The Hong Kong-based IP tech group at Baker McKenzie FenXun works closely alongside its joint operation FenXun Partners in mainland China to assist multinational clients with a range of contentious and non-contentious IP issues. The team advises clients on their IP portfolios in Asia and overseas and excels in IP transactions related to life sciences technology licensing. Isabella Liu is adept at IP and life science matters, combining her expertise to advise life sciences clients on protecting key IP assets and leading on IP transactions. Grace Wong is a key member of the practice and assists with brand protection, trade mark portfolio management and commercial exploitation of IP. Bertha Ho is noted for expertise in assisting luxury, fashion, and consumer product clients in managing their trade marks.

Bird & Bird‘s IP group is based across Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen, enabling it to advise on complex multi-jurisdictional IP projects and litigations. The team excels in trade mark and copyright matters as well as patent litigation. Life sciences, healthcare, technology, retail, entertainment and sports are all specialised sectors served by the team, which is comprised of dual-qualified lawyers in areas such as engineering, computer science and medicine. Christine Yiu co-leads the unit from Shanghai and focuses on advising clients in cross-border IP disputes related to copyrights, invention patents, trade marks and designs. Meanwhile, IP specialist Hank Leung co-leads from Hong Kong. Dorie Wong is based in Beijing and is key to advising on brand protection strategy and trade mark portfolio management.

 

The 'very strong' intellectual property and technology practice at DLA Piper continues to be a leading force in the industry, assisting major international clients with multijurisdictional IP transactions, trade mark, copyright and patent issues as well as unfair competition cases. The team advises clients from a large number of sectors, from banking and finance to technology, energy, retail and life sciences. It particularly stands out for its expertise in managing trade mark portfolios and its strong patent prosecution capabilities. Practice head Horace Lam is based in Beijing and handles complex IP issues such as brand protection, cross-border IP litigation and global trade mark portfolio management. Over in Shanghai, Ting Xiao is an expert in patent enforcement, litigation, and prosecution, especially within the life sciences and healthcare sector. Allen Xu resides in Beijing and assists with a mix of contentious and non-contentious issues.

Hogan Lovells International LLP is noted for its strong IP litigation practice as well as its skills in trade mark and patent prosecution. The international firm mainly advises multinational clients with their IP portfolios in mainland China and worldwide. The team has been advising on key IP issues such as patent linkage and patent term extension. as well as trade secrets. Helen Xia leads the intellectual property, media and technology group from Beijing, advising on IP prosecution, litigation and enforcement. Zhen (Katie) Feng co-leads the team in Shanghai and focuses on IP litigation and enforcing IP rights, while co-head Eugene Low works closely with the mainland team on IP issues from Hong Kong. Grace Guo assists with a mix of contentious and non-contentious trade mark issues. IP protection and enforcement strategies are handled by Yu-An Chang.

With 'an excellent combination of expertise in legal and business', Jones Day‘s IP practice assists multinational clients with IP transactions and inbound and outbound IP litigation, focusing on patent litigation. The firm regularly handles multi-jurisdictional cross-border litigation between mainland China, Hong Kong, the United States and other major jurisdictions. The firm has its own established domestic IP agency in China, enabling it to engage with local agents. Technology and life sciences are areas of particular prowess for the firm. Haifeng Huang co-leads the team from Hong Kong and advises on disputes and IP transactions, while in Shanghai, co-lead Anthony Chen is the go-to for pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients requiring assistance with patent matters including patent linkage issues.

Leading IP boutique Rouse has longstanding expertise in a full range of IP litigation and non-litigation issues, including patent, copyright and trade mark matters. The 'exceptional' team is well-versed in handling patent and trade mark portfolios as well as patent and trade mark invalidation and infringement disputes, IP criminal cases, and standard essential patent prosecution and filing. The firm’s client base largely consists of major international brands and multinational corporations. The sizeable group is based across Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Linda Chang is a trade mark issues expert and resides in Shanghai, while Hatty Cui spearheads the trade mark and brands team from Beijing. In Shanghai, Melanie Zhu is well-versed in handling trade mark portfolios, while Guangzhou-based James Godefroy leads on IP enforcement matters. Over in Beijing, Amanda Yang brings experience in registering non-traditional trade marks and trade mark transactions, while Joshua Mandell advises American and European clients with anti-counterfeiting and trade mark portfolio management.

CMS is known for its expertise in transactions including transactional IP issues which are led out of the firm’s Beijing office. Splitting his time between Beijing and Hong Kong, Jonathan Chu oversees the ‘very commercial and collaborative’ team and is well-versed in IP enforcement, transactions and prosecution. The group advises both domestic and international clients with non-contentious IP issues and also has strong contentious capacities. Shanghai-based ‘Ulrike Glueck assists with trade mark issues. Panpan Tang assists Glueck in Shanghai with trade mark and patent infringements, trade mark portfolio management and trade mark licensing, while Lily Li is noted for advising on IP protection and enforcement. Former Beijing and Hong Kong managing partner Nick Beckett left the firm in April 2024.

Assisting both domestic and international clients in IP litigation and investigations, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP is a strong mainland China-based team for patent, trade mark and trade secret issues. in collaboration with its overseas offices, the group routinely handles cross-border IP disputes for multinational clients. Practice head Xiang Wang is based in Beijing and is skilled in IP litigation and arbitration, patent, copyright, and trade mark infringement. Yufeng (Ethan) Ma resides in Shanghai and excels in patent infringement cases, unfair competition, and investigations.

Based in Beijing, AWA Asia is a notable international IP firm which is adept at a range of non-contentious IP matters, such as IP portfolio management and protection, the enforcement of IP, and managing IP assets. The Beijing office is also a licensed trade mark agency, allowing it to file and enforce trade marks at the China Trademark Office. Practice head Ai-Leen Lim is an expert in IP portfolio management and brand management, while co-lead Xiaofan Chen handles a mix of contentious and non-contentious issues including patent prosecution and patent invalidation and infringement disputes. Ashley Zhao also leads the team and mainly advises multinational companies in the food and beverage, pharmaceutical, and healthcare sectors on brand management.

The IP practice at Clifford Chance LLP combines the expertise of its disputes and commercial lawyers to advise on transactional, contentious, and non-contentious IP issues. The firm is known for its specialism in IP and tech arbitrations, which are key areas of focus of Hong Kong-based practice head Ling Ho. Ho is also well-versed in handling IP aspects of tech deals. Lei Shi splits his time between Shanghai and Beijing and handles patent, trade mark and copyright infringement as well as unfair competition disputes.

Based in Hong Kong, Deacons often advises international clients on IP matters involving mainland China. The ‘excellent’ team has a great track record in IP litigation, handling a mix of trade mark and patent matters. Annie Tsoi helms the IP group and advises Hong Kong and international clients on the protection, enforcement, and exploitation of IP rights. Co-lead Catherine Zheng handles litigation, enforcement and portfolio management for trade marks and copyrights, while Dora Si advises clients on brand protection and anti-counterfeiting strategies.

With broad expertise across a large number of sectors, Mayer Brown‘s IP group is well-positioned to advise clients on their international and Asia IP portfolios and disputes. IP transactions are also a key focus of the team led by Hong Kong-based Gabriela Kennedy. Kennedy is the go-to for tech start-ups and media companies requiring advice on IP policies, IP sharing platforms and other non-contentious IP issues. Also part of the Hong Kong team, Amita Haylock advises software and electronics clients on copyright and patent infringement cases.

Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP centres its IP practice around assisting Chinese clients with securing and protecting their IP rights within China and the United States. Practice heads Shaobin Zhu and Yalei Sun split their time between Silicon Valley, Shenzhen and Beijing, enabling them to advise domestic clients on a wide array of contentious and non-contentious matters. The 'very professional, diligent and high-responsible' team is particularly well-versed in patent litigation, including patent infringement disputes in the tech, life sciences, energy and manufacturing sectors. It also is adept in patent prosecution and post-grant proceedings at the US Patent and Trademark Office.

The intellectual property practice at Morrison Foerster is co-led out of Singapore and Shanghai by technology and IP specialists Gordon Milner and Chuan Sun. The firm is known for its expertise in the life sciences sector, assisting both international and domestic clients in the healthcare, biologics, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices spaces with cross-border IP transactions and IP projects. The team is also well-versed in aiding technology companies on patent and copyright infringement disputes.

K&L Gates focuses on global brand protection and managing trade mark portfolios, as well as handling patent and trade mark litigations and investigations for its domestic and foreign client base. The team is led by Hong Kong-based Jay Chiu, a US-qualified IP litigator who regularly represents Chinese clients in US patent and trade secret litigation. Newly promoted partner Edward Yao advises on IP prosecution, protection and enforcement matters from Beijing, while Winnie Chan assists clients with protecting IP rights from Hong Kong.

Linklaters draws on its strong international network and corporate M&A expertise to advise on transactional IP issues in the technology, life sciences and consumer product industries. The firm also works closely with its joint association Zhao Sheng Law Firm on Chinese IP matters. Alex Roberts directs the group from Shanghai and excels in IP transactions and technology issues. In Singapore, co-lead Adrian Fisher assists with IP issues and Sher Hann Chua is well-versed in contentious and non-contentious IP matters.

The 'very knowledgeable' Hong Kong-based IP group at Norton Rose Fulbright assists clients with IP issues involving China, Hong Kong and the wider Asia region. IP rights acquisition, IP exploitation and licensing and IP enforcement are all major areas of the practice. Justin Davidson spearheads the team and excels in IP and technology matters, supporting both multinational and domestic clients in protecting and exploiting their IP portfolios and assisting with patent litigation.

Perkins Coie assists clients in the automotive, hospitality, food and beverage, consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, and telecom sectors with managing trade mark portfolios, filing and prosecution, as well as with the licensing of trade mark rights in China. The 'diverse and professional' team is also well-equipped to handle patent, copyright and trade secret matters including civil and administrative cases. Scott Palmer helms the practice from Beijing and excels in litigation, prosecution, and IP portfolio management. Working alongside Palmer is Shanghai and Shenzhen-based Louise Lu, who focuses on cross-border patent litigations.

S&O IP is an IP boutique based across Shanghai and Beijing which focuses on enforcement matters within China, handling investigations and raids to combat counterfeit goods. The practice also manages trade mark, copyright and patent matters for its largely brand and consumer goods client base. In Beijing, Sophia Zhang co-leads the team, advising clients on how to protect IP rights, while co-lead Laura Gao who is a Registration Practice Director, assists clients with managing IPR portfolios. Over in Shanghai, Chris Li heads the enforcement group, specialising in on-the-ground and online infringements.