The Vietnam branch of Tilleke & Gibbins has a well-regarded contentious intellectual property practice, having handled nearly 85% of all invention patent litigation cases in Vietnam so far and argued in some of the first patent infringement cases every heard by the Vietnamese courts. The firm has also been a pioneer in domain name disputes within Vietnam and is a go-to name for big pharma. Electronics and biotechnology clients are increasingly relying on the firm for contentious patent matters too. The firm pairs with a local firm, T&G Law Firm, allowing it to handle local litigation in the country.
In other areas, the firm remains active in labour and commercial litigation. It has experience with disputes related to international trade, labour, construction, insurance, wrongful acts, director’s liability and white-collar crime. Tilleke’s regional aviation practice is a known market leader. The firm hit a milestone in 2021, handling its first international arbitration case at the Singapore International Arbitration Centre, and its repertoire for high-value international arbitration matters at the Vietnam International Arbitration Center (VIAC) has increased exponentially since.
Managing partner and IP expert Thomas Treutler leads the disputes team that includes partner and head of IP enforcement Loc Xuan Le, and partner Kien Trung Trinh for employment-related matters.
The Tilleke team acted for a UK-based investment capital firm in the first hostile aircraft repossession case in Vietnam, against a defaulting Vietnamese airline. The firm also represented a multinational commodities firm on its high-value VIAC arbitration case over a coal supply agreement. In a separate dispute, it is acting for the same client in an arbitration case against a state-owned energy company. A Chinese machinery manufacturer has also enlisted the firm for its international arbitration case with millions of dollars at stake.
On the IP front, the team helped Merck Sharp & Dohme to victory in a patent dispute which resulted in the ordered shutdown of generic production. It is also continuing its representation of the same client in a separate case that is thought to be the first patent case ever to be heard by the Supreme Court. The firm worked with CTC Global Corporation on a patent infringement related to superheated cables and acted for Bayer to protect its distinctive drug packaging from infringement using copyright grounds.
Trinh and his team helped its US-based multinational corporation client towards an amicable settlement in a wrongful termination case and is assisting a domestic manufacturer in a complex dispute over labour termination charges.