Rights & Brands Asia is a licensing agency with its headquarters in Hong Kong, catering to Greater China. The company is a joint venture between Scandinavian licensing and literary agency Rights & Brands, Finnish IP owner Moomin Characters, Hong Kong-based licensing agent PPW and ITOCHU, a Japanese general trading company.  

Rights & Brands Asia was established in September and is now open for business.  

The first brand to be represented by the company is the Moomins, a Finnish-Swedish brand created more than 75 years ago. The representation rights have been granted by Rights & Brands, as the master agent of Moomin Characters. 

The agency will be spearheaded by Bianca Lee, who has extensive experience in brand management and licensing. Lee has managed entertainment franchises during her tenure with Warner Bros., including “Batman,” “Harry Potter” and “Looney Tunes” as well as global FMCG brands, including Coca-Cola and Heineken.  

“It’s with great pleasure Moomin Characters has set up Rights & Brands Asia together with such strong representatives within merchandising, literature, content development and digital expertise,” says Roleff Kråkström, chief executive officer, Moomin Characters. “The Asian market has been very important for the development and success of the Moomins globally and now we will build awareness and develop the brand even further.” 

“We are super thrilled about this strong, strategic partnership,” says Patrick Ullman, chief executive officer, Rights & Brands. “We have been working with Ivan Chan and his team at PPW on the Moomins for several years. PPW has proved over and over again that the sky is the limit. R&B Asia will be a fantastic vehicle not only for the Moomins, but also to establish other Nordic brands in this expansive territory. Our focus on brands with strong storytelling and art background and developing their content and digital footprint has really taken off. In July, we signed an exclusive worldwide deal with Rovio Entertainment, on behalf of the Moomins, to create digital games. The opening of R&B Asia is the perfect next step for global expansion for Rights & Brands, Moomin and the Nordic brands R&B represents.”  

“PPW is so thrilled to be able to strengthen the collaborative efforts with our important partners, to expand the footprint of Moomin and other IPs in the fast-expanding Greater China market,” says Ivan Chan, chief executive officer, PPW. “The core Moomin values of family, friendship and harmony have a strong resonance in the Chinese market. With the establishment of R&B Asia, I believe we can bring the franchise to new heights.” 

“The Chinese licensing market is growing rapidly every year, and is expected to grow even further,” says Tatsushi Shingu, president, ICT & Financial Business Company. “It’s a great pleasure to enter fast-growing business domains with such strong partners. ITOCHU will be contributing to the expansion of the business, with its long expertise and making use of the ITOCHU Group’s network and expertise.” 

Rights & Brands Asia is open for business and any inquiries about licensing and potential representation can be directed to Bianca Lee or any of the partner companies.