Asialaw Profiles
The Guide to the legal markets of the Asia-Pacific

Rouse is routinely mandated by multinational corporations with well recognised brands to defend their IP interests in China. The practice is associated with PRC law firm Lusheng, and is part of Rouse’s global network of IP advisers.

The China team fields over 180 staff members and has experience in commercial IP work and investigations. Where the team really shines is representing clients in high stakes litigation and copyright prosecution. The firm has filed over 150 litigation cases with the Chinese courts at all levels, some of which have been precedent-setting in the Supreme People’s Court as well as other prominent courts across China’s major cities.

One partner at a rival firm says: “The firm is absolutely at the top of the market. They are specialists that know what they’re doing, and they work for the very best and most high profile clients.”

Rouse, in association with Suryomurcito & Co, is widely acknowledged as a leading IP firm in Indonesia. The firm’s global network has attracted many multinational clients, and the practice has experience managing regional IP enforcement programmes, commercial IP deals and compliance exercises.

The practice is led by senior partner Gunawan Suryomurcito, who is recognised as a leading expert in IP and is President of the Indonesian Intellectual Property Society.

The firm advised HTC on mobile phone trade mark disputes due to continuing problems with Indonesian trade mark pirates registering famous overseas brands. In another similar transaction, the firm represented Nashua Corporation in its frustrating encounter with pirates registering overseas brands.

Del Rosario & Del Rosario

Del Rosario & Del Rosario’s IP practice is developing, with international technology companies taking particular interest in the firm. Sony and Facebook are only a few household names that use this firm for its IP capabilities. Attorneys Arturo Del Rosario and Saben Loyola are especially involved in the IP area.

Hechanova Bugay & Vilchez

Led by managing partner Editha Hechanova, Hechanova Bugay & Vilchez’s IP practice is rapidly gaining a strong reputation for its expertise in handling raids and seizures of counterfeit goods. Hechanova has assisted Sanyo Electric, Luxottica Group, the owner of the Ray-Ban sunglasses brand, and Oakley in handling seizures of counterfeit goods from both warehouses and retail outlets in the Philippines. The goods seized during Oakley’s raid alone are estimated to be worth US$12.5 million.

Kapunan Garcia & Castillo Law Offices

Partner Margarita Benemerito-Castillo leads an active IP practice at Kapunan Garcia & Castillo Law Offices. In the last year, the firm has handled trade mark and patent filing and litigation for companies such as APB Asia, NV Sumatra Tobacco Trading, Phelps Dodge Philippines Energy Products, Le Café Figaro Enterprises and Apollo International.

Rouse

In a landmark case, Rouse obtained the ‘well known’ distinction for the BOTOX mark while representing pharmaceutical company Allergen in a trade mark dispute. The ruling, however, has been appealed. Other clients who have engaged the firm in the last year include BP Singapore, WWE, Wm Wrigley Jr and Research In Motion.

Led by knowledgeable partner Fabrice Mattei, Rouse’s IP team continues to represent top companies and handle an array of major mandates. The firm is known for its international network of top quality IP professionals, and deep institutional experience in handling any and all types of IP work. Rouse Thailand routinely advises on trade mark portfolio management for BMW and other leading multinationals. This past year, the firm has also organised a number of enforcement actions for multinational cosmetics companies.

In January 2011, Mattei and his team represented Honda in criminal patent infringement proceedings against a Thai company relating to patents for brush cutters. As there have not been very many patent infringement cases in Thailand relating to criminal action, Rouse’s mobilisation of Thai enforcement agencies has been cited as potentially precedent-setting.