Timothy Letters

Timothy Letters is a partner of Letters & Thoo, a specialist IP practice based in Hong Kong. He has practised in Hong Kong for more than 15 years, and has extensive experience of patent, trademark and design matters in Hong Kong, China and Southeast Asia.

Areas of patent and trademark practice

Dr Letters acts for local and international clients, including well-known international corporations, the Hong Kong Hospital Authority, Hong Kong universities and research institutes and manufacturing and design companies with operations spanning China and Hong Kong. His practice covers mechanical and manufacturing technologies, electronics and telecommunications technologies, nanotechnology, chemical engineering and pharmaceuticals. In addition to his patent drafting, prosecution and advisory practice, Dr Letters’ practice strongly focuses on:

• commercial cross-border patent filing and prosecution strategies for international corporations with manufacturing operations in China and Hong Kong;
• pharmaceutical freedom-to-operate patent clearance in Hong Kong;
• advice regarding tendering and government procurement in compliance with World Trade Organisation requirements relating to intellectual property;
• trade fair IP rights administrative actions in Hong Kong, with particular expertise in strategic enforcement of standard-essential patent rights;
• freedom-to-operate issues in Hong Kong, China and Southeast Asia; and
• cancellation actions against bad-faith trademark registrations in China and Hong Kong.

Qualifications and memberships

Dr Letters is a registered Australian and New Zealand patent attorney and a registered Australian trademark attorney. He holds a master’s degree in IP law, a PhD in biomedical engineering, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical and orthopaedic engineering.

He is a member of the International Federation of Intellectual Property Attorneys, a fellow of the Institute of Patent and Trademark Attorneys of Australia and a member of the International Trademark Association. He is also a longstanding member of the Asian Patent Attorneys Association Hong Kong, having served on its Patents and Designs Standing Committee, which regularly discusses issues pertaining to international patent law, practice and policy with the Hong Kong government.