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   About Me

Melvin is a Director of Amica Law LLC and his legal practice primarily focuses on IP litigation and enforcement, managing the trade mark portfolios for both local and international clients as well as handling and advising on pharmaceutical regulatory compliance and the patent linkage process in Singapore. Melvin regularly advises and represents locally listed corporations as well as Fortune 500 companies, including Starbucks and Amazon in the end-to-end protection of their brand and trade mark portfolios beginning with managing the search and registration of their trade marks to appearing at infringement, opposition or invalidation actions at both the Registry and Court-levels to devising and executing anti-counterfeiting and enforcement strategies. Melvin also has extensive experience in the field of trade mark and patent litigation and has advised and acted for clients across diverse fields, ranging from representing an Italian manufacturer of porcelain stoneware tiles in a trade mark opposition action before the Court of Appeal - the highest court in Singapore - to acting for a De Beers subsidiary in relation to a patent infringement suit for the manufacture and sale of synthetic diamonds. Melvin also has a strong pharmacological advisory and litigation practice and has advised and acted for listed pharmaceuticals such as Sanofi-Aventis, Pfizer and Sun Pharmaceuticals in local regulatory as well as patent linkage and infringement proceedings. Experience Sample matters on which Melvin has been involved in are: • Representing Element Six Technologies Limited (a subsidiary of De Beers) in one of the largest Singapore patent infringement suits to date against IIA Technologies Pte Ltd, concerning the latter’s investment of more than S$200 million in launching the world’s largest diamond greenhouse for the growth of synthetic diamonds in Singapore. • Representing T2 Singapore Pte. Ltd. in a High Court trade mark infringement and passing off action brought by TWG Tea Company Pte. Ltd. for use of its allegedly proprietary tea blend names. • Successfully representing Ceramiche Caesar S.P.A. in a trade mark opposition action before the Singapore Court of Appeal against Caesarstone Sdot-Yam, a publicly listed company in the United States. This landmark judgment provides guidance on novel issues of trade mark law in Singapore relating to the threshold for appellate intervention in an appeal against a PAR’s decision and the likelihood of confusion test in relation to products/services where less consumer attention is paid to the marks. • Successfully applying for the partial invalidation of the well-known registered trade mark owned by Bacardi & Company Limited. • Representing Starbucks Corporation in an opposition action against a Japanese beverage company for the registration of a similar logo. • Representing Courts (Singapore) Pte Ltd, one of the leading electrical, IT and furniture retailers in Singapore, in defending against an interim injunction application brought by a competitor. • Representing ExxonMobil in defending against various patent revocation actions in relation to its patents for the conversion of oxygenates to olefins. • Representing Sanofi-Aventis in defending against a patent infringement action brought under the Medicines Act in relation to a drug for the treatment of high cholesterol. • Representing Pfizer and Sun Pharmaceutical Industries in defending against patent infringement actions brought under the Health Products Act for the distribution of generics drug products. • Advising on the pharmaceutical regulatory and approval process, including overseeing the local registration of pharmaceutical products with the Singapore Health Sciences Authority; • Defending against a High Court action for misuse of confidential information in relation to the manufacture and operation of a contact lens spinner machine. • Acting in an international arbitration in a dispute relating to a distribution agreement with a major cosmetic company. Education • LL.B. (Hons), National University of Singapore (2008) • Admitted to the Singapore Bar (2009) • Final Year / Overall Dean’s List at NUS Law School • APAA Patent Law Book Prize Winne awarded to the best student in the Intellectual Property module at NUS Law School Accolades • AsiaLaw Profiles 2012 cited Melvin as being “well regarded in the market”. • The Asia Pacific Legal 500 (2017/2018) • WTR 1000 The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals 2019 cited Melvin as a “rising star” and “a dexterous operator across the contentious/non-contentious divide”. Memberships 1. Chairperson, Emerging IP Rights Committee of the Asian Patent Attorneys Association 2. Member, Intellectual Property Standing Committee of the Law Society of Singapore 3. Member, Singapore Academy of Law