Reading Time: 6 minutesThe Background As addressed in our previous newsletters, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (the “HKEx”) has published a New Board Concept Paper (the “Concept Paper”) in response to the recent demands that the local stock market shall be refined in light of the rise of the innovative companies. In the Concept Paper, the HKEx has […]
Lawyers in the Pro Bono Movement: Nathan Colless, Volunteer Co-ordinator, Hong Kong Centre for Pro Bono Service Ltd.
Reading Time: 5 minutesIn this feature, we speak to Nathan Colless, a volunteer co-ordinator at the Hong Kong Centre for Pro Bono Service Ltd (“the Centre”). Established in 2014, the Centre is an independent non-profit organization whose mission is to assist and empower the impoverished, distressed or vulnerable in Hong Kong, who are marginalized or disadvantaged due to a lack […]
Guide to Data Privacy: Primer (Part 1 of 2)
Reading Time: 5 minutesIn this two part series, Lawyer Yeong WanHsi discusses the various data protection regimes which have been implemented across the globe, the types of protection that they provide and the legal considerations which companies should bear in mind. In the first part of this series, she compares the European Union’s GDPR with Singapore’s PDPA and […]
Singapore Patents- Court of Appeals Disallows Amendments to Granted Claims in Warner-Lambert Company LLC v Novartis (Singapore) Pte Ltd
Reading Time: 10 minutesIn a decision rendered by Singapore’s Court of Appeal on 1 August 2017, the Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal to make various amendments to patent claims, reasoning that the granted claims were obviously invalid to begin with and that there was undue delay by the plaintiff in seeking amendments. (A) Who are the parties […]
IPOS invalidates registered trade mark for lack of distinctiveness- Eley Trading Sdn Bhd v Kwek Soo Chuan [2017] SGIPOS 15
Reading Time: 8 minutesIn a decision rendered by an Assistant Registrar at the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS), IPOS invalidated a registered trade mark for its lack of distinctiveness. (A) Who are the parties involved in this case? Eley Trading Sdn Bhd (Applicant) Manufacturer and distributor of religious products sold in various countries including Singapore. Owner of […]
Two Tier Board and Register of Controllers and Nominee Directors
Reading Time: 3 minutesBoard of Directors – Emergence of the Two Tier Board Recent developments have seen the emergence of the two tier board and the increase of the independent director role. Independent and non-executive directors are commonly found in listed companies. Listed companies appear to have the budgets and the depth of business necessary to support the […]
Is maintenance for wives still necessary?
Reading Time: 6 minutesWhen people hear the term “maintenance” being used in the family law context, their first instinct would be to associate it with children or women. This is unsurprising given that women were historically perceived to be financially dependent on their spouses, and hence greater protection needed to be accorded as they were the more vulnerable […]
Patent Revocation Proceedings: Sun Electric Pte Ltd v Sunseap Group Pte Ltd and others [2017] SGHC 232
Reading Time: 8 minutesIn a decision rendered by George Wei J of the Singapore High Court dated 30 June 2017, the High Court held that it does not have the jurisdiction to hear revocation proceedings or to grant an order for revocation by counterclaim. (A) Who are the parties involved in this case? (a) Sun Electric Pte Ltd […]
Coworking Spaces and Letter of Demand
Reading Time: 3 minutesCoworking Spaces: A Brief Tour The rise of the cowork space signals a change in the tide relating to commercial work space and a fresh look at traditional working methods. We would like to take you on a brief tour of the cowork space landscape in Singapore. It is useful to note that the cowork […]
Lawyers in Business: Daniel Choo, Legal Counsel, Solvay
Reading Time: 4 minutesAsia Law Network has partnered with the Singapore Corporate Counsel Association (SCCA), a professional body that connects the Singapore in-house community, to bring a series of interviews featuring prominent in-house counsel. In this interview, we feature Daniel Choo, Legal Counsel at Solvay. The Solvay Group is an international chemical and advanced materials company. Daniel shares […]
Tan Peng Chin LLC’s Update on Business Arrangements and Tax Avoidance
Reading Time: 4 minutesOften professional services are provided through companies. Typically, a company would employ an individual who would provide professional services to the company’s client/customers/patients. We understand that the Comptroller of Income Tax (“CIT”) has been scrutinising such business structure arrangements with a view to determining if such arrangements are tax avoidance arrangements. Where the CIT concludes […]
Protect Your Brand – FAQ on Trademark Registration in Hong Kong
Reading Time: 4 minutes#1 . What counts as a trademark? A trademark usually takes the form of a logo that would serve as distinctive corporate identity. It may consist of text and numbers, as well as more intangible elements such as colour, sound, smell and shape. The full definition according to the Intellectual Property Department (IPD) of Hong […]