Despite increasing integration in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA) in southeastern China, lawyers in the region say that it is still important to register intellectual property separately in Macau. 

Domingos Ng, an associate IP executive at C&C Lawyers and Notaries and IPSOL Macau Intellectual Property Agency, writing in a newsletter published by AIPPI, the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property, notes that the three regions have established a cross-border IP cooperation mechanism aimed at promoting IP protection and circulation through coordinated and unified policies.  

“Undoubtedly, this mechanism has provided convenience for enterprises and creators in the GBA to protect their IP, reducing the cost of cross-border protection and improving efficiency,” he says. “However, even with the cross-border cooperation mechanism in place, we still need to consider the necessity of registering IP separately in Macau.” 

Ng notes that Macau, Hong Kong and China all have IP laws that differ from each other. “For example, in terms of trademark protection, Macau’s laws have unique regulations regarding registration requirements, scope of protection and infringement determination.” Additionally, he notes, there are limitations to cross-border IP cooperation, such as the longer time requirements and higher costs of using a system that relies on different legal systems and judicial jurisdictions. 

Moreover, Macau has what Ng calls a unique market environment and consumer group. “Many enterprises, especially those related to tourism, gaming and high-end services, view Macau as an important market entry point. Registering IP separately in Macau can not only better protect one’s brand and innovative achievements but also effectively leverage Macau’s market characteristics to expand business opportunities,” Ng says. 

Macau has a number of well-respected full-service law firms and a growing cadre of IP and gaming specialists. Ten different firms are represented on this year’s list of Macau’s IP Experts. 

Macau’s IP regime does have some interesting quirks, lawyers at MdME Lawyers note in “10 things you probably do not know about IP in Macau,” published on their website. Trademarks are published before examination, for example, and use of a trademark for less than six months can support a priority claim.  

Despite having its own patent registration system, Macau does not have a local examination office, due, the MdME lawyers say, to the relatively low number of patent application that are filed in Macau. Instead, there’s a protocol in place with China’s National Intellectual Property Adminstration (CNIPA) to conduct examination of Macau patents in mainland China by experienced professionals.  

And, perhaps not surprisingly, patents relating to gaming can be protected in Macau. As a special administrative region of China, the firm notes, Macau is relatively autonomous, and the only jurisdiction in China where gambling is allowed. “Mainland China-based examiners are sometimes called to examine such subject matter despite not being allowed registration in China,” they say. 

MdME Lawyers landed three lawyers on our 2025 IP Experts list: João Encarnação, David S. Lopes and Carlos D. Simões.  

Two different firms landed two lawyers each on our list: Manuela António Lawyers and Notaries (Tiago Assunção and Daniel da Silva e Melo) and RPmacau Intellectual Property Services (Alice Leong and Luís Reigadas). In total, 11 different firms placed lawyers on the list, showing that despite its small size, the Macau legal market brings a breadth of expertise to IP owners in the region. 

Most of the lawyers named to our list have multiple practice specialties. Many of them are litigators, while others concentrate on prosecution work or provide strategic advice.  

All of them have something in common: they are experts in their fields and, in one way or another, they provide extra value for their clients. They are Asia IP’s Macau IP Experts. – GREGORY GLASS 

Macau’s IP Experts is based solely on independent editorial research conducted by Asia IP. As part of this project, we turned to in-house counsel in Macau, Asia and elsewhere and around the world, as well as China-focused partners at international law firms, and asked them to nominate private-practice lawyers including foreign legal consultants, advisers and counsel.  

The final list reflects the nominations received combined with the input of the editorial team at Asia IP, which has more than 50 years of collective experience in researching and understanding Macau’s legal market. 

All private practice intellectual property lawyers in Macau were eligible for inclusion in the nominations process; there were no fees or any other requirements for inclusion in the process. 

The names of our 15 IP Experts are published here. Each IP Expert was given the opportunity to include their biography and contact details in print and on our website, for which a fee was charged.