• LLB (Hon) National University of Singapore
  LLM (Computer and Communications Law) University of London
  Advocate and Solicitor, Singapore

Steve says
"Legal advice should not be given in a silo. It should be incisive, grounded, cost effective and of commercial value to the client."^

Steve’s practice is in the areas of non-contentious and contentious Information Technology, Intellectual Property, and Digital Media / Entertainment law. He has been recognized as a leading lawyer for media and telecommunications in the PLC Cross-border Media and Communications Handbook 2009/10.

Steve is frequently invited to share his insights on IT / IP / Entertainment law and developments, at speaking engagements.

Experience

Steve has advised extensively on a broad spectrum of technology related matters.  His clients include those from the IT, film and/or computer game industries.

Steve’s insights and experience are heightened by his combined exposure as a practising lawyer and as in-house counsel in commercial companies. In terms of his in-house experience Steve was legal counsel in Fraser & Neave. He was later head-hunted as sole legal counsel for a Singapore Technologies company with businesses in IT and digital media, and subsequently headed the legal team.

Steve is very much involved in intellectual property and information technology related work, having dealt with a broad spectrum of non-contentious work dealing with IT outsourcing, IT tenders, software development & ASP related arrangements, software licensing, music licensing, trademark registration, to name a few, as well as contentious work such as complex IT disputes involving software development to intellectual property infringement (he has participated in raids on and prosecuted copyright infringers).

Steve is equally engaged in digital media / entertainment related work. Steve is one of only a handful of local lawyers involved in such work.  He has advised clients on animated film/TV productions, such as ‘Ten Commandments’ and the ‘Future is Wild’, and on other feature film productions. His advice has been sought on reality TV series productions, co-production and investment agreements in film production, film financing, production and/or distribution. He has also provided clients with advice on computer game development, publishing and/or distribution deals, whether for the mobile, PC, handheld or online platforms or otherwise.

Steve has travelled and / or been involved in various transnational transactions/matters with countries such as Kazakhstan, Australia, USA, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, People’s Republic of China, New Zealand, Canada, UK, Nigeria.

Notable Cases & Transactions

• Advised a foreign multi-national conglomerate with subsidiaries in a multitude of end markets throughout the world on outsourcing of IT services.
• Advised on and drafted the agreement(s) for an IT project for a global MNC headquartered in France, to be entered into with a PRC company.
• Advised on and drafted the agreements for an IT project for a large scale listed Singapore company, to be entered into with a French company.
• Drafted and negotiated various IT and project related agreements for a large scale Singapore listed company’s IT project in Kazakhstan.
• Acted for a Film production/investment company in various deals including film rights buyback, investment (media fund).
• Advised the producers of a Hollywood action blockbuster sequel.
• Advised an international film group on the setting up of a multi-million dollar film fund in Singapore.
• Drafted, reviewed and negotiated various digital media related agreements such as co-production agreements, investment agreements and related agreements for ST Electronics (Training & Simulation Systems) Pte Ltd’s digital media business including the Ten Commandments animated movie. The Ten Commandments was screened in more than 500 cinemas in the USA in October 2007 and opened theatrically in Singapore on 6 December 2007.
• Advised ST Electronics (Training & Simulation Systems) Pte Ltd’s on its co-production deal (including ancillary documentation) for the ‘Future is Wild’ 3D animated television series.
• Advising a foreign education institution in the digital media industry on setting up a school in Singapore.
• Acted for AIPRO (the Association of Independent Television Production Companies (Singapore)) in an industry related deal.
  Instrumental in arranging for the firm to be the appointed law firm for Asia Factual Forum 2007 (a forum bringing together various key TV/production factual programming players).
• Acted for a significant computer games company in Singapore on its various game publishing/distribution deals, game development deals for various platforms including PC, mobile, Nintendo DS, online; and advising the same on strategies relating to registration of trademarks including for the games developed.
• Acted in various operational deals for a regional computer game company.
• Acted for a foreign Bank in arbitration proceedings in Singapore against a foreign software developer in a dispute arising out of a software development and implementation contract for a core banking application software.
• Acted for a major global US financial entity against a software company relating to a dispute arising from a software licence agreement.
• Acted for a foreign telecommunications company in court proceedings in Singapore against a company and an individual for internet / email defamation.
• Acted for one of the largest local distributors of movie video compact discs in a variety of matters relating to intellectual property issues – commencing criminal prosecution, applying for search warrants, commencing civil proceedings.

Memberships/directorships 

• Member, Law Society of Singapore 
• Member, Singapore Academy Of Law

Publications 

• Lawlines (Vol 9, Issue 3, September 2007): Animation and Games : Finding the Cauldron of Gold. 
• Lawlines (Vol 9, Issue 4, December 2007): All Abuzz about Games.