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Leading global companies and investors turn to Geoffrey Lin to monetize and manage their most critical intellectual property assets. A member of the firm’s award-winning Asia life sciences team, Geoffrey offers clients an unparalleled understanding of how complex IP issues play out in the life sciences and high technology markets.
With more than two decades of practice experience, Geoffrey has advised on cutting-edge IP matters throughout varying economic cycles. He works with clients across industries, including pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, healthcare, technology, electronics and telecommunications.
Geoffrey enjoys working collaboratively with clients to achieve their goals. As one client told Chambers Greater China Region, Geoffrey is “very responsive and thoughtful, with particular consideration given to business goals and potential risks."
Experience
- Advised Zai Labs, an innovative, research-based, commercial stage biopharmaceutical company based in China and the U.S. focused on bringing transformative medicines for oncology, autoimmune disorders, infectious diseases and neurological disorders to patients in China and around the world in numerous matters including:
- in its license and collaboration agreement with Novocure in relation to Tumor Treating Fields technology and products.
- its in-license of US-based, Incyte’s anti-PD-1 asset.
- its exclusive regional license and collaboration agreement with Turning Point to develop and commercialize TPX-0022, Turning Point Therapeutic’s MET/SRC/CSF1R Inhibitor, across the Greater China region, including China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
- a collaboration and license agreement with Mirati Therapeutics for adagrasib, a small-molecule KRASG12C inhibitor, in Greater China (mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan).
- its exclusive worldwide license agreement (excluding Japan) with Takeda, a global pharmaceutical company, to research, develop and commercialize simurosertib.
- Advised China-based Simcere Pharmaceutical Group in a strategic collaboration with Netherlands-based Merus to obtain an exclusive license to develop and commercialize in China three bispecific antibodies using Merus' Biclonics technology platform in immunooncology.
- Advised Eli Lilly in its digital healthcare collaboration with leading China internet company Tencent and online healthcare service provider DXY to develop and launch an integrated diabetes patient care platform in China.
- Advised Innovent Biologics Inc., a leading bio-pharmaceuticals company based in China, in numerous transactions including:
- a collaboration of at least three cancer treatments with Eli Lilly and Company, a global healthcare leader. The two companies described their agreement as one of the largest biotech drug collaborations in China between a multi-national and domestic company. Under the terms of the transaction, Lilly will make a US$56 million upfront payment to Innovent, with milestones for a single immuno-oncology drug candidate exceeding US$400 million (for which Geoffrey was highly commended in the Financial Times Asia Innovative Lawyers Report 2016).
- a collaboration & licensing agreement for three clinical products discovered and developed by Incyte, a Delaware-based biopharmaceutical company.
- its collaboration with Coherus; as well as on its collaboration with Eli Lilly regarding OXM3, a dual GLP-1 and glucagon receptor agonist that will enter China as a potential best-in-class, mid-stage clinical development diabetes compound.
- Advised NetEase, a Chinese internet technology company, in its exclusive license from Mojang to develop Minecraft for China and bring it to the Chinese market.
- Advised CASI Pharmaceuticals, a NASDAQ-listed biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapeutics and pharmaceutical products in numerous transactions including:
- its in-licensing of China rights for a portfolio of drug assets from Spectrum Pharmaceuticals which includes two of Spectrum Pharmaceuticals’ commercial oncology drugs and a Phase Three drug candidate for development and commercialization in China.
- an exclusive licensing agreement with BioInvent International to develop and commercialize BioInvent’s immune-modulatory antibodies for cancer immunotherapy in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.
- an exclusive licensing agreement with Cleave Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on valosin-containing protein as a novel target for therapeutic use in cancer, in an exclusive licensing agreement for the development and commercialization of CB-5339, a novel VCP/p97 inhibitor, in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.
- Advised Healthwise, Incorporated, an Idaho nonprofit corporation, in a digital health education licensing transaction in China with a major Chinese social media corporation.
- Represented HilleVax, Inc. in an exclusive license agreement with Chengdu Kanghua Biological Products Co., Ltd. (Kangh) for rights to Kangh’s hexavalent virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine candidate for norovirus outside of Greater China.
- Represented Tenacia Biotechnology Company, Ltd., a Bain Capital portfolio company, in an exclusive collaboration and license agreement with Praxis Precision Medicines to develop and commercialize ulixacaltamide in Greater China, including mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Ulixacaltamide is used for the treatment of essential tremor, a nervous system disorder that causes involuntary shaking and affects at least 10 million people in China.
- Represented Pediatrix Therapeutics, a pediatrics-focused therapeutic company in numerous collaborations, including:
- its collaboration with Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel drug candidates for immuno-inflammatory diseases.
- its expanded partnership with Tris Pharma, giving Pediatrix exclusive rights to commercialize Tris's entire FDA-approved ADHD portfolio as well as ADHD pipeline products in China.
- Represented Adicon Holdings Limited, a leading independent clinical laboratory company based in China in a strategic partnership with Guardant Health, Inc., a leading precision oncology company, to offer Guardant Health’s comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) to accelerate the development of new cancer therapies in mainland China.
- Advised Everest Medicines, a Hong Kong-listed (HKEX 1952.HK) biopharmaceutical company focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing transformative pharmaceutical products and vaccines in Greater China and other Asian Pacific markets in multiple commercial agreements, including:
- the first cross-border mRNA vaccine equity and collaboration partnership in which an Asia-based biotechnology company received full technology transfer and manufacturing rights pertaining to proprietary mRNA technology developed by the licensor.
- its in-license with Immunomedics of sacituzumab govitecan, an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), for US$65 million up front and an additional US$60 million milestone upon US FDA approval of the drug.
- Represented Viela Bio on the out-licensing of its anti-CD19 mab to Hansoh, the China-based biotechnology company.
- Represented Assembly Biosciences on a license and collaboration agreement in China with global biopharmaceutical company BeiGene for Assembly’s portfolio of three clinical-stage core inhibitor candidates for the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.
- Represented Paratek Pharmaceuticals, Inc., in its collaboration with Zai Lab to support the development and commercialization of omadacycline for patients in China.
- Represented Schneider Electric in settling the largest intellectual property case in China through appeals, negotiations and drafting of the settlement agreement.
- Represented Allorion Therapeutics in a global licensing agreement with Avenzo Therapeutics to develop and commercialize Allorion's AVZO-021, a cyclin-dependent kinase 2 selective inhibitor globally, excluding Greater China. The therapy is in a phase 1 trial in patients with a certain type of breast cancer and other solid tumors.
- Represented a U.S. biopharmaceutical company in structuring and developing a joint venture with a Chinese party to develop and commercialize a biologic asset in China, and in drafting and negotiating the definitive agreements, including the out-license and collaboration agreement.
- Represented various U.S. and European pharmaceutical companies in collaborations with academic institution, as well as in various in-licenses and out-licenses, promotional agreements, distribution agreements and sourcing agreements. Also represented such companies in relationships in China, establishing research outsourcing relationships and agreements in China, and registering technology licenses to facilitate the transfer of royalty fees out of China.
- Represented a U.S. pharmaceutical company in out-licensing a late-stage asset to a collaboration partner for development and commercialization in China.
- Represented a U.S. clothing corporation in the negotiation of a collaboration with a large Chinese clothing company to co-develop the China market and expand sales of our client’s products in China.
- Represented global pharmaceutical companies in addressing generic and biosimilar competitors in China through use of regulatory protections; assessing the strength of the clients’ patent portfolios; developing and executing strategies to prove patent infringement, including developing and utilizing analytical testing methodologies; defending several patents from invalidation actions; monitoring and applying to invalidate competitors’ patents; and strengthening their Chinese patent portfolios.
- Represented two private equity firms in their take privates of two technology-focused companies. Assisted the clients with diligence issues and drafting and negotiating the IP related representations, covenants and closing conditions in the acquisition agreements.
- Represented a global life sciences company in acquiring a group of Chinese medical device companies by conducting IP due diligence, patent advisement and freedom to operate assessments, and providing risk management advice.
- Represented an international chemical company in structuring their agreements between its IP holding entity and their China entities to share their cost and benefits and with recording those agreements to effectuate foreign exchange and payments out of China.
- Represented various companies, including a Danish pharmaceutical company, in best practices for technology transfers, perfecting title to intellectual property generated by employees and by collaborators, methods for protecting out-licensed intellectual property and minimizing knowledge leakage or theft, and in performing freedom to operate analyses in China.
- Represented a multinational chemical company in assessing its patent portfolio, preparing and gathering evidence, perfecting jurisdiction, initiating litigation in Shanghai on a chemical process patent, and defending its patents against patent invalidation actions.
- Represented various clean technology corporations in industries such as biofuel, biogas, and wind energy in bringing their technology to Asia through collaboration and protecting their intellectual property from infringement.
- Represented an international consumer electronics company in developing a China patent licensing campaign.
- Represented an international medical device company in successfully enforcing several patents and litigation in China.