Karen May Fong

Karen advises on IP strategy, brand protection, and enforcement, covering patents, trade marks, designs, copyright, and confidential information, including multijurisdictional disputes, civil and criminal actions, and complex commercial IP matters.

• Represented a major US defence contractor in a multijurisdictional technology arbitration.
• Led a team which advised a major US car manufacturer on all aspects of European brand protection and enforcement including civil and criminal disputes involving patent, designs, trade marks, copyright, confidential information, database rights as well as advising on block exemptions, advertising clearance and IP agreements.
• Obtained the first judgment in connection with a trade mark infringement and passing off case at the renamed IPEC in favour of major pharmaceutical client.
• Acted as lead IP advisor to a British regulatory body.
• Acted as a special advisor to a US global confectionary company on using civil litigation as an enforcement tool in China including providing strategic advice on overall strategy and using specific tactics in individual cases.
• Acted as supervising solicitor in connection with search and seizure orders.
• Advised a well-known actor-turned-director in relation to a copyright claim against him and a production company in connection with a West End play including dealing with on-stage disturbance on the opening night.
• Assisting a London law firm in defending a challenge by another law firm over the use of its name which the latter claims is too close to its own name.
• Represented a client in a passing off claim against a Turkey-based company with a UK subsidiary claiming its trademark is confusingly similar to its own.
• Acted on a trade mark and passing off action in IPEC where the claimant has alleged that our client has infringed and/or passed off in the way their sales people were selling a line of electrical accessories by what they say about the products.
• Advised an expanding Chinese supermarket chain on their trade mark and IP strategy. Chinese character and other non-English language trade marks are regarded presently as image marks rather than word marks which presents challenges to filing and protection.
• Advised a company in relation to the IP aspects of its collaboration with a hand-painted wallpaper house to recreate and produce an antique Chinoiserie wallpaper dating back to the 1700s.

Karen is a specialist intellectual property and commercial lawyer with extensive international experience. She advises retail clients on a variety of IP work including IP strategy, design rights, and trade marks.

• Advised a number of well-known high-end brands of European multinational luxury goods company on trade mark prosecution matters, trade mark, designs and copyright disputes in multi jurisdictions.
• Advised a UK fashion brand on IP strategy, prosecution of trade marks and designs, an anti-counterfeiting programme including working with Trading Standards and using Customs measures to enforce rights as well as civil actions and domain name disputes.
• Advised a luxury cult perfume brand in a passing off action including the related breach of directors’ duties claims.
• Advised a major American cosmetics, skincare and fragrance company on European trade mark portfolio work and soft IP disputes as well as regulatory work.
• Advised a British multinational retail company on all aspects of IP work globally including overall IP strategy, trade mark, patents and design prosecutions including obtaining well-known mark status for a house mark in China, drafting of IP and other commercial agreements, patent, copyright, trade marks and design disputes in the UK, China, Hong Kong and other parts of Europe and delivering IP training for staff.
• Advised a British kitchen supplier on overall global IP strategy, trade mark prosecution, domain name disputes, civil disputes including a UK trade mark, and a passing off dispute with fraud elements.
• Assisted an established trading company and one of its employees in a claim by a supplier of design right infringement and breach of confidential information in relation to a handbag range that the parties were co-creating together.
• Assisted an established trading company in a threatened trade mark infringement and passing off claim by a brand owner in relation to its the sale of beach clogs.
• Advised an expanding Chinese supermarket chain on their trade mark and IP strategy. Chinese character and other non-English language trade marks are regarded presently as image marks rather than word marks which presents challenges to filing and protection.

Karen is a specialist intellectual property and commercial lawyer with extensive international experience. She advises on developer disputes, design rights and copyright within the technology sectors.

• Advised a leading US technology company in IP disputes, brand enforcement, domain name issues and IP agreements.
• Advised a leading online gaming company on global IP strategy, trade mark prosecution, domain name issues and IP disputes, data protection issues, and collaboration agreements with different Asian partners.
• Advised a leading web services provider on sponsorship and ambush marketing issues.
• Acted for The Economist in leading trade mark case (High Court and Court of Appeal) The European v The Economist (European Voice).
• Advised a US technology multinational specialising in internet-related services and products on a number of trade mark and copyright issues.
• Advising an app developer in a potential dispute against their former partner in relation to the ownership of the copyright in the software created by the various parties.

Karen is a specialist intellectual property and commercial lawyer with extensive international experience. She acts for numerous clients in the food and beverage industry on copyright and design disputes.

• Advised a US coffee company and coffeehouse chain with worldwide locations on trade mark, passing off, designs, domain name and copyright disputes.
• Advised an energy drinks giant on trade mark, passing off, designs and copyright disputes.
• Advised a multinational alcoholic beverage company on trade mark and passing off disputes.
• Advised a multinational beverage company in a passing off action in relation to brand of bottled water.
• Successfully acted for United Biscuits in a well-known reported UK High Court case, United Biscuits v Asda (penguin/puffin case).

Karen is a specialist intellectual property and commercial lawyer with extensive international experience. She advises pharmaceutical companies on trade mark, patent, copyright, design, and domain name disputes.

• Advised a British pharmaceutical chain in a patent dispute in connection with ocular equipment.
• Advised a multinational in the pharmaceutical industry on trade mark and domain name disputes in relation to a well-known branded product.
• Advised a publishing company in the pharmaceutical industry in connection with trade mark, passing off, copyright and domain name issues.
• Advised a multinational bio-pharmaceutical company on trade mark and domain name issues.
• Advised a medical device company on a series of design disputes.
• Advising the client on the IP strategy of their brand for entry into China. The brand is an eco-health supplement brand based in the UK.

Recognised by Chambers Global for Intellectual Property 2026

Recognised by Chambers UK for Intellectual Property 2026

Recognised by The Legal 500 for Intellectual Property: Trade Marks, Copyright and Design 2020, 2022–2026

Recognised by The Legal 500 for Retail & Consumer 2026

Recognised by Best Lawyers (UK) for Intellectual Property Law 2023–2025

Recognised in WIPR leaders 2024 for expertise in IP, including patent, trademark, and copyright issues.

Recognised by Managing Intellectual Property (MIP) IP Stars as a Trade mark star 2014, 2016–2018, 2020–2024

Recognised in Who’s Who Legal for Trademarks 2022–2023

Recognised by WTR1000 – Bronze – Individuals: enforcement and litigation 2012–2014, 2020, 2023

Winner of Lexology’s 2022 Client Choice Award for Trademarks

Recognised by Women in Business Law Experts Guide as a Leading practitioner (trade marks) 2017

Recognised by Chambers Global as a Regional Expert in China 2010–2014

Recognised by Chambers UK as a Leader in their field 2010–2013

European Women in Business Law Awards, 2012: won ‘Best in Trade Marks’ category