis designed to meet the information needs of in-house counsel, senior business leaders and partners at Asian and international law firms. 

The 2025 Asia IP Awards will be held in Kuala Lumpur. 

Australia

Australia Copyright Firm of the Year

King & Wood Mallesons boasts more than 140 partners and over 1,100 lawyers across Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth. Its IP practice covers patents, trademarks, copyright, designs, trade secrets, strategic IP advice and IP disputes. Among the firm’s roster of clients are business establishments in food and agriculture, health and pharma, media/entertainment, technology and energy sectors as well as government and key research and industry bodies. Key practitioners include Bill Ladas, Kim O’Connell, Matthew Swinn and Cate Nagy.

Australia Patent Firm of the Year

Spruson & Ferguson companies are incorporated entities owned by IPH Limited, a publicly listed holding company for a number of IP professional services brands operating across Asia and the Pacific. The team is mostly made up of professionals with solid, real-world experience in science, engineering, legal, defense, telecommunications, ICT, electronics, computing and finance, thus boosting their capabilities of delivering effective, insightful solutions to their clients. Simon Potter is managing director for Australia; he has also overseen the development of the firm’s chemical and life sciences patent team in Australia.

Australia Trademark Firm of the Year

Davies Collison Cave was acquired by QANTM IP in 2016 and are now part of the Australian Securities Exchange-listed company. Principal Marion Heathcote received INTA’s 2019 President’s Award; she specializes in trademark work, and with her scientific qualifications, she has developed an expertise in geographical indications and agroeconomic and ecology issues. The team provides the full range of trademark services, from prosecution and portfolio management to working with the Australian Border Force, from plant name protection to oppositions and cancellation actions.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh Intellectual Property Firm of the Year

Remfry & Son traces its roots to 1827 in British India; the firm has been advising on matters of law in Bangladesh since the country’s formation in 1971. The firm is noted for its work in trademark, patent, copyright, design and domain name management. Its clientele is made up of small local businesses, FTSE companies and large organizations, including Honda, BMW, KFC, Suzuki, Google, Facebook, Twitter, New Zealand Dairy, LG, Mercedes Benz, BMW and Audi.

Bird & Bird established its Hong Kong office in 1995, followed by Beijing in 2004 and Shanghai in 2008. In late 2023, it opened a Shenzhen branch, which is led by Hank Leung, co-head of the firm’s greater China intellectual property practice. The international firm entered into an association with local firm Lawjay Partners in 2009 to increase coverage in contentious IP matters in Chinese courts. The China and Hong Kong team is led by partner Matthew Laight, who has represented some of the world’s leading companies in a broad range of sectors including electronics, pharmaceuticals, communications, information technology, media, broadcasting, and food and beverage. Ted Chwu is head of greater China and co-head of global tech and comms at the firm.

Deacons combines one of the most established teams in Hong Kong with a solid presence in China. The firm’s patent lawyers have been providing advice to clients in Hong Kong for more than 100 years, and have had an established patent practice in China for more than 20 years, on inventions ranging from baby strollers to mechanics and electronics to genetic sequencing to biotherapeutics to plant variety rights and autonomous vehicles. Key contacts include Catherine Zheng, who heads the firm’s IP department and specializes in cross-border IP protection strategy and contentious matters, and Ian Liu; Liu is qualified to practice in the Greater Bay Area, and previously worked in the hi-tech software industry with a Silicon Valley-based company and was a financial software consultant with Reuters.

China International Trademark Firm of the Year

Baker McKenzie has offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, and maintains an impressive team of IP specialists backed by an international network. Senior artner Loke-Khoon Tan’s practice on IP law in China, with particular emphasis on the structuring of intellectual property rights and anti-counterfeiting planning. He is currently on the firm’s Steering Committee for the Consumer Goods & Retail (including Luxury and Fashion) Industry Practice. He is also the author of various IP publications including the Pirates in the Middle Kingdom: The Art of Trademark War trilogy. Maria Smith heads the Hong Kong and Regional Brand Protection and Enforcement Team. The firm has established Baker & McKenzie IP Agency in Beijing and Shanghai to handle China trademark, copyright and enforcement matters.

HHP Law Firm, formerly known as Hadiputranto, Hadinoto & Partners, is the Indonesian member firm of Baker McKenzie. Its IP team helps international clients with cease-and-desist campaigns, anti-counterfeiting raids, infringer investigations and other related matters. The IP team is led by partner Daru Lukiantono, who has experience in complex intellectual property due diligence and management cases; in addition to copyright work, he also has a range of experience in patent prosecution, patent portfolio management, commercial patent work and patent litigation. 

Managing partner Justisiari Perdana Kusumah and partner Risti Wulansari as well as senior associate Siti Mariam Nabila lead K&K Advocates, a boutique firm specializing in IP matters with particular strength in patent, trademark and copyright registration and enforcement. The firm is regularly sought by multinational clients and foreign governments. It also acts for or is involved with bodies responsible for developing IP and technology laws. In recent ligitation, it has represented one of the largest chemical suppliers in ASEAN on an industrial design lawsuit.

Indonesia Trademark Prosecution Firm of the Year

Led by Purnomo Suryomurcito, Nidya Kalangie and Andrew Conduit, SKC Law provides clients with strategic counseling and transactional advice, particularly on matters involving commercialization of IP, advertising, broadcasting, and the internet and consumer law. The firm can efficiently complete due diligence on IP assets particularly during merger transactions. Other types of transaction the firm advises on include franchising, licensing, technology transfer, R&D contracts, music and film productions, confidentiality agreements and model release. The firm has advised Rigo Trading, whose unique bear-shaped gummies – GoldBears – have acquired distinctiveness through extensive sales in the market since 1922. Since 2016 it has been possible to register non-traditional trademarks in Indonesia, and the firm has been advising Rigo on navigating the challenges of a relatively untested system of registration of 3D trademarks. This has involved coordination with Trademark Office Examiners to stay abreast of evolving practice updates, formulating prosecution strategy, and attending to appeals to the Trademark Appeals Commission.

Indonesia Trademark Contentious Firm of the Year

Rouse, in association with Suryomurcito & Co, is led by deputy CEO Nick Redfearn, and has particular experience managing regional IP enforcement programmes and filings, and commercial deals and compliance exercises. It was one of the first foreign firms to enter the Indonesia IP market more than 25 years ago; today it is home to more than 90 IP professionals and staff. Rouse provides comprehensive IP services to its clients, including trademark filing, counselling and portfolio management, patent drafting, filing, and counselling.