Wongrat Ratanaprayul

Partner, Intellectual Property

Qualifications

  • JD, University of Connecticut School of Law
  • Master of Biotechnology, University of Pennsylvania
  • BSc, State University of New York at Stony Brook

Wongrat Ratanaprayul is a partner in Tilleke & Gibbins’ intellectual property group, as well as co-head of the firm’s regional life sciences practice. She is recognised as a leading practitioner by IAM Patent 1000 and WTR 1000, and in 2023 she was named to Managing Intellectual Property’s list of the Top 250 Women in IP globally. She advises clients on all aspects of IP prosecution in multiple jurisdictions throughout Southeast Asia, to ensure efficient and effective IP portfolio management. Wongrat’s practice benefits from her exceptional breadth of expertise and her international reach.

Wongrat is a particularly adept patent practitioner, and is much sought-after in highly technical fields including biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, automotive, electronics, and computer-related technology. She regularly interviews inventors to derive information pertinent to drafting patent applications in life sciences and consumer products; provides opinions on freedom-to-operate analyses; routinely conducts patent and design searches; and provides clients with clear and practical patent portfolio management strategies to protect their interests.
Wongrat also oversees the firm’s regulatory affairs practice, serving clients in pharmaceuticals, food, cosmetics, and related industries with respect to product registration and compliance. In addition, she supervises the preparation of trademark applications, registrations, and renewals, and coordinates enforcement strategies to protect brand owners’ interests.

Prior to attending law school, Wongrat worked at Keck Graduate Institute, where she focused her research on proteomics. During her graduate study in biotechnology, she specialized in bioinformatics and annotated mouse genes present on pancreas cDNA.

Wongrat is admitted to the bar in Connecticut and Massachusetts and is qualified as a Thai patent agent.

  • Advised a subsidiary of Thailand’s largest oil and gas company on its multi-jurisdictional patent portfolio in the field of catalysts, across several countries in Asia, Europe, and the United States. The legal services provided included pre-filing strategy, claims reviews, and patent portfolio audits.
  • Retained to advise one of the world’s largest chemical manufacturers on the management of their entire patent portfolio in Indonesia, from registration to enforcement.
  • Advising on Indonesia international cooperation schemes, such as the ASEAN Post Examination Cooperation (ASPEC) system, introduced in 2017, and the Japan Patent Office/Directorate of Intellectual Property Rights Patent Prosecution Highway.
  • Advising an international confectionary manufacturer on their regulatory and labeling requirements.
  • Advising a major global automotive industry client on drafting their unusually technical suite of patent applications in Indonesia.
  • Advised on a portfolio of over 1,500 industrial designs, copyrights, and trademarks for a global jewelry designer and manufacturer.

The Legal 500 Asia Pacific
Intellectual Property 2024 – Leading Individual

Asialaw Leading Lawyers
Intellectual Property 2024 – Distinguished Practitioner for 5 consecutive years

IAM Patent 1000
Intellectual Property 2024 – Highly Recommended

Managing Intellectual Property
Intellectual Property 2023 – IP Star for 3 consecutive years
Intellectual Property 2023 – Top 250 Women in IP

WTR 1000
Trademarks: Prosecution & Strategy 2024 – Silver Band for 3 consecutive years
Trademarks: Enforcement & Litigation 2024 – Silver Band
Trademarks: Licensing & Transactions 2024 - Recommended