Frank Liu

With around 20 years’ experience, Frank Liu is a senior IP lawyer who heads the IP practice of Shanghai Pacific Legal. Frank specializes in offering a full range of services to clients including IPR registration, protection, management, and dealing with infringement issues as well as working with clients on creating an end-to-end IP strategy.

The IP team he leads has considerable experience serving both multinationals and Chinese enterprises—many of which are longstanding clients—such as Essilor, Cognex, Herbalife Nutrition, Steinway, and Xiaopeng.
During his career, Mr Liu has won numerous high-profile cases. Although obtaining substantial compensation for IP infringement is challenging in China, Frank has helped secure millions of US dollars in compensation in both trademark and patent infringement cases. For instance, the Supreme Court upheld his Fortune 500 client’s claims in a trademark infringement and unfair competition case, which was recognised by China Business Law Journal as “IP deal of the year” in 2013. A utility model infringement case was successfully settled when the defendants agreed to pay $1.5 million in compensation and successfully secure a judgment by a Chinese court to confirm and enforce a $1.7 million of the American Arbitration Association arbitral award.

He has handled more than 100 civil lawsuits and is frequently praised for his excellent trial skills. Before entering private practice, he spent five years working as a court judge. He has been recognized by Chambers, Legal 500, A-list, ALB, Asia IP, World Trademark Review, Who’s Who Legal, Asialaw, and Managing IP etc. for his high level and pragmatic IP solutions.

Year joined firm: 2020

• Case 1: Global IP Strategy for a Chinese Pet Product Innovator  We have assisted the client in establishing and securing intellectual property (IP) rights in key target countries, enabling them to operate in compliance and mitigate IP risks in international markets. The client Maison FurReal is a fashion product designer and manufacturer currently dedicating design and distributes its pet leashes. Their first product—a pet leash featuring innovative fashion designs and functional elements—has won several awards across the world including the GOLD WINEER of 2024 Muse Awards. Our team advised Maison FurReal in its comprehensive global IP strategy and establishing its intellectual property rights of its product in various jurisdictions.   We helped Maison FurReal develop a comprehensive IP strategy aiming to protect its trademark, design and copyrights globally.  We successfully registered the copyright both for its 3D design of pet leash as well as the blueprint of the product.  We are also in charge of executing the strategy by prosecuting its trademark as well as design patents through the Paris Convention and Hague Agreement.  In addition to the Chinese market, the client is expanding its business into several countries, including but not limited to the United States, Japan, South Korea, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. We leveraged priority rights from the Chinese applications to extend IP protection to these jurisdictions. Through close collaboration with local legal professionals, we successfully navigated the examination processes of various national IP offices. We have secured design patents and trademark registrations in the European Union, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and the United States up to now.
• Case 2: Enhancing Patent Strategy: HSBC  HSBC, one of the world’s leading financial institutions, decided to enhance its patent profile and innovation visibility, particularly in the Chinese market. Recognizing the strategic importance of intellectual property in the financial technology sector, HSBC aimed to strengthen and raise its patent profile in the PRC. To support this initiative, our team provided end-to-end assistance in improving and smoothing its internal patent mining and prosecution system in PRC. Our senior associate, Xiaodi Ding, was seconded to HSBC China’s legal department, working closely with their in-house team to optimize patent identification, documentation, and prosecution procedures. Xiaodi also helped HSBC in prosecuting its patent applications in the PRC.   Over the course of one year, and in collaboration with our joint operation partner Norton Rose Fulbright, we successfully expanded HSBC’s patent portfolio in China. This effort not only strengthened HSBC’s innovation footprint but also led to significant recognition: HSBC became the only UK bank ranked in the top 10 of the Evident AI Index, highlighting its leadership in AI-related patent activity.
• Case 3: Building IP Culture: Comprehensive Compliance Program  Our client, a leading Japanese supplier of laboratory instruments, has been a long-term client of our firm, engaging us on a wide range of intellectual property (IP) matters. In response to growing internal needs for IP awareness and compliance, the client initiated a project to develop educational materials aimed at enhancing IP compliance across its business units. The client retained us to lead this initiative. Leveraging our multidisciplinary team of IP professionals—including experts in trademarks, patents, trade secrets, and copyrights—we developed a comprehensive IP Compliance Handbook tailored to client’s operational context. The handbook provides practical guidance and compliance protocols across all major IP domains, serving as a foundational resource for internal education. In addition to delivering the handbook, we collaborated closely with client’s internal IP counsel to organize and execute a successful internal IP compliance seminar. The seminar was designed to engage business unit leaders and operational teams, translating legal concepts into actionable practices and fostering a culture of IP awareness within the organization. The handbook and seminar have empowered internal stakeholders with the knowledge and tools necessary to identify, manage, and mitigate IP risks in their daily operations. The project has significantly strengthened the client’s internal IP governance framework.

• Common Law Training, University of London, 2007 - 2008
• Master's Degree in International Economic Law, Lanzhou University, 2005-2008

• Member of Law Firm Committee (2022-2025) of International Trademark Association (INTA)
• Member of China Britain Law Institute (BCLI)

• PRC Bar, 2001