Benjamin is an experienced professional with over two decades of experience in advising clients on legal matters related to technology, intellectual property, and data protection.
Throughout his career, he has successfully served clients across a wide range of industries including IT, media, hospitality, telecommunications, semiconductor, life sciences, financial services, and insurance. Benjamin is accredited by the Singapore Academy of Law as a Senior Accredited Specialist (Data & Digital Economy), recognising his expertise and experience in this specialised area of law. He is also routinely recognised and ranked by Chambers & Partners, The Legal 500, Lexology (previously Who’s Who Legal) and China Business Law Journal for his expertise in TMT, IP, data and franchising work.
Within the technology sector, Benjamin’s expertise extends to cross-border joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, and technology outsourcing deals. He possesses a deep understanding of legal issues surrounding emerging technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI), enabling him to lead negotiations in these transactions effectively. Benjamin’s knowledge of the latest technological trends allows him to offer comprehensive and informed advice on cutting-edge technology deals.
In the realm of intangible assets / intellectual property, Benjamin brings extensive experience in technology and intellectual property licensing, joint ventures, and development projects involving substantial intangible assets. He also assists clients in managing their trademark portfolios and represents them in intellectual property enforcement matters. Moreover, Benjamin has a strong background in data protection and cybersecurity, having advised and conducted comprehensive data protection compliance activities for clients from a wide range of industries.
Benjamin’s proficiency in both English and Mandarin (Putonghua), combined with his deep understanding of the Chinese market and ability to bridge cultural and legal gaps, has enabled him to establish a substantial client base of Chinese technology companies seeking expansion into Southeast Asia. Benjamin is able to leverage his extensive knowledge of both the Chinese market and the legal landscape of Southeast Asian countries to assist these companies in establishing operations and ensuring compliance with local laws and regulations in the region. His deep expertise gained him a recognition as a “Growth Driver” for China Practice (Foreign Lawyer) in Chinese Business Law Journal’s A-List.
With his vast knowledge and practical approach, Benjamin serves as a trusted advisor to his clients. He provides strategic guidance and delivers tailored solutions to address their complex legal needs in the data and digital economy.
EXPERIENCE
Technology
- Advised several international social media, technology and gaming companies in the establishment of their global / regional headquarters in Singapore and regional and global expansion, including providing retainer services on regulatory and compliance, incorporation issues, corporate structuring, intellectual property transfer and portfolio management, data protection and cross-border data transfer and employment matters on an ongoing basis.
- Acted for a Singapore bank in its joint venture with J.P. Morgan and Temasek to develop a common and open industry platform for payments, trade and foreign exchange settlement through the use of blockchain solutions.
- Advised Avaloq Evolution AG, an industry-leading provider of wealth management technology and services for financial institutions, on implementing large-scale IT outsourcing services across multiple jurisdictions. The scope of IT outsourcing services of this project is one of the first of its kind in Singapore in the financial sector.
- Acted for the owner, designer, builder and operator of the passive fibre network structure of Singapore’s Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network in its negotiations with a IT implementation company to deliver a next-generation business and operations support system (B/OSS).
- Advised marketing agency SpoonX on establishing its operations in Singapore and legal and regulatory risks in relation to media, advertising and internet content regulation across Southeast Asia and drafted various agreements relating to their business in Singapore, including service agreements with clients and social media influencers.
Intangible Assets / Intellectual Property
- Acted for a listed Chinese company on the acquisition of the worldwide intellectual property and distribution rights (ex-Europe) of a European clothing brand.
- Advised a Chinese state-owned enterprise as Singapore counsel on the Singapore law aspects of various agreements with Warner Brothers for the license of the rights in the Harry Potter character for use in the Universal Studios Theme Park in Beijing which the client is in partnership with Universal Parks & Resorts to plan, construct and operate the Theme Park in Beijing, PRC. The agreements relate to various legal issues including the license of intellectual property, technology, trade secrets and know-how.
- Acted for a South Korean e-commerce giant in the acquisition of the software of Hooq Digital, the Southeast Asian video streaming service owned by Singapore Telecommunications (Singtel).
- Advised a Singapore-based tech startup and creator on various legal and regulatory issues in Southeast Asia concerning its virtual avatar social app (where users can chat and interact with each other on this social media platform via its meta-universe environment).
- Advised various companies on the management of their global intellectual property portfolios (including prosecution and enforcement).
Data Protection / Cybersecurity
- Provided outsourced Data Protection Officer (DPO) services to various clients, including assisting with data protection compliance, drafting and review of data protection and data breach management polices, implementation of data protection procedures and data protection training to staff.
- Acted for a major e-commerce operator with respect to a large-scale data breach involving more than a million users, including assisting with data breach reporting, forensics investigations (with cybersecurity professionals) and investigations by the regulator and communications with customers and the media.
- Acted for Midea Electric in its application for certification under the APEC Cross-Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) system for its smart electronic products. Involvement included the drafting and review of the clients’ policies, submissions to the assessment body, participation in audits (both virtually and physically) and advising on various legal and regulatory issues.
- Acted for various European companies with Data Transfer Impact Assessments used for the purposes of transferring personal data from the EU to Singapore.
Telecommunications/ Data Centres / Cloud Computing
- Acted in relation to a joint venture consortium between two telecommunications companies which was allocated spectrum rights to develop, deploy and operate a 5G mobile network in Singapore.
- Advised a NASDAQ-listed developer and operator of data centres in China and Southeast Asia, on setting up a data centre business in Singapore and the region, including advising the client on the regulatory requirements / restrictions in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia pertaining to the investment, development and operation of data centres providing colocation and telecom connectivity services by foreign investors.
- Acted for a Chinese owner, investor and operator of a submarine cable project which was designed to facilitate data transmission between Asia, Europe and Africa on its successful application for a Facilities Based Operator License from the Info-Comm Media Development Authority of Singapore (IMDA) and business operations in Singapore.
- Acted for various data centre companies and telecommunications and cloud services providers with the drafting and review of their data centre services agreements, co-location agreements, GPU-as-a-service (GPUaaS) agreements, Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) agreements and Platform-as-a-service (PaaS) agreements.
Media & Entertainment
- Advised an Indonesian local promoter on a Local Promoter Rights and Responsibility Agreement for the organisation and promotion of the “The 38th Golden Disc Awards In Jakarta” (an annual South Korean major music awards ceremony that honours achievements in the K-Pop industry) in 2024.
- Advised an Abu Dhabi Government-related entity responsible for the development of the tourism infrastructure in Abu Dhabi in a licensing arrangement with a Japanese art collective to utilise their intellectual property in the “teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi” museum.
- Advised a Singapore company on the financing, production and distribution of the sci-fi movie “Bashira” (released in 2021), which was directed by Nickson Fong, a Singaporean computer graphics artist and the first Singaporean to receive an Academy Award.
- Advised a Singapore anime company on a license agreement for Anime IP Rights for the purposes of tokenisation of Anime content for commercialisation on a blockchain platform.
- Acted for Singapore Sports Hub on drafting of Venue Hiring, Event Sponsorship, Equipment Rental, Merchandise, Professional Services and Ticket Sales agreements and legal and licensing requirements for hosting of entertainment and sporting events.
Technology Mergers & Acquisitions
- Acted in relation to a joint venture consortium between two telecommunications companies which was allocated spectrum rights to develop, deploy and operate a 5G mobile network in Singapore.
- Acted for ZhongAn International in a joint venture with Grab for ZhongAn International to develop an insur-tech software platform which will be integrated into Grab’s platform for the offering of insurance products on Grab’s platform, including the licensing of ZhongAn International’s proprietary blockchain platform to the joint venture for this purpose.
- Acted for Synagistics on the De-SPAC transaction between Synagistics and HKAC, a special purpose acquisition company listed in Hong Kong.
- Acted for Western Union in relation to the sale of mobile wallet app Dash from Singtel to money transfer and payment giant Western Union.
MEMBERSHIPS / DIRECTORSHIPS
- Member, Licensing Executives Society (Singapore)
- Member, Singapore Shanghai Business Association
PUBLICATIONS
- Contributor, Singapore Chapter in “Technology M&A Global Practice Guide”, published by Chambers and Partners (2022-2025)
- Co-author, “Is The Current Legal Framework In Singapore Sufficient To Protect Humans From Autonomous Vehicles?”, published by Singapore Law Review (2018-2019)
- Co-author, “Computing Devices – A comparison between desktops, notebooks, and convertibles” and “Audio and Video Conferencing”, published by Singapore Academy of Law (Feb 2018)
- Co-author, “Strengthening the Great Cyber-Wall of China – An Effort in Protecting the Masses in Cyberspace or Keeping Out the Foreigners?”, published by Bloomberg Law (Oct 2017)
- Co-author, “China’s New Anti-Terrorism Law: Implications for Firms Dealing with Data in China”, published by Bloomberg (Feb 2016)
