Alvin Lim
Special counsel | Singapore
Secretary Claudine Tan
Operating as Withers KhattarWong LLP in Singapore.
Alvin is special counsel in the Intellectual Property and Technology team.
An intellectual property specialist since 2007, Alvin was recognized as a leading lawyer in the field of intellectual property in the 2017 and 2018 editions of AsiaLaw Leading Lawyers. He was also cited as a Patent Star in the 2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/2022 and 2023 editions of Managing Intellectual Property's IP Stars in recognition of his patent litigation, patent strategy and counselling work. Alvin is also a ranked practitioner in the Silver Band of the World Trademark Review 2023 rankings for enforcement and litigation in Singapore.Alvin's areas of practice includes advising clients in all aspects of intellectual property and intangible asset acquisition, management, commercialization, enforcement and brand protection strategy across a broad range of industries and technologies spanning life sciences, medtech, telecommunications, IT, electronics, semiconductors, automation, transportation, FMCG, food and beverage, music, fashion and design, luxury goods, digital technology and artificial intelligence.
Alvin has a strong IP litigation and enforcement practice, regularly acting for clients in patent, trademark, geographical indications, registered designs, copyright infringement cases, confidential information and trade secrets disputes, technology contracts litigation in Singapore and also cross border IP and technology related disputes including shareholder disputes involving IP ownership issues. Alvin also advises clients in data breach cases including data breach response, mitigation and prevention of further fraudulent activity such as identify theft. Alvin's experience in handling pharmacological advisory and patent linkage work has seen him act for multinational pharmaceutical companies such as Eli Lilly, F. Hoffmann-LA Roche AG, OSI Pharmaceuticals, Merck & Co, Bristol-Myers Squib Pharma Co and AstraZeneca. Other notable clients Alvin has acted for include Nokia Corporation, Asahi Glass, NexPlanar Corporation, Rokko Holdings, JCS Echigo Pte Ltd, Aurigin Technology Pte Ltd, Swiss Ranks Pte Ltd, Staywell Hospitality Pty Limited, ERS Electronic GMBH, Lenzing, Virtual Map, and TMRG Pte Ltd.
Several of the cases in which Alvin has done involve novel issues of law and/or have been reported in the law journals and law reports of Singapore, including:
- IBI Group Hellas Single Member Societe Anonyme v Saber Holdings Pte Ltd [2023] SGDC 95
- Ncode Consultant Pte Ltd v We Are Perspective Pte Ltd [2023] SGDC 58
- Syed Ibrahim Shaik Mohideen v Wavoo Abdusalam Shahul Hameed & Ors [2022] SGHC 228
- TMRG Pte Ltd & Anor v Caerus Holding Pte Ltd & Anor [2022] SGHC(A) 4
- Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano Reggiano v Fonterra Brands (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. [2022] SGIPOS 7
- Sun Electric Pte Ltd v Sunseap Group Pte Ltd and Ors [2020] SGHCR 1;
- Sun Electric Pte Ltd v Sunseap Group Pte Ltd and Ors [2019] SGHCR 11;
- Novartis (Jiangsu) Pte Ltd v Bristol-Myers Squib Pharma Co [2018] 3 SLR 1194;
- Dr Babor Gmbh & Co KG & Anor v Sante De Beaute Pte Ltd [2018] SGHC 159;
- Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc and Sheraton International IP LLC v Staywell Hospitality Pty Limited [2018] SGIPOS 11;
- Rohm & Haas Electronic Materials CMP Holdings Inc v NexPlanar Corp [2017] SGHC 310;
- Ship's Equipment Centre Bremen GmbH v Fuji Trading (Jiangsu) Pte Ltd [2015] 4 SLR 781;
- Invenpro (M) Sdn Bhd v JC Automation Pte Ltd [2014] 2 SLR 1045;
- Astra Zeneca AB (SE) v Sanofi-Aventis Singapore Pte Ltd [2012] SGHC 16; [2013] SGHCR 7;
- Hoya Corp v Asahi Glass Co Ltd [2010] SGHC 15;
- ASM Assembly Automation Ltd v Aurigin Technology Pte Ltd [2010] 1 SLR 1;
- Love & Co Pte Ltd v The Carat Club Pte Ltd [2009] 1 SLR(R) 561;
- Virtual Map (Jiangsu) Pte Ltd v Singapore Land Authority [2007] SGDC; and
- N.V. Sumatra Tobacco Trading Company v British American Tobacco (brands) Inc [2008] SGIPOS1.
The non-contentious aspects of Alvin's practice include conducting IP and intangible asset audits, IP registration and prosecution work, acting for clients in commercial IP transactions, drafting and review of technology contracts, providing advice on regulatory law and compliance in respect of data privacy, medical, advertising and fintech laws. Alvin's clients in this fields include Singapore Airlines, Balmain, Global Schools Holdings, LingoAce, Teva Pharmaceuticals, House of Teak, Lao Ban Soyabean and several deep tech start-ups.
Alvin has also been retained by clients as external "in-house counsel" in diverse fields such as med tech, semiconductor manufacturing, beauty and aesthetics and automation, where he worked directly with and provided legal support to business stakeholders and executives.Alvin is a member of the Asian Patent Attorneys Association and serves on the Singapore Law Society's Inquiry Panel representing the Law Society in disciplinary proceedings.