Ai-Leen Lim
CEO and Principal Counsel
AWA Asia
(86) 10 8573 1125
ai-leen.lim@awapatent.com
European intellectual property titan, Awapatent, has expanded its footprint to Asia, following the launch of its twin Asian offices in Hong Kong and Beijing on 9th February 2015. The new offering is known as AWA Asia (part of the Awapatent Group).
The Tier 1 intellectual property firm with a Nordic heritage which boasts a 100 year history across offices in Sweden, Denmark and Germany is now able to offer a seamless and coordinated IP service across 2 major continents- Europe and Asia following its latest offerings in Beijing and Hong Kong respectively.
The establishment of AWA Asia is Awapatent’s response to a clarion call of many of its formidable list of Western clients who need assistance and more than a little ‘handholding’ on the ground while navigating the extremely complex but highly rewarding Chinese market. As a corollary to this, its Asian offices bring the firm closer to IP rich companies in innovative industries in the Asia- Pacific region, which is a growing segment of the firm’s valued client base.
Helming the AWA Asia team is CEO and IP virtuoso Ai-Leen Lim, formerly Head of the trademark portfolio management of Bird & Bird for Greater China (including Beijing and Hong Kong).
“The genesis of the idea started from our clients’ needs. On the ground advice is crucial to meeting clients’ demands on the level of support needed in a complex market like China. Asia is the future, and it is where the next wave of clients is going to come from,” commented Lim who hails from Singapore originally, and is also Hong Kong and UK qualified. Lim will be spending the majority of her time in Beijing, and is supported by senior lawyers, Rhonda Tin, Lawrence Yeung and Ashley Zhao, as well IP portfolio management executives Allen Yip and Angel Yu.
AWA Asia’s strong value proposition consists of its East-meets-West perspective, its tailored services, customized pricing models, as well as its bilingual and bicultural team capabilities. Its seasoned professionals have legal backgrounds and qualifications from China, the UK, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan.
For its China related work, AWA Asia has successfully set up its own IP consultancy (which is also a licensed PRC trademark agency), and has been afforded the widest possible remit by the China Administration for Industry & Commerce to engage in matters relating to the filing and enforcement of trademarks, as well as copyright registration directly in the PRC without the need to instruct third party agents.
Capitalizing on the tremendous growth prospects in Asia, which includes mounting foreign direct investment, Lim notes that the demand for “strategic IP management has been growing, and that there is a need for an active presence in the region.” This is reinforced by impressive growth figures for IP filings in the past few years in China. For example, trademark filings in China have risen rapidly year on year, crossing the 1 million mark consistently in at least the past 4 years.
The firm aims to leverage a significant share of the market, and Lim notes “the biggest surprise for me after we launched was that even firms that are traditionally seen as competitors to us are approaching us for assistance in China.” AWA Asia’s mission to build a “cultural and business bridge” on IP matters for its clients is underscored by the fact that Lim is able to bring a unique East meets West (or Pan Asian-European) mentality to the table. The firm additionally cuts away from the herd and distinguishes itself by “focusing on strategy and the business of IP,” according to Lim, rather than the more mainstream approach adopted by the “traditional law firm model”. “Our approach on service delivery is business minded, pragmatic and tailored,” states Lim.
Lim, in her role as CEO and principal counsel for the firm, draws on her significant breadth of expertise in the region since she relocated to Hong Kong in 2000, and is backed by seven years’ experience leading the Greater China trademark portfolio management practice and Chinese trademark agency of an eminent international practice before joining AWA Asia. She has also achieved notable recognition from clients and industry peers alike, with accomplishments and accolades documented and acknowledged by leading directories, including Managing IP, Chambers Asia, Asia Pacific Legal 500 and Asialaw Leading Lawyers.
AWA Asia is well poised to carve out a handsome market share by positioning itself as a dedicated IP practice that focuses on guiding clients on IP protection and enforcement matters with the perspective of IP as an important business asset. Indeed, Lim comments that “ IP is a boardroom agenda for almost all of [its] clients, and this is what the practice focuses on when handling IP and related regulatory matters for clients”. This newest offering from Awapatent represents a bold and exciting change to the IP landscape in Greater China. We will watch with interest as AWA Asia establishes itself as a market leader on the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong.