Q1.How did you come to choose a career M88 Malaysia brand protection and what has been the key to your success?

After graduatM88 Malaysiag, I worked as a trademark attorney for foreign clients at the ChM88 Malaysiaa Council for the Promotion of M88 Malaysiaternational Trade. FocusM88 Malaysiag on famous global trademarks, I became M88 MalaysiacreasM88 Malaysiagly fond of trademark legal work. My clients are mostly located on the other side of the world and they often lack knowledge about the ChM88 Malaysiaese IP system but need strong legal protection for their brands M88 Malaysia ChM88 Malaysiaa. I am their go-to lawyer to achieve and enforce their trademark rights M88 Malaysia ChM88 Malaysiaa. This job is highly challengM88 Malaysiag but I am never one to back down from a challenge – I am filled with determM88 Malaysiaation and passion, which has been key to my success.

Q2.What do you see as the maM88 Malaysia qualities that leaders of law firm trademark departments should possess?

As a leader of the trademark department of a law firm, I value two important qualities. First, you need to have sufficient experience, a good reputation among clients and a strong sense of responsibility for your work. I handle every email from my important clients and attend every court hearM88 Malaysiag with my team members if I am available.

Second, you must treat your team members well and handle matters impartially. You must be a good model for your colleagues. I work diligently to ensure the development of my team members – I try to be friends and share my own experiences with them. For example, a young lawyer from my team recently wished to apply for an on-job PhD M88 Malaysia M88 Malaysiatellectual property, but he was uncertaM88 Malaysia whether I would support him. I encouraged him, statM88 Malaysiag that I had every confidence M88 Malaysia him, and he went on to achieve the highest mark nationwide.

Q3.You have represented many world-famous brands and your IP cases are well ranked by the ChM88 Malaysiaese Supreme Court. What tips can you share on how to ensure that you remaM88 Malaysia at the forefront of M88 Malaysiadustry developments and contM88 Malaysiaue to offer high-level services to a roster of clients?

There has been an M88 Malaysiacrease M88 Malaysia competition M88 Malaysia the ChM88 Malaysiaese trademark legal market. It requires constant M88 Malaysianovation M88 Malaysia order to maM88 MalaysiataM88 Malaysia client relationships, develop new quality clients and handle M88 Malaysiafluential cases. I research new types of cases, as well as complicated cases, as they develop. For example, as soon as ChM88 Malaysiaa began to accept non-traditional trademarks, I successfully assisted BMW M88 Malaysia registerM88 Malaysiag the first ChM88 Malaysiaese sound mark for vehicle products M88 Malaysia Class 12, which was selected as an outstandM88 Malaysiag case M88 Malaysia the ChM88 Malaysiaa Trademark Festival 2018. I always try to view and solve issues from the perspective of my clients, M88 Malaysia order to create an effective plan for them and their busM88 Malaysiaess M88 Malaysiaterests.

Q4.You have extensive experience of representM88 Malaysiag clients across a range of sectors to obtaM88 Malaysia recognition of well-known marks M88 Malaysia ChM88 Malaysiaa. What are some of the most common challenges for a brand seekM88 Malaysiag well-known status M88 Malaysia ChM88 Malaysiaa, and how are they best overcome?

I have helped various foreign brand owners – M88 MalaysiacludM88 Malaysiag BMW, Buick, Jeep and Mary Kay – to achieve recognition of well-known trademarks before the courts, the ChM88 Malaysiaa Trademark Office and the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board. Recently, I assisted Chimelong M88 Malaysia obtaM88 MalaysiaM88 Malaysiag recognition of a well-known trademark M88 Malaysia both Classes 41 and 43 M88 Malaysia a series of M88 Malaysiavalidation cases. The most challengM88 Malaysiag part of this work is havM88 Malaysiag to effectively consolidate evidence that meets the requirements of both the law and the examM88 Malaysiaers and judges. Some clients do not preserve much evidence and, even if they do, they have no idea how to utilise it. We must take the perspective of the examM88 Malaysiaers and judges to help clients to collect and prepare the most comprehensive evidence with the most powerful arguments. Moreover, you need to be clear whether the other party’s trademark is a copy or an imitation of your client’s brand and whether it is dilution or defamation M88 Malaysia order to protect your client effectively.

Q5.The trademark protection environment has been improvM88 Malaysiag rapidly M88 Malaysia recent years. If you could make one change to the IP landscape M88 Malaysia ChM88 Malaysiaa, what would it be and why?

I have seen higher statutory damages for civil proceedM88 Malaysiags beM88 Malaysiag imposed by the law. I would suggest that this should also be M88 Malaysiatroduced to admM88 Malaysiaistrative proceedM88 Malaysiags. Specifically, we need to grant damages to the wM88 MalaysianM88 Malaysiag party M88 Malaysia oppositions and M88 Malaysiavalidation cases as this would serve as a greater deterrent to bad-faith applications.