Mayer Brown has expansion its intellectual property and technology, media and telecommunications (IP & TMT) practice with the addition of several lawyers in its Hong Kong and Beijing offices.

Beijing boost
Partner Gary Hnath, a leading authority in Section 337 litigation, is now resident in Beijing as well as Washington DC.  Focusing on intellectual property litigation and counselling, including disputes involving patent, trademark and copyright infringement and trade secrets, Mr. Hnath has handled numerous US court cases (both district court cases and Federal Circuit appeals) and over 45 investigations at the US International Trade Commission (ITC) under Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, one of the principal forums for litigating intellectual property disputes involving imported articles. The firm has also appointed Zhao Chunchun as head of  Mayer Brown (Beijing) Intellectual Property Agency Co Ltd, where she will focus on trademark registration and dispute resolution in China. Experienced in trademark and copyright matters, Ms. Zhao was previously a senior lawyer at Spruson & Ferguson Intellectual Property Agency (Beijing) Co Ltd, and had worked at the China Trade Mark Office.

Transcending borders
In Hong Kong, Mayer Brown has added lawyers Janice Yip, a former solicitor with the intellectual property department of Hong Kong, and Joanna Hui to the intellectual property and brand management team.  An IP litigator is joining in October and the firm is also hiring more tech lawyers. The firm expects further strategic hires in the next few months, as well as internal promotions which will be announced in due course. In addition to intellectual property, the IP & TMT practice has a particular focus on data privacy, cybersecurity and technology transactions. Gabriela Kennedy, head of the Asia IP & TMT practice, said “The IP & TMT market remains strong. Legal work in this area transcends borders and is becoming more complex with the increasing use of artificial intelligence and big data. With our wide range of capabilities and global platform, we are in the best position to represent clients in multi-jurisdictional and cross-practice matters.”