China

AFD China Intellectual Property Law Office is recommended for contentious and non-contentious IP work. The firm collaborates with its sister law firm Beijing BHTD Law Firm to offer IP disputes and related legal services to clients. Founder Xia Zheng is a key contact in the firm.

Scandinavian IP firm AWA is recommended for IP work in China. The firm’s Beijing office has practitioners who can handle matters before the Chinese IP Office and administrative authorities. CEO and principal counsel Ai-Leen Lim, Xiaofan Chen, Charlie Liu and partner Ashley Zhao are key contacts in the firm. Lim leads the firm’s Asia operations and specialises in brand protection and management. 

CCPIT Patent and Trademark Law Office is highly recommended for trade mark and patent protection work. It has a large team of patent attorneys for different technical fields as well as experienced lawyers to deal with IP disputes. Chuanhong Long succeeded Hao Ma as President of the firm in February 2021. Long specialises in chemistry, material sciences and pharmaceuticals. Ma continues to serve the firm as of counsel and is an expert in patent prosecution and litigation. 

Chang Tsi & Partners can deal with IP protection and disputes in China. Founding partner Spring Chang is a soft IP specialist. Managing partner Simon Tsi and Shenzhen office manager David Lee are key contacts in the firm. Another patent practitioner to note is partner Kim Lu, who understands patent law in China, Taiwan and the United States.

China Patent Agent (HK) is among the well-known IP agencies in China. The firm’s key patent practitioners include Peng Liu, Yanfeng Xiong, and Yuhe Wu. Nan Li and Gang Hu are experienced in dealing with trade mark matters. Xiong is in charge of its patent department. Other notable patent practitioners are Weijun (Wayne) Ma, Ke Ke and Zhigang Sun.

CN-KnowHow IP Group provides IP protection services. The firm’s president Shunxing Xie is a patent attorney who previously worked for CNIPA and specialises in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and food science. Other notable patent practitioners are Jing Zhang, Weijun Qu and Ying Wang.

Chinese law firm Dacheng Law Offices joined Dentons in 2015. This partnership ended in August 2023, when the global law firm announced that Dacheng has become fully separate and independent. Dentons also said that Dacheng will be its preferred firm in mainland China.

Chinese law firm Dacheng Law Offices joined Dentons in 2015. This partnership ended in August 2023, when Dentons announced that Dacheng has become fully separate and independent. Dentons also said that Dacheng will be its preferred firm in mainland China. Dentons is still present in Hong Kong SAR.

DEQI provides IP protection services. The firm has a large team of patent and trade mark professionals. A key contact in the firm is Yanling Zhou, a patent attorney who understands the mechanical and electrical sectors. 

Beijing East IP is recommended for both IP protection and disputes, thanks to its collaboration with sister law firm Beijing East IP Law Firm. Managing partner Jason Wang and partner Yan Zhang are leaders in the firm who specialise in trade mark work. In 2024, the firm merged with Simone Intellectual Property Services (SIPS) to form East IP.

Before the merger, SIPS was known to have experienced legal practitioners for soft IP work, in particular trade mark protection and enforcement. The firm had offices in Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong SAR. The firm’s managing partner is Dan Plane, an IP Star who is qualified in Hong Kong, Australia, and Wisconsin (USA).

Plane is based in the Hong Kong office. He is supported by founder Joe Simone, who heads up the firm’s China practice; Helen Tang, the leader of the Hong Kong practice; and Joshua Miller, who is based in Shanghai. Jimmy Huang Jingwen is an experienced soft IP lawyer leading the firm's trade mark practice. The partners have a strong team of associates and Rising Stars Grace Chen and Mia Chen.

Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner has experienced patent professionals in China. The key contacts are Ningling Wang, Yicong (Eve) Du, Keyi (Alvin) Xu and Lin (Celine) Ming. Wang is the managing partner of the firm’s Shanghai office and specialises in patent protection in the chemicals, pharmaceuticals and medical devices sectors. Du deals with patent work in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology areas. 

Ge Cheng & Co is an IP law firm founded by Bo Ge and David W Cheng. Cheng is a senior patent and trade mark attorney. He was the former vice president of NTD Intellectual Property Attorneys and a senior partner of Jeekai & Partners. 

Han Kun Law Offices’ intellectual property practice has lawyers across offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong SAR handling both contentious and non-contentious matters in China. The firm also has a team of patent attorneys with science and engineering backgrounds. Partners Lili Wu, Xiaowei Wei and Tao Zhang are key patent professionals in the firm. Partners Yan Wang, Wei He and Zhichao Duan are noted for their brand protection and disputes expertise. Another notable soft IP partner is Rui Luo, who understands unfair competition and copyright. 

Herbert Smith Freehills provides IP services in China through its partnership with Kewei known as the Herbert Smith Freehills Kewei Joint Operation. The key contacts in the practice are Nanda Lau, Peng Lei and Weili Zhong. Lei, who was a CNIPA patent examiner, specialises in patent protection and disputes. 

HongFang Law provides intellectual property services through its law firm and IP consulting business. Managing partner Zhang Xu is experienced in IP disputes and enforcement. Partner Nikita Xue and Kevin Xu are notable contacts for infringement actions. 

IntellecPro is an IP boutique noted for its experience in dealing with both contentious and non-contentious soft IP matters. The firm’s managing partner is Qi Hu, who specialises in brand protection, disputes, and licensing. Di Yu and Zhao Tianying lead the firm’s trade mark filing and prosecution practice.

Jeekai & Partners has IP practitioners for patent and trade mark protection work. Quanxin Zhang and Robin Zhao are the key contacts. Zhao has extensive experience in patent prosecution and invalidation matters, with a particular focus in electronics and mechanics. 

Kangxin Partners is recommended for patent and trade mark work. The firm has patent expertise in electronics, chemistry and life sciences, and mechanics. Managing partner Samson G Yu and Gloria Q Wu are the leaders in the firm for trade mark instructions. Partner Guiming Wu and patent practice leader Shirley W Dong are the key contacts for patent matters. 

Lawjay Partners is recommended for IP disputes in China. The firm collaborates with international law firm Bird & Bird on IP litigation in the country. James Luo and Lily Zhang are notable IP lawyers in the firm.

Beijing-based law firm LexField Law Offices is one of the experienced law firms for IP disputes in China. The firm can also advise on patent and trade mark protection. David Huang is the head of the firm’s patent prosecution department. Huang specialises in computer science, medical devices, metallurgy and pharmaceuticals. Founding partner Jan Liu leads the firm’s trade mark practice. 

Lung Tin IP Attorneys is recommended for IP protection and disputes. Partners Jacob Zhang and Qinghong Xu are notable patent professionals in the firm. Xu specialises in patent protection work in the automotive, biotechnology, pharmaceutical and renewable energy sectors. Deland Wu and Di Wu are the partners for trade mark instructions. 

Norton Rose Fulbright’s intellectual property team in China is recommended for soft IP work and transactional matters. Partner Justin Davidson leads the firm’s IP team in China and Hong Kong SAR. He is experienced in advising on both contentious and non-contentious IP and technology law issues across Asia.

Panawell & Partners offers IP protection services in China. Shute Shu Xu, who has a background in engineering and physics, is among the experienced patent attorneys in the firm. William Yang is the key contact for brand protection and disputes, but he can advise on other IP issues including patent disputes. 

Perkins Coie was recommended for IP work in China in the 2024 edition of IP STARS. It offered IP services through Perkins Coie Intellectual Property Agency (Beijing), a firm licensed by CNIPA. In September 2024, it was reported that the firm will close its Beijing office and focus on Shenzhen. Scott Palmer is a key IP practitioner in the Beijing office.

Ropes & Gray’s IP team in China is recommended for contentious and transactional IP issues.  Managing partner Geoffrey Lin is the key contact in the firm for IP.

Simone Intellectual Property Services (SIPS) merged with Chinese IP firm Beijing East IP in 2024 to form East IP. Before the merger, SIPS was known to have experienced legal practitioners for soft IP work, in particular trade mark protection and enforcement.

The firm had offices in Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong SAR. The firm’s managing partner is Dan Plane, an IP Star who is qualified in Hong Kong, Australia, and Wisconsin (USA). Plane is based in the Hong Kong office. He is supported by founder Joe Simone, who heads up the firm’s China practice; Helen Tang, the leader of the Hong Kong practice; and Joshua Miller, who is based in Shanghai. The partners have a strong team of associates, including Doug Berman whose main focus is on trade mark prosecution in PRC China and Rising Star Grace Chen.

Tahota Law Firm is one of the commercial law firms in China with an active IP practice. The firm is recommended for soft IP disputes and transactions work. Li Jingchuan and Wang Xiao are experienced lawyers for IP enforcement, disputes and commercialisation work.  

Intellectual property firm Unitalen Attorneys at Law is one of the leading firms for IP work in China. The firm’s patent protection team covers technical fields such as electrical engineering, computer technology, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, chemistry and mechanical engineering. Partners Yazhou Zhang and Shuchen Wu are among the experienced patent attorneys in the firm. For brand protection and disputes work, the firm can call on partners such as Ray Lei Zhao, Yujing Hou and Chunde Yan. 

Full-service law firm Vivien Chan & Co is recommended for soft IP protection and disputes, particularly trade marks. IP practice leaders Vivien Chan and Anna Mae Koo regularly advise on all areas of IP in China and Hong Kong SAR.

Wanhuida Intellectual Property is recommended for IP disputes and registration work. Its patent team can deal with technical fields such as industrial engineering, pharmaceuticals, computer technology and telecommunications. Founding partner Bai Gang is a respected soft IP practitioner in China. S Sam Li leads the firm’s patent practice, with support from partners Bai Huasheng and Zhang Shuhua. Trade mark mandates are led by partners such as Ren Haiyan, Huang Hui Bai, Gang and He Wei. 

YingKe Law Firm offers IP protection and disputes services. Partner Hong Luand Cheng’en Wang are key contacts for IP disputes. Patent agent Tao Chu is the director of the firm’s IP practice. Other key partners to note are Jinjun Mou, Dongwei Yan, Wei Wang and Junlin Wang. 

Yuhong IP Law Firm was founded by IP Star Dajian Wu, an ex-president of China Patent Agent (HK).He specialises in chemical engineering patent work. Another notable patent attorney is Shelly Zhong, who deals with electronics and electrical engineering work.