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David Mol

Senior Associate

Biography

David Mol, a senior associate in Tilleke & Gibbins’ Phnom Penh office with considerable experience handling legal matters in Cambodia, is regarded by his clients and peers as a trusted advisor for doing business in Cambodia. He assists both domestic and foreign clients on complex matters relating to intellectual property, regulatory affairs, licensing, and corporate operations in Cambodia. His clients are diverse, ranging across industries that include consumer goods, sports, energy, technology, automotive and life sciences.

David has a strong network in Cambodia among the business community and he actively engages with the government, either on behalf of his clients, or to push for legislative changes or organize training events with authorities. His network includes the top intellectual property enforcement authorities in Cambodia, as well as connections with various ministries to ensure his clients are protected and duly represented while doing business in Cambodia.

David is an accomplished lawyer in Cambodia recognized by Chambers Asia-Pacific and The Legal 500 Asia Pacific, which notes that he is “highly-rated for his work in corporate and commercial matters and other areas of expertise include life sciences, franchising and licensing matters.” World Trademark Review features David in their WTR 1000 list of leading firms and individuals, stating that he “expertly navigates the requirements of brand protection in Cambodia and beyond.” David is also recognized as a “Rising Star” in Cambodia by Asialaw and IFLR 1000.

David regularly writes and speaks on IP enforcement, consumer protection, and life sciences in Cambodia and beyond. He takes an innovate and solutions-oriented approach to tackling issues for his clients—even by pioneering new ways of operating in Cambodia if necessary.

David received a bachelor’s degree in law and a master’s degree in public international law from the University of Amsterdam.

Experience

  • Advised a healthcare services provider in Asia on its acquisition of 100% of the shares in a leading pharmaceutical and healthcare product distribution company in Cambodia, and took a leading role in the due diligence exercise, the drafting of transaction agreements, and the negotiations that brought the transaction to a successful close.
  • Regularly advises three leading beverage companies on introduction of their products into Cambodia, covering labeling issues, product registration requirements, review of distribution agreements, advertising clearance, and advice on consumer protection concerns.
  • Regularly organizes training events with government authorities on new legal developments or on our clients’ products for anticounterfeit monitoring by enforcement authorities, including customs and police.
  • Organized a landmark enforcement action for a leading automotive company against infringement of a registered industrial design, netting counterfeits valued at over USD 400,000. This was the first case in Cambodia based on an industrial design infringement, and triggered a procedural change within the government authority.
  • Providing ongoing regulatory advice on a leading retailer of sporting goods; analyzed their full collection (over 200 different types of goods) to identify labelling issues, product registration requirements, and consumer protection aspects; and continuing to advise on the import and distribution of the client’s highly regulated goods in Cambodia.
  • Represented a leading agricultural company in Asia in taking enforcement actions against a major distributor of counterfeits, leading to the seizure and destruction of goods valued to over USD 500,000 helping to secure a substantial damages award for the client.
ABOUT David

Industries

Automotive

Insurance

Life Sciences

Practices

Corporate/M&A

Customs and International Trade

Employment

Intellectual Property

Regulatory Affairs

Location

Languages

    Dutch

    English

Education

    LLM, University of Amsterdam

    LLB, University of Amsterdam

Insights

August 21, 2025
Tilleke & Gibbins is pleased to announce that the firm has adopted Harvey, a leading enterprise-grade AI platform for the global legal industry. The firm is proceeding with a rollout of Harvey’s legal AI solutions, which are supported by robust security and confidentiality protections, across the firm’s full-service regional practice in Southeast Asia. This initiative builds on the firm’s recent deployment of Microsoft Copilot and represents another advancement in Tilleke & Gibbins’ commitment to leveraging technology for enhanced legal service delivery. Under the program, legal professionals across the firm’s offices in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam will have access to the full Harvey platform, equipping them to deliver practical, impactful, and results-driven legal services for clients throughout the region. The firm will also develop bespoke agentic workflows within Harvey tailored to the firm’s core practices and the unique requirements of Southeast Asian legal markets. Commenting on the initiative, Managing Partner Tiziana Sucharitkul stated, “At Tilleke & Gibbins, we have consistently invested in developing and adopting technology to improve the speed, precision, and overall excellence of our legal services. The firm’s decision to invest in Harvey exemplifies our commitment to innovation, further differentiating Tilleke & Gibbins within Southeast Asia’s legal landscape.” Managing Partner Darani Vachanavuttivong remarked, “By combining the deep regional expertise of our lawyers with Harvey’s market-leading domain-specific AI, we are empowering our regional team to streamline drafting, research, and review processes for complex legal matters, all while maintaining the high standards of quality and security our clients expect from us.” Harvey’s Chief Business Officer John Haddock added, “It’s clear Tilleke & Gibbins is investing heavily in innovation, and it’s clear their global clients will benefit significantly from their focus and investment. The Harvey team is thrilled to support the firm’s journey with our platform.”
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July 14, 2025
Life sciences specialists from Tilleke & Gibbins have updated the firm’s guide to pharmaceutical data exclusivity regulations and practices in Southeast Asia. This guide contains quick-reference information on the availability of data exclusivity protections and limitations in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Developing and launching a new drug on a commercial scale requires an enormous amount of time and investment in research and development (R&D), including pre-clinical testing and clinical trials. When considering the aggregate amount of drug development costs, it is important to recognize that this includes not only the investment in developing new drugs that get approved by a government food and drug regulator and are successfully brought to market, but also the R&D expenditures on a large number of potential pharmaceutical compounds and products that never actually make it to market. In particular, considerable investment is required in order to conduct and produce clinical trial data—to prove safety, efficacy and effectiveness of a new drug—that would warrant marketing approval by the regulatory authority. Such data is proprietary in nature and highly valuable for a research-based pharmaceutical company that develops an original drug. On the other hand, patent law typically confers generic drug manufacturers with the ability to engage in various preparatory activities with a view to obtaining marketing approval for a generic product before the patent for the original drug expires (commonly known as a “Bolar provision”). Since a generic drug maker may submit an application for marketing approval of a generic product before the relevant patent expires, the extent to which the drug originator’s data submitted to the regulatory authority is protected—or in other words, the extent to which the generic company may rely on the drug originator’s previously filed data, which underpins the safety and efficacy of the drug, to support
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September 9, 2024
The popularity of the franchise business model has been growing rapidly in Southeast Asia in recent years, with some of the world’s top brands becoming common sights in the commercial districts and shopping malls of major regional cities in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. While for most countries in this part of the world, franchising has not been explicitly mentioned in legislation, well prepared franchise business operations can comfortably adapt to each country’s regulatory framework, and the growth is poised to continue even as the global retail sector redesigns and redoubles its efforts in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. In fact, the franchise business model, which is both global and hyper-local at once, is one of the most promising solutions that entrepreneurs are turning to in their quest to overcome the challenges of the new economic reality. The Regional Guide to Franchising Law in Southeast Asia provides key, up-to-date insights into the legal frameworks regulating franchise operations in these Southeast Asian countries, and helps brand owners understand the most relevant laws, authorities, and procedures for their business. Some of the essential topics covered for each jurisdiction include considerations in negotiating and designing franchise agreements, protecting intellectual property rights, and important information on judicial and arbitral procedures should a dispute arise between franchisor and franchisee. Practitioners from Tilleke & Gibbins’ offices in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam contributed to guide—not only by providing legal expertise on the laws and mechanisms applicable in each jurisdiction, but also by examining strategies for establishing and running resilient franchise operations in Southeast Asia. The full guide can be accessed as a PDF through the button below.
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February 5, 2024
On January 9, 2024, Cambodia’s Ministry of Information (MOI) issued an official notification letter reminding the alcohol and advertising industries of past directives, instructions, and the MOI’s Code of Conduct surrounding alcohol advertising. The step comes as the MOI reports that they are seeing increased noncompliance in this area of advertising. In addition, several recent high-profile traffic accidents that involved drunk driving are likely serving as a trigger for the government to review its alcohol-related policies, including on advertising. Alcohol Advertising Rules and Limits The notification letter reminds the industry that there are limits to alcohol advertising, including: Advertising alcohol alongside potential prizes or undertaking “other activities that motivate, encourage, or entice people to overindulge on alcohol”; and Using women or minors to advertise alcohol. Furthermore, all alcohol advertising must also include the phrase “Don’t Drink and Drive” or “Drink Responsibly.” The notification letter explains that media outlets failing to comply with the instructions may be subject to penalties. Although the penalties are not clearly identified in reference to a specific law or regulation, it is possible that actions could include the consequences outlined under the agreement between each media outlet and the MOI, with potential suspension of the media license being an option in case of persistent noncompliance. However, this rather strong enforcement tool would only affect the media outlet that carries out the advertising rather than the alcohol producer that instigated the advertising. Penalties for the alcohol industry are not immediately clear, although it may be that the possible suspension or taking down of noncompliant advertising is considered a sufficient penalty for the time being. Past MOI Circulars and Letters The notification letter further reminds the industry to follow Circular No. 492 on Alcohol Advertisement (2014). It also references two notifications (Nos. 1134 and 1294) on the
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Awards & Rankings

June 11, 2026
A total of 11 Tilleke & Gibbins intellectual property practitioners have been recognized in World Trademark Review‘s WTR Global Leaders 2026, an exclusive ranking of the world’s top trademark professionals. This marks an increase from eight practitioners in 2025 and highlights the strength and depth of the firm’s IP team across Southeast Asia. The firm’s recognized practitioners are: Cambodia David Mol Sokmean Chea Indonesia Wongrat Ratanaprayul (New ranking) Myanmar Yuwadee Thean-ngarm Thailand Alan Adcock Darani Vachanavuttivong Somboon Earterasarun Suebsiri Taweepon (New ranking) Nuttaphol Arammuang (New ranking) Vietnam Linh Thi Mai Nguyen Loc Xuan Le WTR Global Leaders draws on research from the WTR 1000 and WTR 300 to identify the very best trademark practitioners worldwide, bringing together a select group of professionals recognized for their expertise, insight, and contributions to the field. The full list of ranked individuals in the private practice category can be viewed here.
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June 10, 2026
Tilleke & Gibbins was again recognized as a top-tier intellectual property law firm in Southeast Asia in the 2026 edition of Managing Intellectual Property’s IP Stars rankings Firm Rankings In this year’s firm rankings, Tilleke & Gibbins secured the following positions: Cambodia General IP – Recommended (top tier awarded for this category) Indonesia Patent – Tier 2 Trademark – Tier 2 Thailand Patent – Tier 1 Trademark – Tier 1 Vietnam Patent – Tier 1 Trademark – Tier 1 Individual Rankings In addition to the firm rankings, 12 Tilleke & Gibbins lawyers were recognized individually as IP Stars: Cambodia David Mol – Rising Star Sokmean Chea – Rising Star Indonesia Rochmali Zultan – Rising Star Wongrat Ratanaprayul – Patent Star, Trademark Star Thailand Alan Adcock – Patent Star, Trademark Star Darani Vachanavuttivong – Patent Star, Trademark Star Kasama Sriwatanakul – Rising Star Sukontip Jitmongkolthong –Trademark Star Vietnam Linh Duy Mai – Rising Star Linh Thi Mai Nguyen – Trademark Star Loc Xuan Le – Patent Star, Trademark Star Trung Nguyen – Trademark Star The annual IP Stars rankings are based on extensive independent research, including client and peer feedback, market analysis, and recent case highlights. For more information and to browse the full rankings, please see the IP Stars website.
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April 3, 2026
Tilleke & Gibbins is pleased to announce that the firm has been shortlisted in two categories at the Financial Times (FT) Innovative Lawyers APAC 2026 awards: Innovative Lawyers in Cyber and Data Privacy – “Digital Identity & Cryptocurrency Compliance” Innovative Practitioner – Athistha (Nop) Chitranukroh The FT Innovative Lawyers APAC Awards recognize law firms and practitioners who are driving innovation in legal services and delivering innovative client solutions across the Asia-Pacific region. This recognition marks our third acknowledgment in the Innovative Lawyers category and, notably, our first-ever nomination in the Innovative Practitioner category at the FT Innovative Lawyers APAC awards. It reflects our team’s continued ability to support clients on groundbreaking, forward-looking projects across the region. The awards ceremony will take place on May 14, 2026, in Hong Kong. To learn more about the FT Innovative Lawyers APAC 2026 awards and to view the full list of shortlisted organizations, please visit the FT website.
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March 9, 2026
Tilleke & Gibbins has been shortlisted in multiple firmwide and individual categories at the Legal 500 Southeast Asia Awards 2026, including Regional Firm of the Year, reflecting the firm’s work across Southeast Asia and the continued development of its regional practices. In the individual categories, Aye Thuzar Hlaing has been shortlisted for Myanmar Associate of the Year (Corporate and M&A), and Linh Duy Mai has been shortlisted for Vietnam Associate of the Year (Intellectual Property). Tilleke & Gibbins has also been shortlisted in the following firm categories: Regional Firm of the Year Thailand – Law Firm of the Year Thailand – Law Firm of the Year (Litigation) Myanmar – Law Firm of the Year Vietnam – Law Firm of the Year Vietnam – Law Firm of the Year (Labor and Employment) Laos – Law Firm of the Year The winners will be announced on April 30, 2026, at the Legal 500 Southeast Asia Awards ceremony in Singapore. To browse the full shortlist for the Legal 500 Southeast Asia Awards 2026, please see the Legal 500 website.
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