Led by managing partner Alban Kang, ATMD Bird & Bird continues to lead the field in the breadth of its offering. A competitor admits: "We wouldn't disagree the firm is top flight." Kang is acknowledged by industry professionals as a leading practitioner and expert litigator in the country. One client extols the firm's staff: "They are professional and efficient. More importantly, they offered good advice and helped me to see problems from another angle."
Involved in one of the most important copyright appeals before the Court of Appeal in the last few years, the IP team represented RecordTV against Singaporean broadcaster MediaCorp in a copyright matter where the client was sued for copyright violations arising from offering a service that allowed viewers to watch the broadcaster's programmes online. The Court of Appeal ruled in favour of RecordTV in December 2010.
Partner Cyril Chua was the lead on work for clients Entertainment Software Association and Nintendo regarding copyright matters on anti-circumvention measures adopted by copyright owners. Chua also led the team in planning and executing raids against vendors and distributors of these modification and circumvention devices and products in Singapore. One of these matters even went to full trial, with a successful prosecution of the offender and a nine-month jail sentence. A client was impressed by Chua: "He is professional in dealing with clients and hands-on in handling work matters."