Mr M. Ravindran graduated from the National University of Singapore and was called to the Singapore Bar in 1988. He also graduated from the South-East Asian Patent Drafting programme conducted by the Fédération Internationale des Conseils en Propriété Industrielle (FICPI). He has been a registered patent agent since the inception of the patent agents register in Singapore in 2002. Ravi founded the firm in 1993.

Ravi has written a book on Singapore trade mark law published by LexisNexis entitled “Trade Mark Act – A Commentary”. The book has been cited as an authority by the Singapore courts in several cases and is now in its second edition. He is also the author of the Trade Marks chapter of Halsbury’s Laws of Singapore.

Since his call, Ravi has advised local and international clients on their IP filing, commercialisation and enforcement strategy in Singapore and the region. In this area of the law, he has applied for injunctions, conducted High Court and State Court trials and submitted on points of law before the Court of Appeal, the highest court in Singapore. Some notable cases which he has led are:

1. Dien Ghin Electronic (S) Pte Ltd v Khek Tai Ting [2011] 3 SLR 227 – One of the few patent infringement cases that went to trial in Singapore.   It was successfully argued that there was no infringement as the offending act fell outside the scope of the patent.  Furthermore, the court also agreed that the patent was invalid on a number of grounds
2. Sarika Connoisseur Cafe Pte Ltd v Ferrero SpA [2013] 1 SLR 531  – This the first case in which it was successfully argued at both the High Court and the Court of Appeal that there was dilution of a famous trade mark.  Besides this cause of action, the plaintiff also succeeded in trademark infringement and passing-off.
3. Novell, Inc v Ong Seow Pheng [1993] 3 SLR(R) 56 – This is the first copyright case in Singapore in which the High Court allowed an inquiry for additional i.e. punitive damages on the basis that there was a calculated disregard of the Plaintiff’s rights.  In this case, a Mareva injunction and an Anton Piller order was also applied for and granted.  In the related criminal prosecution, the infringer was further sentenced to a term of imprisonment for offences under the Copyright Act.
4. Wing Joo Loong Ginseng Hong (Singapore) Co Pte Ltd v Qinghai Xinyuan Foreign Trade Co Ltd [2009] 2 SLR 814 – Both the High Court and the Court of Appeal upheld the registration of a historic mainland Chinese trade mark which was attacked on many grounds including non-distinctiveness, bad faith and non-use.  It was also successfully argued that a claim for copyright in the logo should be allowed to proceed to criminal prosecution.  This case was also reported in the UK Fleet Street Report.
5. Nation Fittings (M) Sdn Bhd v Oystertec plc [2006] 1 SLR 712 – A groundless threat action was successfully brought to court on the basis that there was no infringement and, furthermore, the registrations were invalid.  For the first time, the Singapore High Court examined in depth the issue of 3-dimensional trademarks.   This case was also reported in the UK Fleet Street Report.
6. Sebel Furniture Ltd v Tiong Hin Engineering Pte Ltd [1999] 2 SLR 662 – A design infringement case in which the plaintiff attacked the registered design.  The court agreed that the registered design was valid.

Ravi has chaired the Singapore Law Society’s committee on trademarks and was also a member of the International Trade Mark Associations (INTA) Anti-counterfeiting Committee for Asia- Pacific. Besides speaking at international and local conferences, Ravi has also lobbied the Singapore Government and regional law enforcement agencies on intellectual property law matters on behalf of his clients.

Beyond IP work, Ravi has been appointed commissioner for oaths and notary public in 2004 and 2012 respectively by the Singapore Academy of Law. He also does pro-bono work under the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme of the Law Society by representing persons accused of offences in Singapore.

Ravi has been appointed to the IPOS panel of IP Adjudicators with effect from 1 April 2022 for a term of two years. As an IP Adjudicator, Ravi will hear and decide on inter partes disputes at the Registry including opposition and invalidation proceedings.