IP & Tech

Overview

Our IP & Tech practice brings together attorneys with PhD-level engineering backgrounds and experience as patent attorneys across disciplines including mechanical engineering, materials science, and chemistry. We combine deep technical insight with a clear understanding of complex technologies. We go beyond legal analysis. By applying rigorous engineering data analysis and root cause investigation at incident sites, we help clients navigate product liability and plant construction disputes with confidence and precision. We also develop integrated civil and criminal strategies to protect critical business assets, including patents and trade secrets.

IP Litigation

We act for clients in infringement litigation and invalidation proceedings across patents, utility models, trademarks and designs. We combine technical due diligence and patent landscaping to assess the value of technology with clarity and precision. In complex technical appraisal proceedings, we build and advance compelling, evidence-based arguments to establish our clients’ technical advantage, positioning them to secure decisive outcomes.

Trade Secret & Industrial Technology Protection

We represent clients in criminal complaints and civil proceedings involving the misappropriation of trade secrets and the unauthorised disclosure of national core technologies—critical business assets. We provide coordinated support from the outset, combining forensic-led early case assessment with decisive injunctive relief, including non-compete applications. We also work with clients to implement robust systems to prevent further leakage, helping them manage risk and protect their most valuable technology.

Construction Defects & Fire Damage

We act on defects disputes arising from the construction of large-scale plants, including thermal and nuclear power facilities, energy storage systems (ESS) and gas infrastructure, as well as major incidents involving explosions and fires. We establish design and construction defects through detailed engineering analysis and resolve disputes through the interpretation and application of EPC contracts, helping clients manage risk and navigate complex project disputes.

Product Liability

We act for clients in product incidents, including battery fires and automotive defects, deploying rigorous engineering analysis to challenge and disprove alleged manufacturing defects. We advise on product liability risk from design through to warning strategies, helping clients mitigate exposure at every stage. We defend companies in recalls and damages claims, positioning them to manage risk and achieve decisive outcomes in complex product liability disputes.

Key Experience

Acted in civil litigation arising from turbine and generator explosions at a thermal power plant for a multinational manufacturer
Acted in high-stakes litigation and advisory work on a large-scale trade secret misappropriation matter involving botulinum toxin
Advised on and acted in litigation arising from the Gangneung hydrogen tank explosion and a data center fire incident
Acted in arbitration concerning design and construction defects in fire protection piping at a nuclear power plant and cooling water piping at an overseas power plant
Acted in litigation involving patent infringement and trade secret misappropriation relating to semiconductor manufacturing equipment and materials
Acted in arbitration and advised on defects in the manufacture of floodgates for the Four Major Rivers project, and on EPC contract issues relating to the design and construction of a railway infrastructure project
Handled criminal proceedings relating to the misappropriation of national core technology in LNG carrier manufacturing, and acted in parallel civil litigation on patent validity.
Represented a major manufacturer in civil and criminal proceedings involving the misappropriation of trade secrets relating to an automotive artificial intelligence processor (NPU)
Handled large-scale trade secret misappropriation matters relating to electric vehicle battery materials, cells, modules and testing and certification
Acted in patent infringement litigation, invalidation proceedings and appeals against IPTAB decisions relating to secondary battery separators and base materials
Acted in patent infringement litigation and invalidation proceedings relating to a probiotic coating method and pharmaceutical salt-change patents
Advised on technology matters and acted in disputes relating to plasma sterilizers and gas engine heat pump systems (GHP)