Annie is Co-Head of Deacons’ Intellectual Property Department and Head of China IP Practice Group.

Annie is qualified in Hong Kong and England and Wales.  She holds an LLB (Hons) from the University of Hong Kong.

Annie has more than 25 years’ experience in advising on all aspects of intellectual property work in China and on the unique challenges arising from doing business there.  Annie has advised many major Hong Kong and international clients on strategic issues in Mainland China relating to the protection, enforcement and commercial exploitation of intellectual property rights including managing complex intellectual property portfolios and she represents some of the world’s leading companies in the luxury goods, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, entertainment, fashion and electronics industries.

Annie has advised extensively on the IP aspects of acquisition and restructuring of businesses including technology transfer, licensing and cooperation issues, technology development and improvement.  Annie also advises on Internet-related regulations and domain name disputes.

Annie is an active member of many committees and serves as the First Deputy Secretary General, Assistant Secretary General and Chairman of Independent Members of The International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI) and is also on the BIP Asia Steering Committee (2021), HKTDC and the IP Committee of the Law Society of Hong Kong.

Annie is the recipient of many awards and accolades including recognition by Legal 500 as a Recommended Lawyer for Intellectual Property (Foreign Firms, China) (2021), by World Trademark Review 1000 (WTR 1000) as a WTR Global Leader: Hong Kong (2021) and a Gold Tier Individual in Prosecution and Strategy in Hong Kong (2019 – 2021), and by Managing IP as a Trade Mark Star in China (2017 – 2021).

Highlights

• Advised a Silicon Valley semiconductor company (a leading provider of highly integrated semiconductor products that enable intelligent processing for networking, communication and the digital home), on all IP-related issues in a cross-border asset acquisition and migration of R&D employees
• Advised a UK company on cross-border commercial acquisition for the exploitation of R&D facilities in China
• Advised a US IT solution provider serving the global hospitality industry on cloud computing and relevant data privacy issues in China
• Advised a well-known Swiss watch brand in connection with worldwide trade mark portfolio, trade mark infringement, infringing domain names and cyber-squatting cases
• Advised one of Hong Kong’s largest public institutions on trade mark infringement and unfair competition matters
• Advised a major Italian sportswear company on a re-financing scheme based on IP rights in the Greater China region, trade mark infringement and unfair competition cases in China
• Represented leading German electronics and chemical company in infringing company names cases
• Represented Hong Kong, US and Swiss companies in relation to mergers and acquisitions and the transfer of IP rights

More about Annie Tsoi

Accolades

• Chambers Greater China Region
  • Band 2 Leading Individual in Intellectual Property: International Firms (2022)

• Chambers Asia Pacific
  • Band 2 Leading Individual in Intellectual Property: International Firms – China (2021)
• Legal 500
  • Recommended Lawyer in Intellectual Property – Hong Kong (2022)
  • Recommended Lawyer in Intellectual Property: Foreign Firms – China (2021 – 2022)
  • Leading Lawyer in Intellectual Property: Foreign Firms – China (2019 – 2020)
• World Trademark Review 1000 (WTR 1000)
  • Highly Recommended Individual in Prosecution and Strategy in Hong Kong (2019 – 2021)
  • WTR Global Leaders: Hong Kong (2020)
  • Highly Recommended Individual in Enforcement and Litigation in Hong Kong (2016 – 2018)
• Managing IP
  • Trade Mark Star in Hong Kong (2016 – 2021)
  • Trade Mark Star in China (2017 – 2019)
  • World’s Top 250 Women in IP (2016 – 2018)
• Asia IP Experts
  • IP Expert in Hong Kong (2020)
  • Leading Trade Mark Lawyer in Asia (2015 – 2018)
• AsiaLaw Profiles
  • Elite Practitioner in Intellectual Property in Hong Kong (2020)
  • Market Leading IP Lawyer in Hong Kong (2017 – 2019)
• Doyle’s Guide
  • Recommended Leading Intellectual Property Lawyer (2020)
• Euromoney Legal Media Group’s Expert Guide
  • Leading Women in Business Law in Hong Kong (2015 – 2021)
  • Leading Trade Mark Lawyer in Hong Kong (2012 – 2020)
• Who’s Who Legal
  • Global Leader in Trademarks (2012 – 2021)
  • Global Leader in Copyright (2021)
• World IP Review (WIPR)
  • World’s Top Leader in IP (2021)
  • WIPR’s Influential Women in IP (2016 – 2020)

Appointments/ Memberships

• First Deputy Secretary General, Assistant Secretary General and Chairman of Independent Members, The International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI)
• Member, The BIP Asia Steering Committee (2021), HKTDC
• Member and IP Committee, The Law Society of Hong Kong
• Member, The Law Society of England and Wales
• Member, The Asia Patent Attorneys Association (APAA)
• Member, The Hong Kong Institute of Trade Mark Practitioners (HKITMP)
• Adjunct Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, The University of Hong Kong
• Jurisdiction Council Member for Hong Kong and Co-Chair of the Organising Committee of the 2015 Annual Meeting, The Inter-Pacific Bar Association (IPBA)

Education

• LLB (Hons), University of Hong Kong
• PCLL, University of Hong Kong 

Recent Activities

Annie has written numerous articles for legal publications such as China Law and Practice and The Journal of World Intellectual Property.  Annie is also a regular speaker on PRC IP issues for international and regional conferences.  Annie is an Adjunct Associate Professor of the Faculty of Law, University of Hong Kong.