Asia IP

Spruson & Ferguson has boosted its presence in Greater China, thanks to the acquisition by its parent company, IPH Limited, of Ella Cheong (Hong Kong) and its subsidiary Ella Cheong Intellectual Property Agency (Beijing). The Ella Cheong Hong Kong and Beijing businesses were rebranded as Spruson & Ferguson on November 1, and more than 50 Ella Cheong team members, including Coral Toh and Wubin Yan, have joined Spruson & Ferguson.

Wubin Yan

With the addition of the new Hong Kong and Beijing offices, Spruson & Ferguson now has eight offices across the Asia-Pacific region and a combined team of more than 350 people.

“China is one of the fastest growing IP markets in the world. By integrating the Ella Cheong Hong Kong and Beijing offices into Spruson & Ferguson’s business, we will broaden our IP service offering in Greater China,” said Spruson & Ferguson CEO Andrew Blattman.

Since the acquisition, lawyer Ella Cheong has no longer been involved in the Hong Kong or Beijing businesses and will no longer practice in the areas of patents, design and trademark prosecution in China, Hong Kong or Macau.

Cheong’s Singapore and Malaysia practices were not part of the acquisition. Ella Cheong was a joint venture partner of Spruson & Ferguson in Singapore and Malaysia from 2001 to 2012, before the dissolution of the arrangement.