We are glad to announce that our trainee solicitors were admitted as solicitors of the High Court on 12 October 2019. Ms. Theresa Law and Ms. Louise Lam will join us as Associates in the Dispute Resolution Department and the Corporate & Commercial Department respectively.
By invitation of Hang Seng Bank, Senior Partner C. K. Kwong accompanied by Timothy Wu and Angel Chen delivered a talk to start-up companies at the Atrium Link, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park on 7th August 2019. The title of the talk was “Intellectual Property and Start-ups (Innovation and Technology)”.
The event was attended by about 120 participants when the important aspects of different types of intellectual property (including trademark, patent, design, copyright, topography, trade reputation, trade secret, plant variety and domain name) were explained. The session concluded with practical tips on getting accelerated protection for inventions and due diligence questions to expect from first round investors.
“We recently acted for Looop Media Limited (圈傳媒有限公司) in an online infringement claim in which the infringer has created a bogus webpage adopting our client’s registered trade marks and a copyrighted work in Facebook. The bogus webpage has misled the readers of Facebook into believing that our client might have changed its position from supporting good governance and rule of law to not so supporting of good governance. We have successfully caused Facebook to take down such bogus webpage promptly helping our client to avoid suffering further attacks, damages and prejudices
The case was handled by Mr. Peter Sit, our senior partner, assisted by Ms. Wai Yin CHUNG and Mr. Timothy WU, our associates.”
We successfully obtained a Judgment from the Court of Appeal (CACV 399/2018 [2019] HKCA 814) dismissing the appellant’s appeal against the judgment of the Court of First Instance in relation to claims against our clients (in their capacity as Interveners in the legal proceedings in HCMC 8/2016) in respect of an application by the Petitioner under section 17 of the Matrimonial Proceedings and Property Ordinance, Cap 192. The claims against our clients were for the sum of approximately HK$39 million.
Mr. Alex Chan, our Partner, led our litigation team with our trainee solicitor, Mr. Alan So assisting.
We are pleased to announce that we have been confirmed for retention as a panel firm on the General List of Legal Consultants of the Urban Renewal Authority.
We are pleased to announce that we have been appointed to the Litigation Services Panel of the Competition Commission.
We recently acted for a creditor to resist the oppositions from the Official Receiver and the previous joint and several liquidators, and successfully obtained an order of the High Court in favour of our client in an application to discharge the Regulating Order previously sought and obtained by the Official Receiver in HCCW 118/2018 in relation to a Hong Kong listed company, Blockchain Group Company Limited (Stock code: 364), under the Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 32).
Our client’s application was supported by the majority creditors (consisting of over 150 holders of debenture notes of the said company) as our client and the majority creditors were unjustly deprived of the opportunity to attend the first meeting of creditors and to nominate their choice of liquidators by reason of the Regulating Order. As a result of the court order we obtained on 4th June 2019, our client and the majority creditors are now able to embody their wishes and nomination to replace the joint and several liquidators previously appointed under the Regulating Order with the liquidators from Deloitte.
The case was handled by Mr. Roy Leung, our litigation partner, assisted by Mr. Ricky Cheung, our associate and Mr. Alan So, our trainee solicitor.
On 29 May 2019, we published a statement on behalf of Mr. Lau Luen Hung stating we have on that day proceeded to withdraw/discontinue Mr. Lau’s Application for Leave to apply for Judicial Review issued on 1 April 2019 in HCAL875/2019 (the “Application”) on behalf of Mr. Lau. The Application is in respect of the Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019. A copy of the statement is attached hereto.
Our litigation team has successfully obtained permission given by the Judge of the High Court to admit Lord Pannick QC, a world renowned and prominent Queen’s Counsel in London, to join the Hong Kong legal team in representing our client Mr. Lau Luen Hung in his application (“the Application”) for leave to apply for Judicial Review in respect of the Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019, despite objections from the Hong Kong Bar Association and the Secretary for Justice.
The success is unprecedented as this is the first time London Queen’s Counsel is admitted at the leave stage of judicial review proceedings.
The Application, which is fixed to be heard on 21 June 2019, involves important public law issues including protection of citizen’s constitutional rights under the Basic Law and the Hong Kong Bill of Rights.
Our litigation team handling the Application is headed by senior partner Peter Sit, co-headed by partner Roy Leung, assisted by senior associate Sidney Ho, associate Jenny Wong, three trainee solicitors, Joyce Cheng, Karis Chan and Marco Chong and other professional staff including in-house translator Kei Leung.
In celebration of its 50th Anniversary, the Faculty of Law of the University of Hong Kong organized a series of talks by its alumni. Senior Partner C. K. Kwong was invited to give a talk at the “Custodians of Intellectual Property: A Sharing Session” on 4th April 2019.
Mr. Kwong gave the audience snapshots of his experience as an intellectual property lawyer, International President of the Asian Patent Attorneys Association (APAA), a law reformer who proposed Hong Kong’s Arbitration (Amendment) Ordinance 2017 to further enhance the infrastructure for arbitrating IP disputes in Hong Kong and promoting it as an international IP ADR hub. He also expressed his views on the unique qualities of Hong Kong which give it an extra edge to be the preferred seat for IP arbitration and made recommendations on how young lawyers may advance themselves in the practice of IP disputes resolution.
The panel of Custodians included Mr. Andrew Liao S. C. (former Non-Official Member of the Executive Council of the HKSAR), Mr. Peter Cheung (former Director of Intellectual Property), Mr. Anthony Tong (Managing Partner of Robin Bridge & John Liu), Mr. Kenny Wong (Chairman of IP Committee of the Law Society) and Ms. Alice Lee (Associate Dean & Associate Professor of Law, HKU Faculty of Law).
The Session was attended by law students, alumni and distinguished guests which was preceded by a reception and followed by dinner afterwards.
On 1 April 2019, we published a statement on behalf of Mr Lau Luen Hung stating we have on that day issued an application in the High Court of Hong Kong for leave to apply for Judicial Review (the “Application”). The Application is in respect of the Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019. A copy of the statement is attached hereto. The Application is handled by a team of litigators in our firm, headed by senior partner Peter Sit, co-headed by partner Roy Leung, assisted by senior associate Sidney Ho, associate Jenny Wong, three trainee solicitors, Joyce Cheng, Karis Chan and Marco Chong and other professional staff including in-house translator Kei Leung. The Application will be heard on 21 June 2019.
Senior Partner C. K. Kwong was invited by the MIND Group to their annual event “Eagle Eye” Investment Summit which was held at the Hyatt Regency Wangjing Hotel Beijing, and attended by over 1,000 participants comprising Mainland private enterprises. The event lasted for 2 days on the 28th and 29th March 2019 during which selected companies getting prepared for Initial Public Offerings and funding rounds carried out roadshows. Many of these companies (spanning from food, agriculture, energy, environmental and other heavy industries) have high intellectual property contents and/or occupy strategic positions in their particular fields of business.Mr. Kwong was invited for an interview on what Mainland companies should be aware of when they do business abroad especially in the intellectual property aspects.
