Qualifications |
Director
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
About Tony
Tony is a Director in Drew & Napier LLC, and head of its Biomedical Sciences Practice Group, for which the firm was recently named Life Sciences Firm of the Year in Asian-Counsel's Representing Corporate Asia Survey 2010.
Tony is consistently recognised as a leading individual in his practice by various international legal publications: -
The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers 2011 lists Tony as a leading Life Sciences lawyer.
Practical Law Company’s Which Lawyer? Yearbook recommends him for “patent disputes in the pharma and engineer[ing] industries”, and names him as a leading lawyer for Intellectual Property in 2011 and 2012.
From 2007 to 2010, AsiaLaw Leading Lawyers has hailed Tony as one of the most highly-acclaimed legal experts in the Asia-Pacific region, for a rare double win of awards in two separate categories – for intellectual property and employment law.
Asia Pacific Legal 500 has consistently ranked Tony as a leading Intellectual Property and Litigation lawyer, praising him for being “diligent, sound in judgment and pragmatic in approach” (2011/2012). Clients have also described the “commercial Tony Yeo” as one of the “foremost” lawyers in Drew & Napier’s “excellent litigation practice” with “in-depth knowledge of IP-related issues” handling “complex technology and pharmaceutical cases” (2010/2011).
Chambers Asia 2011 recommended Tony as a leading individual in Intellectual Property and describes him as such, "Although Tony Yeo is relatively young compared to the other top partners, the team benefits from his formidable experience. He earned praise for his quick and thorough thinking, with one client describing him as ‘proactive – he's always able to come up with a plan and keeps an eye on legal and commercial implications’” (Chambers Asia 2011). Tony is also lauded as “a very confident individual who always stays on top of the situation” (Chambers Asia 2010).
Tony was also identified as a “Shining Light” in Asian Legal Business’ Hot 100.
Tony’s clients’ include GSK, Sanofi Aventis, Novartis, Johnson and Johnson, Baxter Healthcare and the Health Promotion Board.
He has been with Drew & Napier for the past 21 years, became a Partner in 1997, then a Director after Drew & Napier corporatised on 1 May 2001.
Tony is a member of the Law Society’s Inquiry Panel and Disciplinary Tribunal, and a member of the Examination Committee of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) for registered patent agents. He is co-author of the Singapore chapter of Global Pharmacovigilance Laws & Regulations: The Essential Reference, which has been described as a “groundbreaking book” and a “landmark guide” published by the US based Food and Drug Law Institute. Tony also co-wrote the article “Legislating medical devices in Singapore” in Financier Worldwide: Biotechnology & Life Sciences e-Book 2010.
Areas of Practice
Tony is a litigator and has an active court practice as an advocate. He has been the lead counsel in many complex litigation cases including numerous patent infringement cases.
His areas of practice are Intellectual Property Litigation, Banking Law and General Commercial Litigation. He does Patent, Trademark and Copyright Litigation and Intellectual Property enforcement work. His Civil and Commercial Litigation practice includes Banking Litigation and Contractual Disputes.
Experience
Tony is consistently recognised as a leading individual in his practice by various international legal publications: -
The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers 2011 lists Tony as a leading Life Sciences lawyer.
Practical Law Company’s Which Lawyer? Yearbook recommends him for “patent disputes in the pharma and engineer[ing] industries”, and names him as a leading lawyer for Intellectual Property in 2011 and 2012.
From 2007 to 2010, AsiaLaw Leading Lawyers has hailed Tony as one of the most highly-acclaimed legal experts in the Asia-Pacific region, for a rare double win of awards in two separate categories – for intellectual property and employment law.
Asia Pacific Legal 500 has consistently ranked Tony as a leading Intellectual Property and Litigation lawyer, praising him for being “diligent, sound in judgment and pragmatic in approach” (2011/2012). Clients have also described the “commercial Tony Yeo” as one of the “foremost” lawyers in Drew & Napier’s “excellent litigation practice” with “in-depth knowledge of IP-related issues” handling “complex technology and pharmaceutical cases” (2010/2011).
Chambers Asia 2011 recommended Tony as a leading individual in Intellectual Property and describes him as such, "Although Tony Yeo is relatively young compared to the other top partners, the team benefits from his formidable experience. He earned praise for his quick and thorough thinking, with one client describing him as ‘proactive – he's always able to come up with a plan and keeps an eye on legal and commercial implications’” (Chambers Asia 2011). Tony is also lauded as “a very confident individual who always stays on top of the situation” (Chambers Asia 2010).
Tony was also identified as a “Shining Light” in Asian Legal Business’ Hot 100.
Tony’s clients’ include GSK, Sanofi Aventis, Novartis, Johnson and Johnson, Baxter Healthcare and the Health Promotion Board.
He has been with Drew & Napier for the past 21 years, became a Partner in 1997, then a Director after Drew & Napier corporatised on 1 May 2001.
Tony is a member of the Law Society’s Inquiry Panel and Disciplinary Tribunal, and a member of the Examination Committee of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) for registered patent agents. He is co-author of the Singapore chapter of Global Pharmacovigilance Laws & Regulations: The Essential Reference, which has been described as a “groundbreaking book” and a “landmark guide” published by the US based Food and Drug Law Institute. Tony also co-wrote the article “Legislating medical devices in Singapore” in Financier Worldwide: Biotechnology & Life Sciences e-Book 2010.
Areas of Practice
Tony is a litigator and has an active court practice as an advocate. He has been the lead counsel in many complex litigation cases including numerous patent infringement cases.
His areas of practice are Intellectual Property Litigation, Banking Law and General Commercial Litigation. He does Patent, Trademark and Copyright Litigation and Intellectual Property enforcement work. His Civil and Commercial Litigation practice includes Banking Litigation and Contractual Disputes.
Experience
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Currently representing a client in a Suit concerning disputes over defamation and shareholdings in an Indonesian listed company worth over US$1 billion in Suit 703/2008/X.
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Currently representing Sanofi Aventis in Suit 305/2010/Y for alleged infringement of patents for the treatment of breast cancer.
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Currently representing Sanofi Aventis in OS No. 991/2011/L for a determination under Section 16(1B)(c) of the Medicines Act (Cap 176) on issues concerning patent declarations by a generic company.
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Currently representing Novartis AG in Suit 150/2011/R for alleged infringement of patents for the treatment of hypertension.
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Currently representing Baxter Healthcare in Suit 901/2008/B involving allegations of product liability concerning haemodialysis machines.
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Currently representing Scintronix Corporation Limited in a Suit 207/2009/H over alleged breaches of duties by the company’s former directors.
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Currently representing SBCC Clinic Pte Ltd and Unimedic Pte Ltd, subsidiaries of the Healthway Medical Group, in OS 1012/2011/W involving an interpretation of a $56m sale and purchase agreement
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Successfully represented Pontiac Land Private Limited in a landlord and tenant dispute involving complex issues on land law. See the reported decision at Pontiac Land Private Limited v P-Zone Services Pte Ltd [2010] SGHC 171 Debt and capital restructuring
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Successfully represented Fish & Co Pte Ltd in an assessment of damages following an appeal to the High Court of Singapore and the Singapore Court of Appeal. See the reported decision at Fish & Co Restaurants Pte Ltd v MFM Restaurants Pte Ltd and Low Theng Yong Dickson [2009] SGHC 270 and [2010] SGCA 36
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Successfully represented Trek Technology in enforcing ThumbDrive patent in the thumb sized USB data storage devices. The Singapore Court of Appeal recently ruled in favour of Trek Technology and dismissed the appeals. See the reported decisions at Trek Technology (Singapore) Pte Ltd v FE Global Electronics Pte Ltd and Others and Other Suits (No 2) [2005] 3 SLR 389 and FE Global Electronics Pte Ltd and Others v Trek Technology (Singapore) Pte Ltd [2005] SGCA 55
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Successfully represented the world famous Institut Pasteur, Sanofi and Biorad in enforcing the patent for the HIV-2 virus and diagnostic kits to detect the HIV-2 virus in the ground breaking patent case. The Singapore Court of Appeal ruled in favour of the patent owners and dismissed the appeals. See the reported decisions at Institut Pasteur & Anor v Genelabs Diagnostics Pte Ltd & Anor [2000] SGHC 53 and Genelabs Diagnostics Pte Ltd v Institut Pasteur and Another [2001] 1 SLR 121
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Successfully represented clients in the first assessment for damages case involving an Intellectual Property matter to proceed to the Singapore Court of Appeal. The appeals to the Singapore High Court and to the Singapore Court of Appeal were successfully dismissed. See the reported of the Singapore High Court decision at Mopi Pte Ltd v Central Mercantile Corp (S) Ltd [2005] SGHC 183
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Successfully represented clients in a series of actions over a dispute involving their patent for technology for compressors for motor vehicles.
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Successfully represented clients in an action to enforce the terms of a settlement agreement which arose from a dispute over confidentiality terms.
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Successfully represented clients in an action over a dispute involving the use of a name for an international chain of hotels.
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Successfully represented clients in an action over a dispute involving their patents for the Compact Disc technology.
Appointments / Memberships
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Exco Member of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property – Singapore Group
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Member of the Examinations Committee at the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore
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Member of Asian Patent Attorneys Association
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Member of International Trademark Association
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Member of the Law Society’s Inquiry Committee and Disciplinary Tribunal