Horace Lam

Partner

Co-Country Managing Partner, China

Head of IPT, Asia

He is recognised for his expansive practice in the IP space, with notable expertise in handling trade mark and patent prosecution and infringement cases, as well as advising on portfolio management.

— Chambers Global 2022

Emailhorace.lam@dlapiper.com

Call+86 186 0125 0454

Beijing

About

Horace Lam heads DLA Piper’s Intellectual Property and Technology teams in Asia. He advises multinational and Chinese companies on safeguarding and commercialising their intellectual property, technology and data assets, enabling them to manage evolving legal, regulatory and commercial risks in fast‑moving Asian markets.

He leads a strong team of dedicated lawyers across Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo, providing coordinated support on regional and cross‑border mandates across Asia and globally.

Horace brings over 30 years' experience advising on high‑value, high‑stakes matters, including the negotiation of complex transactions, multi‑jurisdictional strategic commercial partnerships, and technology and know‑how transfer and licensing arrangements. He also advises on sophisticated trademark, copyright and patent prosecution, enforcement, and litigation strategies.

In addition, he regularly counsels clients on IP issues arising from R&D collaborations, including inventor ownership, entitlement, and remuneration matters.

Recently, Horace advised a global technology and electronics company on the review, negotiation, and ongoing performance of its cooperation agreement with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), providing end‑to‑end legal support across the full lifecycle of the Olympic Partner (TOP) Programme. His work included advising on the use, protection, and compliance requirements relating to Olympic‑related intellectual property and branding rights, as well as supporting the client in navigating the commercial, regulatory, and reputational complexities of a high‑profile global sports sponsorship arrangement.

Similarly, he advised a global home appliance and consumer electronics manufacturer on a major cross‑border strategic investment, including the restructuring of its Indian subsidiary. In addition, he is representing a global marine coatings company in a PRC patent infringement matter against multiple infringers, with advice covering infringement analysis, evidence preservation strategy, assessment of preliminary injunctive relief, and China‑specific litigation planning.

Horace is ranked as a Hall of Fame practitioner by Legal 500. He is also recognised by Chambers and Partners as a Leading Lawyer for Intellectual Property . A client's comments that “he has a unique ability to simplify complex legal issues while keeping solutions practical and brand sensitive. His clear communication greatly supports internal discussions and external negotiations."

Areas of FocusIntellectual Property Life Sciences Media Sports and Entertainment Consumer Goods, Food and Retail Technology Industrials Trademark and Copyright Litigation Trademark and Copyright Counseling, Strategy, Enforcement and Prosecution

Professional QualificationsSolicitor of the High Court of Hong KongSolicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales

EXPERIENCE

Advising a global marine coatings company on a PRC patent infringement matter against various infringers. Our advice includes infringement analysis, evidence preservation strategy, preliminary injunction assessment, and China‑specific litigation planning.
Advising a global technology and electronics company on the review, negotiation, and ongoing performance of its cooperation agreement with the IOC, as well as providing comprehensive legal support across the lifecycle of the TOP Programme. This included advising on the use, protection, and compliance aspects of Olympic-related intellectual property and branding rights, and supporting the client in navigating the commercial and regulatory complexities of a high profile, global sports sponsorship arrangement.
Advising a leading global home appliance and consumer electronics manufacturer on a major cross‑border strategic investment involving the restructuring of its Indian subsidiary. As one of the most significant recent transactions in India’s fast‑growing consumer‑durables sector, our role ensured that their extensive IP portfolio was properly protected, licensed, and structured to ensure business continuity and future scalability following the investment.
Advising a U.S. conglomerate on its corporate restructuring and spinoff matters including complex IP transfer issues and 3rd party IP license navigation issues in China, to ensure the alignment with the strategies in other jurisdictions; we also assisted with the drafting, negotiation and compliance of various JV documents and IP transfer and licensing documents.
Advising an International Energy company on a strategically significant technology licensing arrangement for a joint venture with a major European industrial group. The mandate involves developing and executing the overall IP and technology strategy, negotiating complex licensing terms, and structuring the establishment of a joint R&D centre. We led the drafting and negotiation of the related IP licensing and services agreements, supporting a high‑profile, cross‑border collaboration that required careful alignment of commercial, regulatory, and innovation priorities across jurisdictions.
Advising the International Olympic Committee on the drafting of China-specific, bilingual terms and conditions for multiple online competition and prize draw campaigns conducted on the IOC's WeChat Mini-Program in China. Our advice also addressed restrictions on unauthorized association with the IOC, the Olympic Games, and the Olympic Movement, as well as provisions granting the IOC the right to use winners' names, images, and likenesses for promotional purposes worldwide. We also advised on PRC-specific regulatory requirements, including prize value limits, tax withholding obligations, data privacy compliance (sensitive personal data collection and cross-border transfer restrictions), age restrictions for minors, and operational risks under WeChat's platform rules.
Advising a Chinese state-owned company on an IP-driven deal with Deutsche Fußball Liga, covering issues relating to football matches broadcasting rights and co-establishing football training centres in China. Our role included providing full scope legal support throughout the transaction, including a comprehensive review and revision of the relevant agreements, advising on IP licensing and broadcasting rights, and guiding the client through negotiations with DFL. This matter represented their first engagement of this nature, making the legal structuring and risk allocation particularly critical to the client’s long term business development strategy in the Greater China region.
Advising a well-known "activewear" brand on the full range of trademark matters in its most important markets in Asia, with a particular focus on China and Hong Kong, including prosecution, clearance, enforcement, advertisement, and design-related issues. We have handled hundreds of trademark administrative enforcement actions in China, achieving a success rate of over 90% over the past five years.
Advising a number of hotel chains on a range of matters including:
- a wide range of branding matters, from prosecution and infringement to domain name and commercial intellectual property issues, throughout China;
- all brand protection-related matters in China, including trademark filings, oppositions,
- cancellations and more, through to administrative, civil and criminal enforcement actions, and successfully obtained a well-known trademark recognition for a client in China;
- all brand issues relating to the launch of new hotel brands and outlets, as well as commercial intellectual property matters such as domain name recovery and actions against cybersquatters;
- localization and commercialisation of businesses in China; and
- ovarious intellectual property matters including the acquisition of intellectual property rights in other jurisdictions as well as digital marketing, loyalty and privacy matters in Asia.