Maurice Cheong

Maurice Cheong is a Partner in the Intellectual Property and Technology & Media departments at Lee & Lee in Singapore. His practice focuses on Intellectual Property Law, handling both contentious and non-contentious matters, and he has built a distinguished legal practice since 1998.

Maurice is a seasoned expert in intellectual property law. He has successfully represented clients in trade mark, copyright and patent disputes in the High Court. His work includes advising on IP transactions, technology development and transfers, licensing agreements, and IP management strategies to safeguard and commercialise valuable intellectual assets.

He also provides legal guidance on media and advertising regulations, broadcasting rights, content licensing and online defamation issues. He has advised statutory boards and media corporations on significant transactions, including film production, screen festivals and event acquisitions, and has offered counsel to the government on the Code of Practice for Market Conduct in Media Services. In the area of technology law, Maurice advises on contracts and manages disputes related to technology development and services, data centers, e-commerce, cloud computing, and compliance with personal data cybersecurity regulations.

Maurice is highly sought after by government agencies and statutory boards, representing them in commercial contracts, intellectual property enforcement, regulatory compliance, grant-related disputes, judicial review matters and disciplinary proceedings. He has advised and represented organisations including the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation, Infocomm Media Development Authority, Government Technology Agency, Enterprise Singapore, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, Land Transport Authority, Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, National Arts Council, National Heritage Board, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Health Promotion Board, SkillsFuture Singapore Agency, National Parks Board, Workforce Singapore Agency, Professional Engineers Board and Singapore Food Agency.

His recent High Court cases include representing a statutory board in High Court Originating Claim No. 859 of 2023 concerning a breach of a grant agreement with a claim amounting to $6 million; successfully representing a statutory board in High Court Suit No. 718 of 2021 to recover a grant clawback of $700,000 and defending against a wrongful termination claim totalling $1.4 million; and representing a major toy manufacturer in a copyright claim against a seller of counterfeit products in High Court Suit No. 193 of 2018.

A long-standing panel lawyer for the UK Medical Protection Society since 2001, Maurice represents medical professionals in civil and disciplinary proceedings and advises on medical ethics, professional conduct and regulatory compliance. He graduated with an LL.B. from the University of London in 1995, completed the England Bar Final Examinations with Merit and was admitted as a Barrister-at-Law of England and Wales (Middle Temple) in 1996. In 1998, he was admitted as an Advocate and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore, and in 2003 he earned an LL.M. from the National University of Singapore, achieving distinctions in Medical & Biomedical Law and Ethics as well as Marine Insurance Law.

His professional appointments include Honorary Legal Advisor to the College of Family Physicians Singapore (since 2014), Member of the Medico-Legal Society of Singapore, Member of the Law Society of Singapore's Inquiry Panel (since 2016), Chairman of Inquiry Committees (2019–2024), Member of the Continuing Professional Development Compliance Committee at the Singapore Institute of Legal Education (since 2021), and Consultant at the Intellectual Property Legal & Business Clinic, Intellectual Property Office of Singapore.