Sheng Rong specialises in commercial litigation and arbitration, with a focus on intellectual property and technology law.

He has acted in litigation before the Singapore Court of Appeal, the Singapore International Commercial Court and the Singapore High Court, as well as in arbitrations under the rules of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

He appeared before the Singapore Court of Appeal in I-Admin (Singapore) Pte Ltd v Hong Ying Ting and others [2020] SGCA 32, which was named Impact Deal of the Year at the Managing IP Asia-Pacific Awards 2021.

Most recently, Sheng Rong was featured as one of Asia’s Super 50 Disputes Lawyers by Asian Legal Business (ALB) 2023.

Prior to joining the firm, Sheng Rong was a Deputy Public Prosecutor at the Attorney-General’s Chambers, where he was a founding member of the Technology Crime Unit, specialising in prosecutions and investigations in technology and cyber crime, and other forms of white-collar commercial crime.

He was the winner of the Christopher Bathurst Prize 2011, organised by Fountain Court Chambers in London, UK. He was also the first runner-up in the ECC-SAL International Mooting Competition 2013, organised by Essex Court Chambers in London, UK.

Sheng Rong was selected for the prestigious NYU-NUS LLB-LLM concurrent degree programme, and graduated on the Overall Dean’s List.

Notable Cases & Transactions

Technology and Intellectual Property

• Acting for a Chinese Internet technology company against a US video game developer before the Singapore International Commercial Court in claims for breach of copyright and passing off in a global eSports video game franchise, as part of a series of cross-jurisdictional actions spanning Singapore, the UK, Germany and Brazil
• Acted for a multinational technology company before the Singapore Court of Appeal in claims against ex-employees for theft of intellectual property and misuse of confidential materials (I-Admin (Singapore) Pte Ltd v Hong Ying Ting and others [2020] SGCA 32)
• Acted for a professional body before the Singapore High Court in relation to claims by a technology company for anti-competitive behaviour, conspiracy and unlawful interference with trade (StreetSine Singapore Pte Ltd v Singapore Institute of Surveyors and Valuers and others [2019] SGHCR 1)
• Advised senior-level executives in relation to claims by a global technology and manufacturing company for the recovery of confidential information and trade secrets
• Advised cryptocurrency investors in relation to tracing and asset recovery of cryptocurrency tokens held in offshore wallets
• Advised cryptocurrency investors on regulatory and contractual parameters governing the recoverability of profits realised from trading on cryptocurrency exchanges

Shareholder and Joint Venture Disputes

• Acting for an Australian public-listed company in the first-ever case before the Singapore International Commercial Court in relation to a failed joint venture with an Indonesian public-listed company to construct and operate a coal upgrading plant, with over S$1 billion in dispute (BCBC Singapore Pte Ltd and another v PT Bayan Resources TBK and another [2022] SGHC(I) 2)
• Acting for the Chairman of an Indian public-listed company before the Singapore High Court in claims relating to a joint venture with a Singaporean public-listed company to set up and develop an education business in India
• Acted for a BVI investment company in SIAC arbitration in claims relating to a shareholders’ dispute with a Malaysian company over a Vietnamese manufacturing company

Breaches of Directors’ and Employment Duties

• Acted for ex-employees before the Singapore Court of Appeal in claims by an international travel services company for breaches of directors’ and employment duties and non-competition clauses
• Acting for an international shipping company before the Singapore High Court in claims against ex-directors for breaches of directors’ duties
• Acted for an international group of coal mining companies headquartered in India before the Singapore High Court in claims against ex-employees for fraud and conspiracy to divert profits and business opportunities
• Acted for an international group of energy resources companies before the Singapore High Court in claims against ex-employees for breaches of director and employment duties

Shipping, Commodities, Energy and Resources

• Acting for a prominent bunker supplier before the Singapore High Court in claims for the recovery of loans extended for the purpose of wrongful and speculative trading by rogue ex-directors
• Acted for an international shipping company before the Singapore High Court in claims against trade brokers for breaches of fiduciary and contractual duties (Commodities Intelligence Centre Pte Ltd v Mako International Trd Pte Ltd and others [2022] SGHC 131)
• Acted for an Indian energy resources company before the Singapore High Court in claims for the supply of coal to a power plant in India
• Acted for a global energy resources company in relation to investigations by the Commercial Affairs Department into a fraudulent conspiracy by employees to divert and misappropriate secret profits

Equity and Trusts 

• Acted for Serbian manufacturing companies before the Court of Appeal in claims by a Panama investment company to garnish monies held on trust for a Yugoslav state-owned entity (The State-Owned Company Yugoimport SDPR (also known as Jugoimport-SDPR) v Westacre Investments Inc [2016] SGCA 51)
• Acting for the trustees of a Muslim charitable trust (wakaf) in proceedings before a statutory body, the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS), in relation to a rogue trustee’s mismanagement of trust affairs and breach of trust
• Acted for the trustees of a Muslim charitable trust (wakaf) before the Singapore Court of Appeal in relation to the rights of MUIS over the wakaf

Financial services

• Acting for a global private bank before the High Court in claims by the Singapore authorities and foreign individuals over assets held in bank accounts
• Acted for various global private banks before the Singapore High Court in claims against high net worth individuals for losses sustained through margin trading

Other notable experience 

• Acted for a regional materials supplier before the Singapore Court of Appeal in claims by an international construction company under a supply contract which was frustrated by the 2007 Indonesian sand ban (Alliance Concrete Singapore Pte Ltd v Sato Kogyo (S) Pte Ltd [2014] SGCA 35)
• Acted in litigation before the Singapore High Court in professional negligence claims pertaining to failed property investments in South America
• Advising a global luxury brand in relation to investigations by foreign authorities pertaining to customs and tax regulations for the import and sale of consumer goods

Memberships/Directorships

• Advocacy Trainer, Law Society of Singapore

Publications

• Contributor, Chapter on “Role of Court”, Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, ed., Arbitration in Singapore: A Practical Guide (Sweet & Maxwell) (2nd ed., 2018; 1st ed., 2014)