44 Asian Legal Business | December 2024 Under Federis’ leadership, her firm has developed a reputation for innovative litigation strategies and successful settlement negotiations. Her approach balances the protection of clients’ rights with practical solutions that align with business objectives. Tony Yeo has established himself as a preeminent figure in Singapore’s intellectual property landscape, particularly in high-stakes patent litigation. His expertise spans a wide range of industries, from cutting-edge technology to pharmaceuticals, making him a go-to lawyer for complex IP disputes. One of Yeo’s most significant achievements was his successful defence of IIa Technologies, a leader in lab-grown diamond technology, against a patent infringement suit by Element Six Technologies, a De Beers Group subsidiary. This case, which concluded in 2024, was one of the most complex patent infringement cases ever heard by Singapore’s courts. Yeo’s leadership SUBMISSION BREAKDOWN Jurisdiction Submissions Winners Hong Kong 3 2 India 14 2 Indonesia 3 2 Japan 1 1 Philippines 1 1 Singapore 7 3 South Korea 6 2 Thailand 3 1 Vietnam 2 1 Total 40 15 resulted in the revocation of the plaintiff’s patents and a landmark costs award of 2.9 million Singapore dollars, setting a new precedent for patent litigation in Singapore. Yeo’s international reputation is evident in his involvement in crossborder patent disputes. He is currently representing a Fortune 10 company in a global patent litigation involving Bluetooth technology, with proceedings in both Singapore and Malaysia. In another ongoing case, Yeo is acting for Dyson Technology in a multi-jurisdictional patent infringement matter concerning the popular Dyson Airwrap product, with related litigation in the U.S., UK, South Korea, France, and Germany. In the pharmaceutical sector, Yeo is leading patent linkage cases for major companies. These cases involve complex legal issues and novel questions of patent infringement, potentially setting new precedents in Singapore’s IP jurisprudence. Brought to you by Federis & Associates Law Offices A conversation with Mila Federis The Philippines has been working on modernizing its IP system. What recent changes have you seen, and how are these impacting your practice and clients? The IPOPHL has taken great efforts in modernizing its online filing system. It is now possible to file online not only in the filing of patent or trademark applications but all other prosecution-related communications. All initiatory pleadings and all other written submissions in litigations can also be filed online. This has substantially improved the IP practice in the Philippines. The IPOPHL has aligned its systems so that we can now have full The Philippines has been focusing on developing its creative industries. How has this impacted your IP practice, and what trends do you foresee in this area? The IPOPHL has been giving many seminars and workshops for creatives, in Metro Manila and in the provinces, educating them about the value of protecting their works through the copyright system, encouraging them to proactively exercise ownership over their copyrighted works, and encouraging them to join collective management organizations who can assist in protecting and monetizing their copyrighted works. We have seen a notable increase in copyright-related inquiries and are experiencing growth in our copyright practice. Our firm was asked to represent a famous choreographer, a celebrity, to register the copyright of her choreographic works. This is the very first time that a copyright to choreorgraphy has been officially recognized in the Philippines. We foresee the trend in protecting copyright to continue. access to the WIPO Global database resulting in a much improved searching process for trademark clearance and other purposes. Online piracy remains a significant issue in Southeast Asia. How are you advising clients on protecting their digital content in the Philippines and the region? The implementation of the voluntary site blocking of infringing content with the cooperation of internet providers is allowing the IP owners a faster way of dealing with online piracy. On the initiative of the leaders at the IPOPHL, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the IPOPHL, National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and the different internet service providers (ISPs) like Globe, Smart, PLDT, Skycable and Dito, whereby IP owners, through IPOPHL’s IP Rights Enforcement Office (IEO), can ask the ISPs to block infringing contents. Mila Federis Partner mfederis@federislaw.com.ph Federis & Associates Law Offices www.federislaw.com.ph
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjA0NzE4Mw==