Andrew Cobden
CounselHong Kong

Biography
For more than 25 years, Andrew Cobden has been
helping companies understand and deal withintellectual property issues. In that time, he has dealt
with all types of matters involving a wide range oftechnical subjects including adhesives, airplane cockpit
windows, car spare parts, oil well valves, LED lights, carnavigation systems, mobile telephones, many types ofpharmaceuticals, and biological products. He enjoys thechallenge of understanding how leading edge complex
science and technology works.

Phone

He often works with leading technical experts and hashelped design experiments to produce evidence ofpatent infringement. His goal is to find practical and, if
necessary, innovative solutions to legal problems soclients can focus on their businesses.

EnglishAndrew studied in Australia and joined the firm in
1985, first working in London, then in Tokyo, and now
in Hong Kong. Having lived and worked on threecontinents, he appreciates the legal, political, andcultural issues and differences which impact businesses
operating globally, both in the East and the West.
Andrew advises multinational technology companies
on licensing their intellectual property (IP) into
mainland China, through joint ventures and otherlicensing arrangements. He regularly helps
multinational companies understand the patent
enforcement landscape in China and other countries in
Asia to achieve their commercial objectives.

+852 2840 5028

Fax
+852 2219 0222

Emailandrew.cobden@hoganlovells.com

Languages

Practices
Patents
Trademarks and Brands
IP Litigation, Arbitration, andAlternative Dispute Resolution

Industries
Life Sciences and Health Care
Technology and Telecoms

Areas of focus
IP Rights in Transactions

He has worked on all types of IP litigation, for plaintiffs
and defendants, in both trials and appeals in England,
France, Japan, China, and Hong Kong. Andrew is one of
the few solicitor advocates with higher rights ofaudience before the Hong Kong Courts for civil
proceedings. Andrew frequently represents clients inthe superior courts in Hong Kong. He also has
substantial experience in other forms of dispute
resolution, including arbitrations and mediations.
Apart from IP disputes, Andrew has also acted forclients across a broad spectrum of matters fromcompetition law (antitrust), international fraud anddefamation cases (including obtaining a judgment froma jury worth several million dollars), and a multibilliondollar transaction involving the sale of a mobile
telephone network in Japan.

Technology Contracts
Medical Devices
Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
Electronics and Consumer
Appliances
Cell, Tissue, and Gene Therapies
Artificial Intelligence

Education and admissions
Education
B. Ec, LL.B., The University of Sydney

Representative experience

Memberships

Acting for a Japanese pharmaceutical company inrelation to patent infringement proceedings against six
generic drug distributors companies in Hong Kong.
Acting for a Singaporean life sciences company inrelation to its licensing negotiations with a Japanese
university in respect of joint research, development,
and exploitation.

Asia Patent Attorneys Association
Chartered Institute of Arbitrators(Fellow)
Chartered Institute of Patent
Attorneys (Associate Member)Hong Kong Institute of Patent
AgentsAdvising Merck Sharpe & Dohme Corp. on trademark
disputes in Hong Kong and mainland China concerning
the use of the name "Merck."

Court admissions

Acting for a major U.S. film studio against persons inHong Kong and mainland China who set up companies
with similar names in order to scam investors.

High Court of England and WalesHigh Court of Hong Kong
Supreme Court of New South Wales

Advising a multinational chemical company on
licensing its IP to a Chinese joint venture.
Advising a large Chinese group on setting up
businesses in Europe, United States, and the AsiaPacific region.

Awards and rankings
Included in IAM Global Leaders, 2020

Accolades'Counsel Andrew Cobden is a patentlawyer who has extensive
experience handling multijurisdictional disputes involving
complex technology in Hong Kong.'

IP Star (Patents), Managing Intellectual Property,
2018
Recommended Lawyer (Hong Kong: Patent Litigation
and Transactions), IAM Patent 1000, 2015

Latest thinking and events
News
Hong Kong launches public consultation on AI and
Copyright law
Analysis of IP landscape (Greater China focus):
update on patents and patent licensing, and current
trends in trademarks, including insights from INTA
Conference 2024
Insights and Analysis
The age of AI – Hong Kong plans consultation on
copyright protectionNews
Affordable Innovation: Reduced official fees fordesign registration
News
Cross-border enforcement of judgments – newmechanism comes into force 29 January 2024
News
What China’s new patent linkage and patent term
extension systems mean for foreign pharma

Managing Intellectual Property, IPStar 2018'Having accumulated valuable
cultural and legal savvy over a 25year career spent on three different
continents, the experienced IP
veteran has seen everything there isto see in IP law and deploys hisworldly wisdom to superb effect'

IAM 1000, The World's Leading
Patent Professionals 2018
'The 'exceptional' Andrew Cobden
has niche expertise in acting forpharmaceutical companies in patentmatters; he is representing Otsuka
Pharmaceutical in enforcing two of
its "second medical use" invention
patent protection on an
antipsychotic drug.'

Legal 500, 2018
'Andrew Cobden skillfully tackles
chemical and electronic patent
infringement cases'

IAM 1000, The World's Leading
Patent Professionals 2015