China

In 2021, China issued the Outline for Building a Powerful Intellectual Property Country (2021-2035), and has showed its determination to improve the top-level design of national intellectual property system by revising a number of important laws, regulations and departmental rules. To name a few, the Civil Code, the amended Patent Law, and the third amendment of the Copyright Law have come into force in 2021. Guidelines and provisions were also issued or amended by the China Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) regarding patent examination, infringement disputes, trademark examination and trial, trademark violations, etc.  

Meanwhile, the number of IP-related cases in courts across China continues to increase, with an average annual growth rate of 24.5 percent. New types of disputes have emerged, involving the internet, genetics, information communications, artificial intelligence, platform economy etc. Thus, it is becoming more difficult to determine complex technical facts and apply laws, bringing new challenges to the IP industry of China.  

Another important development for China’s IP ecosystem is that China officially joined the Hague Agreement since May 5, 2022. It is a significant step to facilitate the filing of international design applications by domestic and overseas applicants through the Hague Agreement system.  

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Local Law Firms  

Established in 1999, Advance China IP Law Office has offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Silicon Valley. With more than 1,000 IP professionals, the firm is led by founder and managing partner Jie Hu, supported by over 15 partners including Minhui Zeng, Shelley Zheng and Kevin Zhou. The firm provides comprehensive IP services covering pre-filing strategy, filing and prosecuting patent and trademark applications, post-grant proceedings, enforcement and litigation. Clients they serve include Toyota, Tencent and Gree. The firm was named patent prosecution firm of the year at the 2023 Asia IP China Awards, as well as winning Guangzhou firm of the year. 

Founded in 2002, AFD China is a full-service IP firm providing one-stop service, including filing/registration, strategy, transaction, asset management, litigation and other related concerns. With a specialization in patent applications, the firm serves a wide range of clients including many well-known Fortune 500 companies. The firm is also recognized for its capability of tackling difficult cases in complex scenarios, having earned testimonies such as “the firm’s strong suit lies in its creativity” and “shrewd arguments in administrative contentious proceedings give the firm an edge”. Founder and president Xia Zheng is a key contact. The firm was named pharma, biotech and life sciences firm of the year at the 2023 Asia IP China Awards. Its sister law firm, BHTD Law Firm, focuses on IP-related litigation and legal counseling. 

Headquartered in Shanghai, AllBright Law Offices is a full-service law firm founded in 1999. The firm has an association with the Hong Kong law firm Stevenson, Wong & Co. and a strategic partnership with Bird & Bird. Senior partner Lily Zhou is a key contact. The firm also has offices in Beijing, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Nanjing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Taiyuan, Qingdao, Xiamen, Tianjin, Jinan, Hefei, Zhengzhou, Fuzhou, Nanchang, Xi’an, Guangzhou, Changchun, Wuhan, Urumqi, Haikou, Changsha, Kunming, Hong Kong, London, Seattle, Singapore and Tokyo. 

An, Tian, Zhang & Partners works closely with foreign law firms and counts multinational companies amongst its loyal client base, which covers industries such as food and drink, fashion, agriculture and chemical, automobile, energy, pharmaceuticals and life science, and retail. From its head office in Beijing, it has set up a multilingual and multidisciplinary patent translation network and an investigation network for collecting and finding evidence. Managing partner David Tian is a key contact.  

AnJie Broad Law Firm’s IP team advises clients on all aspects of IP, with a strong focus on litigation, advisory and portfolio development. The firm has worked with clients in the pharmaceutical, manufacturing, energy, construction, media, retail, food, finance, tourism and real estate industries. It has offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Haikou, Nanjing, Xiamen and Hong Kong. Partner Zhixing Chen is a key contact. 

Founded by Lulin Gao, the founding Commissioner of China National Intellectual Property Administration, along with an experienced team, Beijing East IP Ltd. and Beijing East IP Law Firm provide patent prosecution and other IP services for clients from startups to Fortune 500 corporations to domestic multinational companies. The firm has offices in London, Tokyo and California’s Silicon Valley. Vice president Guorong Li and partner Yan Zhang are key contacts. 

Beijing Gaowo Law Firm specializes in international intellectual property work, including litigation, prosecution and enforcement from its base in Beijing as well as offices in Dallas and Tokyo. The firm, which was established in 2004, has more than 130 patent and trademark attorneys as well as a group of specialized lawyers. It handles thousands of patents and trademarks each year, and has clients including CCTV, Moutai Group, Gamewave, Hydron, Uni-President and Lenovo. The firm says it has cooperated with IP agencies from over 168 jurisdictions worldwide. Attorney Lindong Liu is key contact. The firm won trademark prosecution firm of the year at the 2023 Asia IP China Awards.  

Beijing Hengbo IP Firm is a comprehensive intellectual property service provider with patent invalidation and patent operation work as its main focus. The firm employs a number of former CNIPA examiners, including senior partner Shengxiang Fan, who served on the Patent Reexamination Board and in the examination management department. The firm has offices in Beijing, Shenzhen, Wuhan, and Xi’an. Clients include high-tech enterprises such as Alibaba Group, Tencent, Xiaomi, OPPO, VIVO, ByteDance (TikTok), Midea, Gree, Mindray, Yangtze River Storage, SKG and Amperex Technology.  

Named trademark prosecution firm of the year at the 2023 Asia IP China Awards, Beijing Janlea Trademark Agency has handled tens of thousands of trademark registrations, thousands of trademark infringement and unfair competition cases and hundreds of IP lawsuits. It has also had a large number of its clients recognized as well-known trademarks in China, including Sprite in Chinese, Disney in Chinese, Nestlé in Chinese and Hu Tong in Chinese. Beihua Zhuge is the firm’s founding partner; managing partner Ning Cui and Zachary Zhang are key contacts.  

Founded in 1986, Beijing Sanyou Intellectual Property Agency has since expanded into Beijing Sanyou Intellectual Property Group to include four agencies that provide a “one-stop IP service chain” including IP agency, IP legal service, IP consultancy and international IP affairs. Sanyou is led by founder and president Qiang Li. 

Founded in 2013 and named technology, media & telecoms firm of the year at the 2023 Asia IP China Awards, Beijing Uni-intel Patent and Trademark Law Firm provides clients with one-stop IP services, from prosecution to invalidation, litigation, licensing, transaction and customs actions. With a special focus on patent invalidation works initially, the firm is now known for its capability of providing patent solutions and patent offensive and defensive actions in China. Its patent filing and prosecution works have been recognized by not only domestic clients, but also overseas associates from Japan, US and Europe. The firm has offices in Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Tianjin and Tokyo. Founder Gump Wang is a key contact.  

Beshining Law Office is a full-service law firm based in Shanghai, and has offices in Wuhan, Changsha, Qingdao, Xi’an, Hangzhou and Houston. Founded in 2013, the firm has more than 150 lawyers, patent attorneys and other legal and technical professionals. The firm is noted for its business-friendly approach to legal work; a client calls the advice it received from the firm’s lawyers “timely, innovative and practical.” The firm’s IP practice boasts lawyers with scientific backgrounds in fields including mechanical engineering, electronics, physics, biology and chemistry. 

Beyond Attorneys At Law has been growing steadily since it was established in 2004. With more than 700 employees, the firm provides work on the full range of IP services, including patent, trademark, copyright, domain name and others. Founder Larry Min is a key contact of the firm.  

Borsam Intellectual Property is headquartered in Shenzhen with offices in Hong Kong, Xiamen and Fuzhou. Including founding partners Zhizheng Lin, Ming Zhang and Dong Lin, the team comprises about 60 staff members with patent and trademark attorneys serving both domestic and international clients across fields of biological, electronic, mechanical, chemical, arts and telecommunications.  

Based in Beijing, Boss & Young IP Legal Office provides law services in the full field of IP. Since its formal establishment in 1999, it has provided services to many multinational corporations as well as Chinese companies for their IP needs including trademark, patent and copyright. The firm is a sister entity of Boss & Young Attorneys at Law based in Shanghai, and has branch offices in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Chongqing, Hangzhou and other cities across China. 

Bridgeon Law Firm is a Beijing-based firm focusing on IP and corporate commercial law business, specializing in handling large-scale IP litigation. The firm is good at strategic planning of patent layout, and has rich experience in litigation rights protection. It has also participated in the formulation of many industry and national standards. Partner Youping Ma is a key contact. 

Led by Chuanhong Long, CCPIT Patent and Trademark Law Office is the oldest and one of the largest full-service IP law firms in China. The firm has 320 patent attorneys and trademark attorneys, and more than 100 employees with lawyer’s qualifications. The firm provides consultation, prosecution, mediation, administrative enforcement and litigation services relating to patents, trademarks, copyright, domain names, trade secrets, trade dress, unfair competition and related matters. Headquartered in Beijing, it has branch offices in New York, Silicon Valley, Tokyo, Madrid, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Shanghai. The firm won multiple awards at the 2023 Asia IP China Awards, including trademark and patent prosecution as well as IP firm of the year.  

Named trademark prosecution firm of the year at the 2023 Asia IP China Awards, Chang Tsi & Partners has been providing full-service IP support to companies in China for nearly two decades, priding itself as representing more US Fortune 500 companies than any other Chinese firms. Clients who testify to the firm’s role in their Asia strategy include Twitter and Campbell Soup. Founding partner Spring Chang and managing partner Simon Tsi lead a team of about 350 staff from the firm’s Beijing headquarters, with offices in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Nanning, Hong Kong and Seoul.  

China Patent Agent (H.K.) has a full-service offering incorporating both prosecution and litigation strengths. The firm advises both domestic and overseas clients from its main office in Hong Kong, supported by a network of offices in Beijing, Shenzhen, Shanghai, New York, Tokyo and Munich. Top management includes Yanfeng Xiong and Yuhe Wu, who oversee more than 500 staff members, including 230 patent attorneys, 30 trademark attorneys and 85 attorneys-at-law. The firm won two awards at the 2022 Asia IP China Awards, including patent litigation and licensing and franchising firms of the year.  

Specializing in the science and technology sector, China Science Patent & Trademark Agent emerged from being the exclusive agent working under the state funded national research institute Chinese Academy of Sciences in the 1990s to become a private firm. The firm now has approximately 300 professionals in offices of Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Wuhan, Hong Kong, Osaka, Tokyo and Washington. Each professional in the highly-technical firm holds at least one science or engineering degree, and over a third has research background prior to practicing patent law. The firm is led by senior partner Liyan Zhang, who also serves as the chairman of the board.  

China Sinda Intellectual Property is known for its work on a wide spectrum of IP matters; it has offices in Beijing, Washington, Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong and Munich. More than 300 experienced team members serve clients worldwide with leverage of digitization which made it one of the first “paperless offices” among IP law firms in China. Senior partner Sherrie An is a key contact. 

Beijing-based Chofn IP provides a range of IP services as well as legal technology solutions. The firm is led by managing partner Tingxi Huo and Xiangyun Jin. Huo has been involved in applications for trademark registration, opposition, reexamination, investigation in infringement, litigation and strategic planning for enterprise trademark since 1998. He is also the author of The Classification of Similar Goods and Services for Registration of Trademarks in the People’s Republic of China, a must-have reference book for trademark agents and practitioners in related industries. Jin specializes in technical fields such as photo-electricity, mechanics, semi-conductor and telecommunication. His practice covers patent search, infringement analysis, drafting, prosecution, reexamination, invalidation and litigation for invention, utility model and designs.  

Co-effort Law Firm has provided litigation support to many of the world’s leading companies in the areas of online game, computer software, chemical, pharmaceutical, IT, coating, media and e-commerce. The team also provides extensive non-litigation support to government agencies, trade associations, cultural organizations and initiatives. The firm was named copyright firm of the year at the 2023 Asia IP China Awards. Senior partner Gang Fu is a key contact.  

DeHeng Law Offices were founded in 1993; today, it has 4,000 legal service professionals in more than 30 domestic offices and 10 international offices, including Hong Kong, The Hague, New York, Paris and Dubai, as well as in South Korea, Kazakhstan and Laos. The firm offers the full range of corporate, commercial and criminal expertise in addition to its intellectual property, technology and international trade practices. Partner Yamei (Michelle) Lv in Beijing specializes in civil and commercial litigation and arbitration and the enforcement of judgments (or awards), especially in the areas of intellectual property, labour disputes and enterprise management risk control. Shanghai-based Zhe (Cheney) Chen has represented domestic companies, multinational enterprises, inventors and other individuals in a variety of IPR issues; he is especially skilled at computer software, database technology, big data, communication technology, signal analysis and processing matters. 

Founded in 1992, Dacheng Law Offices is one of the first partnership law firms established in China, and is Dentons’ preferred law firm in China. The firm operates 48 offices in China. The firm had joined the Dentons’ Swiss verein business structure in 2015, swelling the global firm to more than 6,600 lawyers, 4,000 of which were Dacheng lawyers. In light of new national security restrictions imposed by the Chinese government in 2023, Dentons and Dacheng split in August 2023. At that time, Dentons released a statement saying the separation was in response to “recent Chinese government mandates on Chinese law firms, including those relating to cybersecurity and data protection.” 

After becoming private in 2001 from its roots as the Patent Service Center of the state-owned Ministry of Information Industry, DEQI Intellectual Property has its own patent and trademark attorneys providing a range of IP support including patent prosecution, trademark registration, copyright recordation, customs action, negotiation and litigation. Patent attorney Shihua Chen is a key contact.  

Beijing-based Dragon IP represents leading foreign companies through its offices in Suzhou, Hebei and Hunan, as well as overseas branches in Japan and the United States. The integrated IP firm has over 300 staff providing services in patent, trademark, copyright, domain name and other related matters. Chair and founder Qingfen Hao is a key contact.  

Full-service law firm Duan and Duan’s IP practice is led by partner Y. Tony Song and Spring Liu from its Shanghai headquarters. Song is noted for his work dealing with complex disputes both inside and outside China, representing clients such as Microsoft, Lucent, Monsanto, Rohm, ContiGroup, 3M and Tetra Pak.  

Intellectual property is a major practice area of East & Concord Partners. The firm, which was named copyright firm of the year at the 2023 Asia IP China Awards, has a team with extensive experience that has successfully rendered legal services to domestic and foreign clients. They have aided numerous enterprises in acquiring copyright, trademarks, logos and patents for effective protection. Partner Bing Guan is a key contact. 

Fairsky Law Firm has strong prosecution and litigation practices for patents and trademarks, and is both an IP agency and a litigation firm. The firm focuses on IP services and commercial dispute resolution. Dan Chen is a key contact at the firm, where she leads the trademark team. She is a recognized 2023 Asia IP Expert for trademarks and enforcement work.  

Fangda Partners has a standout team in the market representing clients on a range of IP registration and protection matters, as well as handling technology transfer, licensing and protection of confidential information in China. It has commendable technical skills in relation to trademarks, copyright and antitrust work. Its leading practitioners include Daniel Huang and James Hu, who have represented global clients such as Watson Pharmaceutical, Rolex and New Balance.  

With a team of lawyers that includes former IP judges and senior in-house counsels, FenXun Partners collaborates with courts, local authorities and private investigators to take swift actions to protect client interests. Through the Baker & McKenzie FenXun Joint Operation Office in Shanghai, it provides international and local legal solutions to help protect, enhance, and maximize the value of clients’ IPRs everywhere. Partner Aggie Liu is a key contact. 

Fieldfisher merged with the former Beijing-based JS Partners in November 2016 under a Swiss verein, giving the UK-based firm access to the China market. JS Partners has adopted the Fieldfisher brand and will remain a licensed Chinese law firm with the ability to practice all aspects of Chinese law, a setup similar to the one used in the 2012 King & Wood merger with Australian firm Mallesons Stephen Jacques. IP partner Laura Feng is a key contact. 

The Shanghai-based corporate and commercial law firm FuJae Partners is an alliance firm of the US-based McGuireWoods, with 20 years of experience in China and the United States. The firm has a team of IP lawyers with an excellent track record in trademark practice cases related to application for registration, opposition, assignment, dispute and infringement, as well as other brand protection measures through copyright and anti-unfair competition suits. Leo Liu is a key contact for IP work. 

Ge Cheng & Co is a Beijing-based intellectual property specialist. Its clients include small enterprises, multinational corporations, universities and research institutions and Chinese companies in fields including electronics, biochemistry, engineering, publications, entertainment and education. Managing partner David Cheng has an LL.M. from the Peking University law school and an M.D. from China Medical University and has a past career as a medical researcher. He is a former vice president of NTD Patent & Trademark Agency and a former senior partner at Jeekai & Partners; he undertook many prosecutions and litigations relating to biochemistry, biotechnology and pharmaceutical matters.  

Based in Beijing, GEN Law Firm has handled IP litigation and transactional matters for semiconductor, wireless, pharmaceutical and medical device patents; difficult bad faith trademarks as well as cross-border trade secrets. Partner Steve Zhao is a key contact. 

The history of Global Law Office in Beijing dates back to the establishment of the legal consultant office of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade in 1979. The firm was renamed in 1984 to take an international perspective on its business. The firm has been involved in a number of key cases, including the 2019 Redbull trademark case. It also represented the China Chamber of International Commerce in a high-profile Section 301 investigation initiated by the United States with respect to China’s technology acts, policies and practices in 2017.  The firm was named licensing and franchising, and technology, media and telecoms firm of the year at the 2023 Asia IP China Awards.  

Founded in 2007 by Tim Meng, GoldenGate Lawyers began with six lawyers and now has about 20 professionals who are able to work on comprehensive IP disputes and other IP-related matters. The firm has represented a wide range of clients worldwide, including Cambridge University and Samsung. Linda Zhao and Frank Chen are key contacts.  

Han Kun Law Offices is a full-service firm with offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Haikou, Wuhan and Hong Kong. Its IP services cover patents, trademarks, copyright, proprietary technology, trade secrets, trade dress, breeders’ rights and integrated circuit layout design. Lili Wu is a key contact at the firm. She is a recognized 2023 Asia IP Expert for patents, enforcement, IP litigation, and IT and telecoms-related work.  

Intellectual property is HengDu Law Firm’s cornerstone business, with patent and trademark being its specialty. Its IP team is led by senior partners Yinying Zhang, who heads the patent department, and Wen Zhong, who is director of HengDu’s national legal centre. Headquartered in Beijing, the firm has nearly 1,800 professionals working in 27 branches across China, including Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Tianjin, Chengdu, Qingdao, Chongqing, Quanzhou, Wuhan, Zhengzhou, Xi’an, Kunming, Haikou, Sanya, Kunshan, Rizhao and Danyan. The firm won the award for pharma, biotech and life sciences firm of the year at the 2023 Asia IP China Awards.  

HFG Law & Intellectual Property provides services in contentious and non-contentious matters in conjunction with commercial and corporate law services from Shanghai and Beijing offices. In particular, the firm has strong expertise in oil and chemicals, food and beverage, luxury and fashion, internet, gaming, retail, cosmetics, automotive, pharmaceuticals and machinery accessories. Partners Fabio Giacopello and Reinout van Malenstein are among the firm’s IP experts. The firm was named trademark and patent litigation firm of the year at the 2022 Asia IP China Awards, as well as winning the award for Shanghai firm of the year. 

Established in 1995, Hiways Law Firm is a comprehensive legal service provider, with IP being one of its major practice groups. As a member of TAG Law, an international alliance of independent law firms, it works closely with more than 300 law and accounting firms in over 150 jurisdictions to provide services to local and overseas clients. The firm was named enforcement firm of the year at the 2023 Asia IP China Awards. Apart from its headquarters in Shanghai, it also has offices in Beijing, Changsha, Zhengzhou, Chengdu, Shenyang, Kunming, Jinan, Harbin, Xi’an, Chongqing, Changzhou and Urumqi. 

With offices in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Beijing, HongFangLaw was named a enforcement firm of the year at the 2023 Asia IP China Awards under the leadership of managing partner Xu Zhang. The firm’s services include trademark, patent, copyright, court proceedings, licensing, legal risk assessment, contracts, customs and due diligence. 

Intellectual property is one of the key practice areas of Hui Ye Law Firm, which is based in Shanghai and was one of the first law firms in China to provide comprehensive IP legal services. Its practice covers all aspects of patent, trademark, copyright, domain name, and anti-unfair competition, including prosecution, licensing and transaction, and enforcement. A few of the firm’s IP litigation cases were selected and listed as the “guiding IP cases” or “exemplary IP cases” by the Supreme People’s Court or the relevant High People’s Courts. The firm endorses a multi-disciplinary approach, in which its IP team advises clients along with other practice groups on matters related to IP, such as financing, IPO on China’s Sci-Tech innovation board, mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, disposal of IP in bankruptcy etc.  

Hylands Law Firm is a full-service law firm with an IP practice led by Xiaogang Ma, a founding partner and renowned Chinese IP expert. Besides traditional IP services such as copyright, trademark and patent registration and administrative services, including dispute resolution, Hylands also offers consultancy services in corporate, investment and financial affairs with respect to IP, ranging from commercial market development and franchising to corporate training. The firm has multiple offices across China, with Beijing being the headquarters. 

Beijing-based IntellecPro offers a full range of intellectual property services to both domestic and foreign clients, including many Fortune 500 companies. Key areas of expertise include services related to trademarks, patents, copyright issues, software, integrated circuits, domain names, investigations and enforcement action, customs-related IP protection, litigation, and patent and legal translation. Hu Qi and Tianying Zhao are key contacts, and have both been recognized as Asia IP Experts. 

Named enforcement firm of the year at the 2023 Asia IP China Awards, IP Leader Attorneys-at-Law is a Qingdao-based firm with offices in the heart of city’s Laoshan financial district, as well as the Qingdao Research and Innovation Center in the China Electronics Optics Valley. Established in 2007, the firm has built a team of legal professionals with comprehensive accomplishments, including adjunct experts of the China (Yantai) Intellectual Property Protection Centre, deputy director of Intellectual Property Committee of the Shandong Lawyer Association and member of the Qingdao Intellectual Property Research Association.  

Formerly the Co-Talent Intellectual Property Firm, IP March was established in March 2016 and provides comprehensive legal services for patents (inventions, utility models and designs), trademarks, copyright and anti-unfair competition. The firm’s patent attorneys can serve clients in Chinese, English, Japanese, German and French. The firm was named patent litigation firm, and pharma, biotech and life sciences firm of the year at the 2023 Asia IP China Awards. Managing partner Stephen Yang and partner Nina Li are key contacts. 

IPO Pang is known as one of the oldest joint venture law firms and operates as a leading international boutique firm out of Shanghai with affiliate offices in the United States. IPO’s IP practice boasts a team of seasoned IP lawyers, litigators, advisory counsel, agents and investigators who handle all aspects of IP law with a focus on infringement protection and enforcement. The firm is led by founder and chairman Peter Pang, who himself focuses on intellectual property, foreign direct investment and labour law after serving as IP counsel at major companies such as Shell Oil.  

Based in Beijing, Yunze Lian is the founder and head of Jadong IP Law Firm (formerly the Aaison IP Law Firm). Founded in 2018, this young boutique firm is dedicated to providing full services of IP. The firm has six specialized teams, namely: trademark, patent, copyright, anti-counterfeiting, litigation and domain name.  

Jeekai & Partners provides advice in patent, trademark and copyright matters, as well as representation in litigation. The Beijing-based IP firm employs about 120 people, including 80 patent attorneys and technical specialists, eight trademark attorneys and 20 patent administrators. Senior partner Robin R. Zhao and Mo Guo, manager of the patent administration department, are key contacts.  

Based in Beijing with 12 other offices across China and one in Tokyo, Jincheng Tongda & Neal’s IP practice services international and domestic clients in a broad array of areas including IP and trade secret protection, technology transfer, technical service, trademark licensing and lawsuits related to patents, trademarks and software. Clients are predominantly companies involved with high technology, extending from startups to MNCs in a variety of industrial sectors including chemical, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, IT, semiconductors, telecommunications, materials, electronics, software, multimedia, manufacturing and finance. Senior partner Linyan Ma is a key contact.  

Founded in the early 1990s, Jingtian & Gongcheng is a full-service business law firm headquartered in Beijing, with offices in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Tianjin, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Sanya and Hong Kong. The firm maintains 177 partners and around 760 lawyers and legal assistants. Its IP department is recognized for achievement in recreation law, copyright infringement, invalidation and verification of patent, internet improper competition, standard essential patent, and anti-monopoly. The firm was named patent litigation, and technology, media & telecoms firm of the year at the 2023 Asia IP China Awards.  

Jin Mao Law Firm handles contentious and non-contentious copyright, patent and trademark work. The patent team maintains solid cooperation with the Shanghai Intellectual Property Service Center and the Shanghai Zhangjiang High-Tech Park IP Service Platform, and is entrusted to manage the IP service platform operation of Shanghai Zhangjiang National Independent Innovation Pilot Zone in the districts of Jinshan, Fengxian, Baoshan and Putuo. Partner Jun Guo and Rui Qiang Xie are key contacts. Alibaba and Huawei are clients. 

JunHe is a full-service firm that is home to over a thousand professionals, including more than 240 partners and legal counsels and 640 associates and legal translators. Its Beijing head office is supported by 12 branches and fully-licensed offices across China as well as New York and Silicon Valley. The firm has represented the Chinese affiliate of iRobot Corporate in patent infringement litigation and supported BMW Group in its entire trademark process in China. 

Headquartered in Beijing with offices across China, JunZeJun Law Offices’ IP practice covers patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret and domain name matters in the telecommunications, electronics, software, semiconductor, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, e-commerce, media and other traditional sectors. Partner Jie Ma and Liangyong Liu are key contacts. The firm was named enforcement and technology, media & telecoms firm of the year at the 2023 Asia IP China Awards.  

Named trademark litigation firm of the year at the 2023 Asia IP China Awards, Kangxin Partners has grown into one of the leading IP firms in China; its head office is in Beijing, and affiliate offices are cross the country as well as in Germany, the United States and Japan. The group is structured as four entities providing IP support, litigation, consulting and training services, respectively. Managing partner Samson Yu ranks as one of the top patent attorneys in the country. Gloria Wu, Shirley Dong, James Chen and Gary Wu are other key IP practitioners.  

The IP team at global law firm King & Wood Mallesons advises on all areas of IP including copyright, domain name, dispute and enforcement, licensing and exploitation, trademark as well as patent. The firm’s clients include some of the most famous household brands in the world such as Nestlé and Colgate-Palmolive, and recent works include patent filing and prosecution for IBM and patent litigation efforts for ABB.  

Kingvie Lawyers was founded in 2020 as a full-service law firm, providing IP and corporate and commercial legal services across the country. Dajian Wu is the firm’s managing director; Jianxin Li is director at the firm. The firm’s partners get high marks for being easily accessible to clients and available at every stage of the transaction.  

Established in 2001, Leader Patent & Trademark Firm has its head office in Beijing, a branch office in Xi’an and a U.S. desk in the Los Angeles area, providing full IP services for domestic and international clients. The firm, which has about 200 employees, boasts patent attorneys and engineers with strong technical backgrounds, including highly trained attorneys with advanced degrees in science and technology as well as former patent examiners, former corporate patent counsel, professors of IP law, and patent engineers. The firm has drafted a large number of patent specifications and handled a large number of patent invalidation/litigation cases. Founder and senior partner Fang Liu has expertise in electronic engineering, telecommunications, networks and mechanics.  

LexField Law Offices is a Beijing-based IP firm, where the trademark and dispute resolution group is led by senior partner Jan Liu, who is widely recognized as one of China’s foremost trademark attorneys. David Huang leads the patent and dispute resolution group, and managing partner Hongyi Jiang oversees copyright and other IP-related offerings.  

Lifang & Partners is headquartered in Beijing with regional offices in Guangzhou, Wuhan, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Seoul. Operating mainly in the spaces of IP, antitrust, commercial and dispute resolution, some of Lifang’s most notable IP cases include representing Samsung in patent disputes with Huawei. Partner Guanbin Xie is a key contact.  

Linda Liu & Partners was founded in 2003; today, the firm has offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou and Dalian. The firm provides services including patent and trademark prosecution, IP litigation, anti-counterfeit, evidence gathering of IP infringement, copyright, unfair competition, license contract for technology or trademark, preservation of evidence for prior use right, search of patent documents, analysis of tracing investigation of trademark applications etc.  

Noted for its work in patent prosecution, Liu, Shen & Associates is recommended by clients for smooth interactions in terms of workflow management and expertise. Perry Wu Yang, one of the firm’s founders, specializes in patent filing, prosecution and invalidation proceedings in the field of mechanical engineering. Yang has over 30 years of experience and comes highly recommended; past work includes representing a major international toy manufacturer and successfully having two of the client’s trademarks recognized by the court as well-known trademarks.  

Established in 1994 in Hong Kong, Lung Tin IP Attorneys is one of the first private Chinese IP firms approved by the government to represent international clients in China. These days, the firm is a prominent full-service IP firm led by founding partner and president Tai Keung Cheng, who trained and worked as a scientist at the Research Institute of the China Aviation Department, focusing on patent and trademark management and technology transfer. The firm has more than 400 staff members spread over nine offices, including its headquarters in Beijing, plus Shanghai, Shenzhen, Shenyang, Xi’an, Xiamen, Hong Kong, Osaka and New York. The firm was named patent prosecution and copyright firm of the year at the 2023 Asia IP China Awards. 

NTD IP Attorneys was established in 1987 and has main offices in Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai, and liaison offices in Munich, Silicon Valley and Tokyo. With over 500 staff members, NTD provides IP services to all major industrials including mechanics and electrical engineering to high-growth technologies such as communications, computer network and biotechnology. Senior partner Christopher Shen is a key contact. The firm was named patent prosecution and licensing and franchising firm of the year at the 2023 Asia IP China Awards.  

IP boutique Panawell & Partners advises on all aspects of intellectual property protection, as well as on IP investment, strategy and management. William Yang is a key contact for trademark matters; he previously served the Ministry of Supervision of the PRC and as deputy director of the legal affairs department at a large IP law firm. Shute Shu Xu is recommended for his work in patents; he was an assistant research fellow of the Institute of High-Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences as, engaging in accelerator design and routine operation, before beginning his IP career with CCPIT and China Patent Agent (H.K.)  

PC & Associates has offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, as well as representative offices in Hong Kong and San Francisco. The firm has about 100 staff members, including 36 patent attorneys, 12 trademark attorneys and 24 attorneys-at-law, 16 of whom have two or more qualifications. The firm’s litigators are well-respected. Managing partner Dong Wei and senior partner Yan Zhao are key contacts.  

Founded in 2003, Peksung IP aims to provide agile and efficient legal solutions for multinational and Fortune 500 companies, boasting clients such as Bayer, BASF, Allergan and Porsche. Managing partner Jiancheng Jiang is a key contact and under his leadership, the firm was named pharma, biotech and life sciences firm of the year at the 2023 Asia IP China Awards.  

R&P China Lawyers is a Shanghai-based, China-licensed boutique law firm that supports international business in the country through a variety of practice areas, including IP. Managing director and founder Maarten Roos leads the firm to represent major European and American companies with business interests in China, and is himself an expert to the China IPR SME Helpdesk and the EU initiative to educate small businesses on IP protection in China.  

Based in Guangzhou, Schinders Law provides intellectual property protection as well as litigation and arbitration services in the fields of copyright, patent and trademark in a variety of industry sectors. Managing partner Henry Liao is a key contact. 

Shangcheng & Partners is headquartered in Beijing, with branches in Shanghai and Tokyo. Firm president Chun Long served in 1984 as director of the patent agency at what is now the State Food and Drug Administration, then worked with a Japanese patent law firm, before co-founding Jeekai & Partners and, in 2008, Shangcheng & Partners. The firm focuses on patent prosecution and counselling, trademark and design work, IP litigation and search due diligence and transactional work. 

Led by Frank Liu, Shanghai Pacific Legal’s IP services cover all aspects of patents, trademarks, copyright, trade secrets and domain names in the fields of, in particular, telecommunications, electronics, software, semiconductors, integrated circuit design, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, e-business, media as well as other traditional industrial areas.  

Shanghai Patent & Trademark Law Office is one of the oldest and largest IP firms in China. Many of its attorneys are members of INTA, AIPPI, LESI and other organizations. It has offices in Beijing as well as Hong Kong and is headquartered in Shanghai. Patent attorney Jia Lu is a key contact.  

Partner Jason Sun and Robert Chan established Sun & Chan Intellectual Property in May 2016 to provide domestic and foreign clients with legal services for patents (invention patents, utility models, designs), trademarks, copyright and anti-unfair competition. Industry sectors served include machinery, chemistry, biotechnology, medicine, metallurgy, electronics, communication, semiconductors, computer software and hardware.  

Tahota Law Firm offers comprehensive legal services from more than 20 offices in China and overseas offices in Washington, Sydney, Kathmandu, Bangkok and Vientiane. The firm has established a scientific and comprehensive training mechanism for its lawyers and has more than 3,300 practitioners and more than 4,300 employees, more than 100 of whom hold a Ph.D. As a full-service firm, Tahota has been expanding into emerging fields including internet, artificial intelligence, block chain, pharmaceutical, healthcare and studio entertainment matters; the firm’s IP and IP-adjacent practices have been boosted by the addition of Charles Feng in Beijing, who brings substantial experience on intellectual property law, data protection law and antitrust law. 

Founded in 1995, Tee & Howe Intellectual Property Attorneys is a comprehensive firm licensed by the China Patent Office primarily focusing on foreign IP service. Its practice covers all aspects of IP including patent, trademark and copyright, and encompasses all phases of administrative and judicial services such as pursuing, maintaining and licensing. The expert areas include biotechnology, pharmaceutical, chemistry, computer hardware and software. It has over 200 employees, including about 80 patent attorneys and 30 patent engineers, 10 trademark attorneys, five attorneys-at-law, 28 administrative and civil agents ad litem approved by the Supreme People’s Court, three foreign patent attorneys and several foreign experts. The firm was named enforcement firm of the year at the 2023 Asia IP China Awards.  

Named copyright firm of the year at the 2023 Asia IP China Awards, Beijing-based Tiantai Law Firm is made up of nearly 2,000 practicing lawyers, most of whom have worked within the Chinese government, which gives them the contacts needed to influence IP law, whether through the legislative, judiciary or executive government departments. Senior partner Cherry Guo is a key contact. The firm received the “Excellent National Law Firm” award from the All-China Lawyers Association. 

Founded in 1992, Tian Yuan Law Office is headquartered in Beijing with branch offices in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Xi’an, Haikou, Suzhou, Guangzhou, Hefei, Kunming and Hong Kong. It is a general-service Chinese law firm that provides legal support for many transactions involving complex IP issues. Partner Yan Sun has represented clients in a number of well-known dispute resolution or settlement cases in China. The firm was named licensing and franchising firm of the year at the 2023 Asia IP China Awards.  

Founded in the early 1980s, TransAsia Lawyers boasts a team of 80 professionals, who provide service from offices located in Beijing, Shanghai, an associated office in Hong Kong and an alliance office in Tokyo. It has advised some of the most prominent global and Chinese tech, telecom, media and consumer product companies on IP-related matters, as well as advising global and local publishers on copyright protection, anti-piracy work, license-driven China distribution and partnerships, copyright licensing packages, and contracting with domestic and overseas authors, producers and publishers for publishing and distribution, and TV and film adaptations. The firm was named copyright, and technology, media and telecoms firm of the year at the 2023 Asia IP China Awards.  

Twelve Tables Law Firm has merged with Yuanhe to create a new firm called Yuanhe & Twelve Tables Law Firm. Yuanhe is an established, award-winning law firm which specializes in dispute resolution, intellectual property, capital markets and American legal services. Over the years, Yuanhe has provided services to some of the world’s most innovative companies, earning their trust and representing them in domestic and international high-profile, high-stakes cases. Twelve Tables lawyers specialize in IP and antitrust litigation. The firm’s attorneys, led by founding partners Hairuo Zhang, Andy Xiang and Bob Jin, have handled more than 200 complicated and trans-border IP cases, included 20 cases won before China’s Supreme Court. Six cases have been named to the Supreme Court’s Top IP Cases list, and three have been named representative cases by the Beijing High Court, the Beijing IP Court and the Shanghai IP Court. Zhang, a former KWM and Baker McKenzie lawyer, has handled more than 100 of those cases.  

Uni-intel Patent & Trademark Law Firm was founded by a group of experienced Chinese patent and trademark attorneys and provides its clients with a range of IP services, from prosecution to invalidation, litigation, licensing, transactions and customs actions. The firm has offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Tianjin, and opened in Tokyo in 2016. Founder Gump Wang is highly regarded, particularly in the technical fields of mechanical and electrical engineering, where his specialities include automobiles, home appliances, textile machines, semiconductors, and telecommunications technology.  

Unitalen Attorneys at Law houses a large number of attorneys, paralegals and clerks to serve clients from its Beijing headquarters and 22 other offices in China including Shanghai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong. With additional offices in Tokyo, Munich and San Francisco, Unitalen prides itself in representing a diverse range of clients from startups to Fortune 500 companies such as Tencent. President Bradley Yu is a key contact. The firm won multiple awards at the 2023 Asia IP China Awards, including trademark litigation and Beijing firm of the year.  

With offices in 11 major Chinese cities, Beijing-based Wanhuida Intellectual Property is now home for 50 IP-related partners, who handle trademark and patent issues including litigation and enforcement. Partner Jason Yao has been highly regarded by clients for profound knowledge of IP issues, and comprehensive approach in dealing with complex legal issues.  

Watson & Band’s IP team consists of professionals including lawyers, agents, engineers, professors, scientific researchers and senior consultants. Fields served include chemistry, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, machinery, electronics, telecommunications, data, optical physics, automatic control, metallic materials and semiconductors. Their services include agency and consulting, enforcement and litigation as well as commercial. Director Yiwen Huang is a key contact.  

Yingke Law Firm is a global commercial law firm based in Beijing that has a network of affiliated offices across 104 international cities. Positioning itself at the heart of China’s Belt and Road initiative, Yingke has signed a cooperation agreement with DFDL Legal and Tax, a full-service law firm that specializes in emerging markets in the ASEAN region.  

Yuanhe has merged with Twelve Tables Law Firm to create a new firm called Yuanhe & Twelve Tables Law Firm. Yuanhe is an established, award-winning law firm which specializes in dispute resolution, intellectual property, capital markets and American legal services. Over the years, Yuanhe has provided services to some of the world’s most innovative companies, earning their trust and representing them in domestic and international high-profile, high-stakes cases. Twelve Tables lawyers specialize in IP and antitrust litigation. The firm’s attorneys, led by founding partners Hairuo Zhang, Andy Xiang and Bob Jin, have handled more than 200 complicated and trans-border IP cases, included 20 cases won before China’s Supreme Court. Six cases have been named to the Supreme Court’s Top IP Cases list, and three have been named representative cases by the Beijing High Court, the Beijing IP Court and the Shanghai IP Court. Zhang, a former KWM and Baker McKenzie lawyer, has handled more than 100 of those cases.  

Yuhong is based in Beijing; its president, Dajian Wu, has been named China’s National Outstanding Patent Attorney by the State Council of China. He previously served as president of China Patent Agent (H.K.). With branches in Changsha, Chengdu, Shenzhen and Jinzhou, the firm provides a full range of IP services, including patent drafting and its own translation company.  

Headquartered in Beijing with offices in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Chengdu, Chongqing, Qingdao, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Haikou, Hong Kong, Tokyo, London, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Almaty, the IP department at Zhong Lun Law Firm has lawyers as well as trademark and patent agents providing a full range of services including litigation, due diligence, licensing, application, strategizing and portfolio management. Equity partner Jihong Chen is a key contact.  

Zhongzi Law Office is a leading full-service firm with over 300 professionals in China. Its IP practice encompasses patent, trademark, copyright, unfair competition, trade secret, franchising, licensing, IP management and transaction; and extend to other IP support services such as advertising, technical document search and translation. The IP group’s primary contacts are partners Bonan Lin, Chengen Duan and Gesheng Huang.  

Established in 1998, ZY Partners has a prominent IP litigation practice with experience in conducting trials and appellate work in the areas of patent, copyright, trademark, unfair competition and trade secret. All partners are experienced litigators, each with about 20 years of experience; some have even worked in courts or at the CNIPA, and a few of their cases have been published as guiding precedents. The firm also has a strong patent prosecution team specialized in electronics, telecoms, semiconductor, IT, mechanical engineering, solar/nuclear energies, biotech, pharmaceuticals and chemical engineering. The firm manages trademark portfolios for MNCs in a wide range of industries as well. Partner Richard Huang is a key contact. 

International Law Firms  

Swedish law firm Awapatent operates its Asia units out of AWA Asia in Hong Kong and AWA Asia’s wholly-owned Chinese IP consultancy, AWA IP (Beijing). Ai-Leen Lim serves as the chief executive officer and principal counsel of AWA Asia, and serves mainland Chinese, Hong Kong and international clients with a focus on brand management and social media matters. AWA IP (Beijing) is a licensed PRC trademark agency that is able to file and enforce trademarks directly in China before the Trademark Office and the administrative authorities.  

Named Asia IP international trademarks firm of the year for China and patents firm of the year for Asia Pacific in 2023, Baker McKenzie has offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, and maintains an impressive team of IP specialists backed by an international network. Senior partner Loke-Khoon Tan and Isabella Liu are key contacts.  

Named winner for China international patent firm of the year and Asia Pacific copyright firm of the year at the 2023 Asia IP Awards in Singapore, Bird & Bird established its Hong Kong office in 1995, followed by Beijing in 2004 and Shanghai in 2008. In late 2023, it opened a Shenzhen branch, which is led by Hank Leung, co-head of the firm’s greater China intellectual property practice. The international firm entered into an association with local firm Lawjay Partners in 2009 to increase coverage in contentious IP matters in Chinese courts. The China and Hong Kong team is led by partner Matthew Laight, who has represented some of the world’s leading companies in a broad range of sectors including electronics, pharmaceuticals, communications, information technology, media, broadcasting, and food and beverage. Ted Chwu is head of greater China and co-head of global tech and comms at the firm. 

The intellectual property team at Clyde & Co in advises international clients on contentious and non-contentious intellectual property matters, with a focus on strategic protection, exploitation, and enforcement of patents, trademarks, copyright as well as trade secrets. They provide strategies for optimizing IP portfolios across the Asia Pacific region and cross-border patent, trademark and copyright disputes as well.  

Deacons combines one of the most established teams in Hong Kong with a solid presence in China. Assisting global brands including 50 of the world’s top 100 brands as identified by Interbrand, the very capable IP practice operates out of the firm’s Hong Kong main office. Key contacts are partners Annie Tsoi, Charmaine Koo and Catherine Zheng.  

Dentons has demerged with Chinese law firm Dacheng, which had joined the Dentons’ Swiss verein business structure in 2015, swelling the global firm to more than 6,600 lawyers. In light of new national security restrictions imposed by the Chinese government in 2023, Dentons and Dacheng split in August 2023. At that time, Dentons released a statement saying the separation was in response to “recent Chinese government mandates on Chinese law firms, including those relating to cybersecurity and data protection.” Dacheng Law Offices is one of the first partnership law firms established in China, and is Dentons’ preferred law firm in China. Dentons maintains an office in Hong Kong, but little IP work is undertaken there these days.  

DLA Piper’s intellectual property and technology practice encompasses nearly 500 lawyers in over 24 countries, with DLA Beijing managing partner Horace Lam co-heading IPT to provide greater China coverage across Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Edward Chatterton is a key contact.  

Long-time Hong Kong lawyer Ella Cheong practices her craft from Hong Kong-based ELLALAN along with managing partner Alan Chiu. The firm, which until June 2020 had been known as Ella Cheong & Alan Chiu, advises on IP enforcement, transactional and commercial IP and internet-related issues, as well as matters concerning entertainment and media, dispute resolution, commercial law and regulatory law.  

The well-respected Cedric Lam runs Eversheds Sutherland’s IP practice in greater China from the firm’s Hong Kong office. Lam, a prominent IP strategist in the region, has more than two decades of experience counselling cross-border, complex, high-stakes intellectual property-related transactions and disputes. Lam is known for his work helping multinational corporations acquire, exploit and enforce their IP rights and trade secrets, as well as implement technology transfer, IP protection, licensing, litigation and anti-counterfeiting strategies. The firm also advises on legal issues affecting advertising, marketing and sponsorship campaigns, including strategy and providing fast copy clearance to ensure advertisements and packaging comply with the relevant advertising codes and regulations, and on data protection laws. It regularly advises on this area of the law, including all data privacy in Hong Kong and Asia, and in relation to cross-border data flows and direct marketing. 

Fieldfisher merged with the former Beijing based JS Partners in November 2016 under a Swiss verein, giving the UK-based firm access to the China market. JS Partners has adopted the Fieldfisher brand and will remain a licensed Chinese law firm with the ability to practice all aspects of Chinese law, a setup similar to the one used in the 2012 King &Wood merger with Australian firm Mallesons Stephen Jacques. IP partner Laura Feng is a key contact. 

Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner’s foreign representative office in Shanghai handles a wide range of intellectual property assignments for clients with interests in China. Ningling Wang leads the firm’s China efforts from Shanghai as its managing partner, with a special focus in patent prosecution, opinions, due diligence, client counseling, licensing, and patent litigation.  

Hong Kong-based Richard Bird heads Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s intellectual property and commercial practice in Asia. Bird’s experience is wide ranging, extending from R&D collaborations, licensing and distribution/supply arrangements to a special focus in the TMT space, including e-commerce, media data privacy and cyber security, in addition to his core practice in intellectual property. 

Elliot Papageorgiou is the head of IP strategy in China at Gowling WLG, where he works side-by-side with Jian Xu, the firm’s legal director and head of intellectual property prosecution in China since 2008. The firm’s Beijing office is a representative office which provides on-the-ground coordination for Chinese and global companies; the firm’s lawyers have strong relationships with the Chinese government, international trade associations and top-tier Chinese law firms. The firm also has an office in Guangzhou. 

Named China international copyright firm of the year at 2023 Asia IP Awards, Hogan Lovells operates its China IP practice out of Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing offices. Eugene Low now leads the IP practice from Hong Kong, joined by Beijing partner Helen Xia and Shanghai partner Katie Feng. Feng led the 2016 association with Fujian Fidelity Law Firm in the China (Shanghai) Free Trade Zone that emphasized growing the firm’s IP litigation offering. Fidelity was established in 1989 and is one of the largest law firms in the Fujian province.  

Jones Day’s offices in Beijing and Shanghai work closely with its Hong Kong and other Asian offices. Its mainland IP agency, Jones Day Intellectual Property Agency (Beijing), is licensed to handle a wide range of copyright, trademark, and other non-patent intellectual property matters. Partner Haifeng Huang is the key contact with a broad industry coverage including software and systems, semiconductors, telecommunications, textiles, chemicals, optics, consumer products, heavy machinery, medical devices, and biotechnology.  

Marks & Clerk is noted for its patent work in the mechanical, chemical/life sciences and electrical/software fields. The firm has 15 offices worldwide in seven jurisdictions. The Beijing office has at least 16 attorneys or agents with over 20 years’ experience to handle both patent and trademark filings for a variety of clients. Partner  Xuefang Huang is a key contact.  

Mayer Brown was established in 1863 in Hong Kong and has since expanded across Asia, including two offices in Shanghai and Beijing. It maintains an association with the Beijing-based Jingtian & Gongcheng. Partner and head of the firm’s Asia IP & TMT group Gabriela Kennedy is also co-leader of Mayer Brown’s global IP practice and has extensive experience in technology and data protection issues in China and beyond.  

US-based McGuireWoods works in China through a strategic alliance with FuJae Partners, a Shanghai-based corporate and commercial law firm with an in-depth knowledge of Chinese law and practice. Leo Liu is a key contact. 

Full-service global law firm Morgan Lewis established the firm’s sixth Asia office in Shanghai back in 2016. Partner Shaobin Zhu is a key IP contact who focuses on cross-border intellectual property litigation and counselling.  

Norton Rose Fulbright has offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. The China practice group was established in 2001 and can prosecute patents, trademarks and designs internationally. They also have substantial experience litigating all classes of IP in many different courts and tribunals worldwide. Services offered include international IP protection and portfolio management and advising on the commercialization of IP assets including commercial transactions relating to the acquisition and development of innovative products and services. Partner Justin Davidson in the Hong Kong office is the key contact. 

Xiang Wang, managing partner of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe in Beijing, leads Orrick’s China IP and data privacy practices and serves as the co-chair of the firm’s global advisory board; he also spends significant time in the firm’s Shanghai and New York offices. Recognized for its success in patent litigation and arbitration involving foreign companies in China, the Orrick China IP team was exclusively featured in the China Central Television’s documentary Patent Wars. The team’s notable clients include Sinopec, Microsoft, Baidu and Haiser. 

Ownership, the Dubai-based firm formerly known as Deans IP (after its founder, Rob Deans), has opened an office in Beijing, which is led by principal and former Spruson & Ferguson lawyer Kristen Fu, who has extensive experience advising on IP-related matters in China, covering all aspects of trademark, copyright and related laws. She has successfully represented many multinational companies and startups entering the Chinese market. Former Spruson & Ferguson special counsel Cedric Yip has joined Ownership in Hong Kong, which also has an office in Singapore. 

Global commercial law firm Ropes & Gray has offices in Shanghai and Hong Kong, with Shanghai managing partner Geoffrey Lin being a key lead in its China IP practice. With a focus on helping global companies monetize and protect their IP rights, Lin is experienced in structuring technology transfers and enforcing IP rights in the life sciences and high-tech industries.  

Rouse has been operating in China since 1993, and now has offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen as well as its sister firm Rouse Legal in Hong Kong. The firm handles all activities reserved to PRC-admitted lawyers through its network firm, Lusheng Law Firm, and provides a full range of IP services including patent and trademark agency services. Landy Jiang is managing partner and co-deputy head of dispute resolution at Lusheng Law Firm.  

In 2019, Simmons & Simmons opened a new office in Shenzhen to strengthen its existing presence in greater China. The Shenzhen addition reinforces the firm’s growth and commitment to Asia and follows the Greater Bay Area plan announcement by the Chinese government. Jingyuan Shi, TMT partner at the firm, focuses on serving the Shenzhen market.  

SIPS helps clients in managing their IP portfolios, including registration, enforcement and licensing of trademark, copyright and patent. The firm also assists clients with investigations management, advice on supply chain integrity, trade secret protection, data privacy, retail and wholesale distribution, e-commerce, distribution and sourcing agreements, as well as regulatory matters relating to IT and other high-tech sectors. The firm’s expertise is mainly in the Greater China region, but members also assist clients with IP matters throughout Asia. Partner Helen Tang is a key contact.  

Spruson & Ferguson established a significant presence in Hong Kong and China in 2016 by acquiring Ella Cheong (Hong Kong) and its subsidiary Ella Cheong Intellectual Property Agency (Beijing). Siqi Wang is the head of patents, China for the firm. Former principal and China country head Oliver Lutze has left Beijing and is today head of global patents – human pharma NCEs at pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim near Frankfurt. Spruson & Ferguson is part of the publicly-listed IPH Limited, the holding company for a number of intellectual property professional services and adjacent businesses operating under different brands across the Asia-Pacific region.  

Squire Patton Boggs has had a presence in Beijing since 1980 and was one of the first foreign legal practices to receive a practicing license. Paolo Beconcini heads the firm’s China IP team from Los Angeles.  

Besides its full-service law practice in Hong Kong, Vivien Chan & Co. also has an office in Beijing, which was established in 1993. Founding and senior partner Vivien Chan has expertise in many practice areas, including IP, mergers and acquisitions, China direct investment and corporate services. 

Hong Kong-based Wilkinson & Grist opened its Beijing office in 2000 and became a wholly-owned PRC IP agency in 2004. The group now has numerous IP professionals in Hong Kong and China including legal counsel, patent and trademark agents, executives, technical specialists, translators and other support staff. Head of the intellectual property practice group, Andrea Fong, is a key contact.