AWA Asia
Firm overview:
AWA, founded in 1897, is a leading IP firm with 22 offices and 400 employees across Belgium, China, Hong Kong, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland providing a full service offering including patents, trademarks, copyright and domain related matters. The firm covers prosecution, dispute litigation, legal advice, aftermarket services and strategy and commercialisation. Enhanced by its bilingual and bicultural team, AWA Asia adopts an “East-meets-West” approach to client work from the head office in Hong Kong and an office in Beijing.
AWA Asia operates across several sectors, including life sciences, automotive, manufacturing and telecommunications, leveraging the international expertise and experience of its highly qualified team. Software and artificial intelligence have been identified as keen areas for growth in the firm over the last 12 months and are earmarked as a priority. The team is particularly strong in strategic IP portfolio management and licensing matters, but is increasingly taking on litigation/enforcement work.
Team overview:
AWA Asia’s IP team is made up of regional and international patent and trademark attorneys with extensive experience across several sectors in delivering IP services.
Their success has been closely linked to their CEO and principal counsel Ai-Leen Lim holding over 25 years of experience in contentious and non-contentious IP portfolio management, advising clients ranging from local startups to Fortune 500 companies. Lim has built a reputation for excellence in trademark, design and patent registration, and protection and enforcement matters.
AWA’s technical depth is further strengthened by experts such as Hongyue Li, senior associate and qualified PRC patent attorney, who specialises in the chemistry, biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors. Li works predominantly with international clients on patent prosecution and is considered the firm’s go-to for all matters in these fields.
Benny Liu, also a senior associate and PRC patent attorney, adds over ten years of experience in patent drafting, prosecution and portfolio monetisation. His expertise lies in the telecommunications, electronics and mechanics sectors.
At the end of 2023, the firm boosted its team with the arrival of technology lawyer Grace Chen, who works out of the Hong Kong and Beijing offices and handles commercial transactions in China, focusing on the IT, media, e-commerce, clean technology, life sciences and healthcare sectors.
