Norton Rose Fulbright enhances China offering through Joint Operation with Shanghai Pacific Legal 

March 26, 2025
Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF) has received approval from the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Justice for its Joint Operation with Shanghai Pacific Legal (SPL) in the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone. The Joint Operation will enable both firms to combine NRF’s leading international legal services and its extensive global platform with SPL’s high-quality China law capabilities. Known as Norton Rose Fulbright Shanghai Pacific Legal (FTZ) Joint Operation Office, the Joint Operation marks a significant milestone in NRF’s commitment to enhancing its service offering in China. Since establishing its Beijing representative office in 2002 and its Shanghai representative office in 2006, the firm has continuously aimed to enhance the support it can provide to its clients in China. Norton Rose Fulbright and Shanghai Pacific Legal have worked closely together over a number of years, often referring clients to each other and working on cross-border transactions and international matters. The Joint Operation will allow NRF to deliver co-ordinated and seamless international and domestic law services across all of SPL’s practice areas. It also offers SPL’s clients access to international legal services, as well as NRF’s global platform with over 3,000 lawyers and more than 50 offices worldwide, to support their international operations and growth. Established in 1994, Shanghai Pacific Legal offers China legal advice across a wide range of practice areas, including banking and finance, corporate and M&A, foreign direct investment, intellectual property, data privacy, data compliance and cybersecurity, disputes and arbitration and regulatory investigations, labour, antitrust and competition, debt capital markets and equity capital markets. Peter Scott, Global Managing Partner of Norton Rose Fulbright, commented: “We are pleased to have received approval...

The Greater China IP Updates – March 2025

March 17, 2025
Taiwan Extends Trial Period for the Accelerated Examination Pilot Program for Design Patents by Two Years To provide more diverse and flexible examination options for design patent applications, the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office (TIPO) launched the Accelerated Examination Pilot Program for Design Patents in September, 2023.  Initially set to run until December 31, 2024, the program has now been extended through December 31, 2026.  The details of the program are as follows: Concerning the application timing, applicants may file for accelerated examination for design patents after receiving TIPO’s notification that the preliminary examination is about to begin and before receiving the first Office Action. Applicants must file electronically in accordance with TIPO’s regulations and provide relevant supporting documents. During the trial period, no application fee will be charged. About eligibility criteria, one way is to prove third-party commercial exploitation in the form of product catalogs, newspaper or magazine articles, and specify the third party’s details, the nature of the exploitation, and its starting date. Another criterion is via recognition by prestigious design awards.  Applicants must provide certificates and evidence of the awarded design corresponding to the applicant’s name. Finally, another possibility is to prove that the design patent application is by a startup. Each startup is limited to three applications per year under this program.  Eligible startups must be companies established less than eight years ago under the Company Act or the relevant foreign law.  The establishment period is calculated from the company’s registration date to the design application date.  If priority is claimed, the calculation is based on the earliest priority date. TSMC Tops Patent Applicants List in...

AHP strengthens Oil & Gas Practice with addition of Indonesian expert

March 12, 2025
Assegaf Hamzah & Partners (AHP) has added Alan Frederik as Of Counsel to its expanding Oil & Gas practice. Frederik brings over 35 years of extensive expertise in the oil and gas sector, with a proven track record in legal counsel and strategic advisory. He previously served as, among others, Chief Legal Counsel of ARCO, Tangguh LNG, BPMIGAS (Indonesian government’s upstream oil and gas management agency, now replaced by SKK Migas), and PERTAMINA Persero (the Indonesian oil and gas SOE). He continues to advise Pertamina and PLN on multiple key energy transition projects. Frederik holds a law degree from the University of Indonesia and an LLM from Dedman School of Law Southern Methodist University, Dallas. “Joining AHP allows me to continue serving the energy sector with a firm known for its professional integrity and dedication to client success. I look forward to leveraging my passion, experience and expertise to help clients navigate the evolving landscape of the industry, working alongside such esteemed colleagues at AHP,” said Alan Frederik. AHP Managing Partner Ibrahim Sjarief Assegaf stated, “We are thrilled to welcome Alan Frederik to our team. His invaluable experience in navigating the complex regulatory landscape of the upstream and downstream oil and gas sector will provide our clients with a strategic advantage in the evolving energy landscape. We are confident his deep industry knowledge will significantly enhance our ability to deliver exceptional strategic legal counsel, and align perfectly with our firm’s growth strategy in the energy...

Clifford Chance, Shanghai He Ping Law Firm form Joint Operation in China

March 12, 2025
Clifford Chance has received approval from the Shanghai Bureau of Justice to establish a Joint Operation with Shanghai He Ping Law Firm (He Ping). Known as ‘Clifford Chance and Shanghai He Ping Law Firm (FTZ) Joint Operation Office’, the collaboration brings together He Ping’s in-depth China law expertise and Clifford Chance’s international experience to provide clients with seamless China and international legal services across a wide range of practice areas, including Corporate and M&A, Financial Regulatory, Antitrust, IP and Dispute Resolution. A boutique law firm established in 1993 and one of the earliest Shanghai-based law firms, He Ping has extensive experience advising both Chinese and international clients on their China-related matters. “We are very grateful to the Shanghai Bureau of Justice for their approval, and are excited about the opportunities the Joint Operation will bring for our clients. Clifford Chance has been operating in China for 40 years with a leading market position, and we look forward to further strengthening the capabilities we can offer our clients with our Joint Operation partner, He Ping,” said Connie Heng, Clifford Chance Asia Pacific Regional Managing Partner. He Ping Founding Partners Guo Huiming and Cheng Jingwen added: “As one of the earliest law firms in Shanghai, He Ping has a deep understanding of Chinese law and extensive experience in advising on China-related matters. We greatly appreciate the guidance and support of the Shanghai Bureau of Justice for the Joint Operation, and look forward to further enhancing our cooperation with Clifford Chance.” In addition, Clifford Chance Global Managing Partner Charles Adams underlines China’s importance: “China remains an important strategic market for many of our clients, and...

JSA Partnership elects New Executive Committee and Joint Managing Partners

March 5, 2025
JSA Advocates & Solicitors (JSA) elected its new Joint Managing Partners (JMP) and Executive Committee (ExComm). The new five-member ExComm will comprise Amar Gupta and Vivek Chandy, who were elected as the JMPs, along with Lalit Kumar, Varghese Thomas and Vikram Raghani, effective April 1, 2025. Vivek, who was first named as JMP in January 2019, will be serving his third term. Varghese, a part of the outgoing ExComm, was re-elected. A Disputes practitioner with over 30 years of experience, Amar has held management and practice leadership positions during his 27-year tenure with JSA. Vikram, who presently is Corporate Practice Co-Chair, has spent more than 22 years with the Firm. Lalit, who has been with the Firm for over 20 years, is a new entrant to the ExComm. The new ExComm also endorses JSA’s focus on strong representation for all its key locations across India, with Vivek being based out of JSA’s Bengaluru Office, Amar out of New Delhi, Vikram and Varghese out of Mumbai, and Lalit out of Gurugram. JSA is recognized for its pioneering participative management structure. The firm elects the five-members Executive Committee with a three-year term. The ExComm forms the Firm’s senior leadership team with responsibility for the overall management, developing and implementing the Firm’s growth strategy, and managing the Firm’s operations across its seven offices. Over the last six years, under the leadership of Amit and Vivek, JSA has grown organically and inorganically to cross over 600 attorneys in FY2025. The Firm has established strong and internationally regarded service lines in each of its primary practice areas – Corporate, Disputes and Finance. JSA has...

Baker McKenzie Celebrates 50 Years in Taiwan

February 26, 2025
Baker McKenzie’s Taipei office celebrates its 50th anniversary this year with events and initiatives that highlight its positive impact in Taiwan over the past five decades, as well as how Baker McKenzie works with clients and the community to “Focus on the Future” – the celebration’s theme, which underscores the Firm’s commitment to working with clients and the local community in Taiwan to shape a brighter future. The year-long celebration campaign kicked off on February 21, 2025 with a gala dinner and the release of the commemorative book, which documents the Firm’s years of success in assisting businesses navigate complex legal issues arising from cross-border investments and local and international regulatory compliance requirements. Baker McKenzie Global Chair Milton Cheng congratulated Taipei colleagues on this milestone anniversary, and thanked the Firm’s clients for their support and partnership over the years. He highlighted the office’s growth over the past 50 years, noting its rise as a market-leading international firm. Cheng attributed this success to the Taipei team’s dedication and commitment to serving its clients, delivering a full-service offering underpinned by a connected global experience, industry-leading expertise, and first-rate local market insights. Seraphim Ma, managing partner of the Firm’s Taipei office, said: “Our clients’ success is our success. Over the years, we have been regularly called upon by Taiwanese companies to assist with their domestic legal matters and global expansions, and we have advised multinational companies on their inbound investments into Taiwan. As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to our clients for their trust in us as their business partner. Through our book, we...