Our litigation team comprising Peter Sit (senior partner), Alex Chan (partner), Rocky Wong (senior associate), Alan Wong (associate) and three trainee solicitors, Josephine Tang, Regina Ng and Christina Tsang acts for one of the five defendants in what is reputed as the biggest corruption case in the history of Hong Kong. The first defendant in the case is Mr Rafael Hui (not our client), the former Chief Secretary of Hong Kong from 30 June 2005 to 30 June 2007. Hearing started in the High Court of Hong Kong on 8 May 2014. The first two weeks had been taken up by pretrial applications. On 26 May, a jury was empanelled, only to be discharged on 28 May. A new jury panel of nine is expected to be chosen on 4 June 2014.
Our partners Roy Leung and Joseph Wong, leading our associate solicitors Sidney Ho, Caddy Mo as well as our trainee solicitor Sharon Pang, have been representing a client in a shareholders’ dispute concerning a BVI investment-holding company and a substantial hotel project in the PRC. Through our seamless collaboration with London Queen’s Counsel and BVI lawyers, we have successfully resisted the claimant’s application for interim relief of receivership and extensive injunction, causing the claimant to have the application dismissed. The BVI Court also made a ruling in mid-February for costs against the claimant for the failed application.
On 23 December 2013, Alex Chan, Partner (20 years), Ray Cheng, Senior Associate (10 years), Leung Wing Fai, head of Conveyancing & Probate Department (25 years), Law Shiu Chong, China Practice Group Officer (25 years) and Leanne Ching, Secretary (10 years), received their long service certificates and awards from the senior partners of the firm.
See photos taken on the occasion.
The 3rd Business of IP Asia Forum, organized by Hong Kong SAR Government and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the Design Center was successfully held in Hong Kong on 5th to 6th December 2013 with 1,800 participants from all over the world. These participants include IP owners, buyers and sellers, R&D professionals, finance and legal intermediaries, industrial associations and design and technology practitioners with focus on the trade aspects of IP.
Mr. Kwong was a Moderator of the breakout session entitled “Patent Troll and IP Bullying”, a popular session which enjoyed a full house with over 300 attendees on the theme of the use, abuse of IP rights and getting the right balance.
Mr. Kwong was interviewed before and during the Forum by leading IP magazines in Europe and Asia in his respective capacities as President of the Asian Patent Attorneys Association (“APAA”) and Convenor of the Arbitration and Mediation Sub-group of the Working Group of Promoting Hong Kong as a Premier IP Trading Hub.
This followed the successful completion of the 62nd Council Meeting of the APAA in Hanoi from 19th to 22nd October 2013, being the first conference overseen by Mr. Kwong as President of that Association. The meeting was attended by over 1,600 members and observers from over 70 jurisdictions within and outside Asia comprising IP practitioners in private practice.
Our associate Norman Y. Tao was invited by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council to deliver a speech on “Listing of Mainland Enterprises in Hong Kong: from a Legal Perspective” to entrepreneurs and government officials of Yinchuan during the Yinchuan – Hong Kong Financial Services Cooperation Conference co-organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the Economic and Technical Cooperation Bureau of Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Federation of Industry and Commerce of Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. The speech briefly addressed the important issues and recent development of relevant policies for listing of Mainland private-owned enterprises in Hong Kong. Mr. Ma Qiang of our Xi’an Representative Office also attended the Conference.
After the Conference, Mr. Ma and Mr. Tao visited Ningxia Eppen Biotech Co., Ltd. and Ningxia Zhongyin Cashmere Co., Ltd. together with the officials of Hong Kong Trade Development Council and Yinchuan government agencies, and had a discussion with the senior management of the enterprises and the government officials of the city of Lingwu, Ningxia where the enterprises are located.
A specialist roundtable meeting was chaired by Senior Partner C. K. Kwong on 8th October 2013 in his capacity as Convenor of the Sub-Group on IP arbitration and mediation in the Hong Kong Government Working Group on IP Trading. The meeting centered on how IP arbitration and mediation could be further promoted to strengthen Hong Kong’s positive as an IP trading hub. It was attended by members of the Working Group, leaders and senior members of the profession including the Hong Kong Law Society, Hong Kong Bar Association, Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre, China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (Hong Kong Arbitration Centre), Hong Kong Institute of Arbitrators, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (East Asia Branch), Hong Kong Mediation Accreditation Association Limited, Hong Kong Mediation Centre as well as representatives from the Department of Justice, Commerce and Economic Development Bureau and Intellectual Property Department.
Useful ideas were put forward at the meeting which will be included in the Sub-Group’s report to the Working Group on IP trading in November.
Senior Partner C.K. Kwong was appointed as a member of the Working Group on Intellectual Property Trading in March 2013. The Terms of Reference of this Working Group (lead by Hong Kong Government Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Bureau – CEDB) are (a) to advise on the overall strategies to promote the development of Hong Kong as an intellectual property trading hub; and (b) to identify possible policy and other support measures to facilitate intellectual property trading in Hong Kong.
As Convenor of its sub-group on IP arbitration and mediation, Senior Partner C. K. Kwong was invited to speak on “IP Arbitration and Mediation” at the Government briefing session on “Promoting the development of Hong Kong as an Intellectual Property (IP) trading hub” on 18th September 2013.
His power point presentation can be found at the following links of the Government CEDB website:-
(b) http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201309/18/P201309180573_photo_1058649.htm
The presentation was followed by enthusiastic discussions with the audience. A further briefing to interested professional bodies is scheduled on 8th October 2013.
In his capacity as the President of the Asian Patent Attorneys Association (APAA), C. K. Kwong attended the 5th Global IP Summit (a network of national IP practitioners associations) on 4th September 2013 which was followed by the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI) Forum & ExCo Meeting from 5th to 8th September, in Helsinki, Finland. AIPPI’s current membership consists of about 9,000 members from more than 100 countries with 64 National Groups with the lawyers, patent and trademark agents/attorneys and representatives from industrial corporations as well as judges, academics, scientists and engineers.
Hot issues including (a) patent law harmonization, (b) law firm payment problems, (c) client/attorney privilege and (d) the latest IP development in Europe (the Unitary patent and Unified Patent Court System) were discussed.
This is to inform you that Mr. Shum Man Wai（岑文偉）will retire from the Partnership on 1st September 2013. We wish to thank Mr. Shum for his tremendous contributions to the firm in the past 25 years.
Partner of Beijing Zhongyin Law Firm (Shenzhen), Mr. Li Xianghong, and its lawyer, Mr. Liu Songru, visited our office on 19 July 2013 to meet our Senior Partners, Peter K.P. Sit and C.K. Kwong; our associate, Norman Y. Tao, also attended the meeting. Our Senior Partners and the guests had a frank exchange of ideas on the future prospects of Qianhai area in Shenzhen.
We have advised Lifestyle Properties Development Limited in its successful review application before the Listing (Review) Committee against an earlier decision of the Listing Committee to reject the listing application of the company.
We are the legal advisers of Lifestyle International Holdings Limited and its subsidiary Lifestyle Properties in the proposed spin-off and separate listing of Lifestyle Properties on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited. Lifestyle Properties is principally engaged in property development and property investment. In the listing hearing held in June 2013, the listing application of Lifestyle Properties was rejected by the Listing Committee. Lifestyle Properties made an application for a review of the Listing Committee’s decision and the review hearing was held before the Listing (Review) Committee on 10 July 2013. The Listing (Review) Committee decided to overturn the decision of the Listing Committee and allow Lifestyle Properties to proceed with its listing application, subject to compliance with certain conditions to the satisfaction of the Listing Division(see the announcement of Lifestyle International on 12 July 2013 as per copy attached). The team was led by our senior partner Peter Sit and Corporate & Commercial partner Joseph Wong and included our senior associates Olson Lai and Emily Wong and trainee solicitor Caddy Mo.
Our Senior Partner C. K. Kwong was invited by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council to deliver a lecture on “Intellectual Property (Trademark, Trade name, Design, Patent) Law and Strategy for Chinese enterprises expanding their businesses abroad” during the Executive Training Course organized for CEOs of enterprises from the Shandong Province by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council during the Shandong week. [An extract of the slides presented and photos taken on the occasion are provided]. Mr. Kwong highlighted the intellectual property aspects which enterprises doing businesses abroad should be aware of and practical tips to address those issues.
