The Intellectual Property Practice Group

At Zhongzi Law Office, we have built up the largest intellectual property practice in China among general practice firms. The firm's intellectual property practice group (the Group) provides full-range service in all aspects of intellectual property law - counseling, prosecution, enforcement and litigation. The Group's practice encompasses patents, trademarks, copyright, unfair competition, trade secret, trade dress, breeders' rights, integrated circuit layout design, franchising, licensing, intellectual property management and transactions. Our service further extends to other intellectual property and technology-related matters such as advertising, consumers rights, product liability, technical document research and translation, administrative procedures relating to the pipeline product protection of pharmaceuticals and agro-chemicals.

The Group's patent team consists of highly experienced and specialized attorneys with degrees from the country's leading universities and institutes in practically all fields of science and technology, inter alia pharmaceuticals, biotech, chemistry, chemical engineering, telecommunication, computer science, electronics, material science, physics, machinery and mechanical engineering. While actively representing clients in traditional industries, we place emphasis on high-tech areas, namely, life science and healthcare, telecommunication and computer science.

Attorneys of the team have practiced over twenty years and have represented both domestic and foreign clients including world's leading corporations and research institutions. They are keen and experienced in providing patentability counseling, infringement analysis and validity studies and opinions. Senior attorneys of the team are leading experts in patent matters in this country and six of them are members of the Expert Committee of All China Patent Attorneys Association. They have frequently provided consultation in the patent law and practice as well as the examination guidelines for competent authorities.

The Group's trademark team consists of attorneys-at-law and trademark attorneys who received education and training both in China and abroad, and have experiences in representing clients in various industries, including automobile, computer/telecommunication, food and drinks, pharmaceuticals, advertising, entertainment and other industrial and service sectors. They are responsible for trademark and trade name clearance, registration, maintenance, transfer, licensing and enforcement. Attorneys of the team have represented trademark, domain name and related matters of leading domestic, international and multinational corporations and are proactive in assisting clients in enforcing their rights. Attorneys of the team have provided expert opinion in the revision of the trademark law and regulations, and have frequently provided opinions for competent authorities or submit statements on complex trademark matters.

The Group's litigation team provides proactive representation for clients who wish to enforce their rights through administrative and court proceedings. What is particularly notable is the team's combined knowledge of legal procedures and technologies. They themselves are both technical and legal experts who know and well master litigation tactics and strategies and understand key technical issues. Attorneys of the team have successfully assisted many of our clients in enforcing and defending their rights. Over the years, they have accumulated experience, knowledge, expertise and skills that can successfully guide our clients in an uncertain enforcement environment. We are truly proud of their winning capabilities both in and out of the court.

While emphasizing experience, expertise and knowledge of attorneys, we have not underestimate how modern technologies can assist us in perfecting our service to clients. A customized and reliably structured computer system has been in place that greatly facilitates our service to attend to renewals, annuity payments and intellectual property portfolio management.

Members of the Group sit on the Board of China Intellectual Property Society (SIPS), and are directors of Chinese Group of AIPPI. Attorneys of the Group are active members of many international organizations of intellectual property protection, such as INTA, AIPPI and LES. They are frequently invited to give talks or presentations on laws and practices in China. Their articles have been published in numerous publications both at home and abroad.

The Group offers the following services:

• Procurement of patents for inventions, utility models and designs in China and worldwide;
• Attending payment of maintenance fees and annuities;
• Invalidation and appeal proceedings before the Patent Re-examination Board and the People's Courts;
• Patent litigation and enforcement of patents;
• Patentability evaluations, patent validity and infringement studies;
• Patent licensing and technology transfer;
• Counseling and assistance in ADR proceedings;
• Advice and implementation of programs relating to creation, selection, clearance, use, registration and enforcement of trademarks, service marks, business names, trade dress, packaging design, and related matters in China and worldwide;
• Advice and implementation of transfers, licenses and changes of trademarks, trade name, trade dress, packaging design;
• Litigation and enforcement of trademarks, trade name and other related rights;
• Opposition and cancellation proceedings before the Trademark Office and the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board (TRAB);
• Patent and trademark search, watch and surveillance and counterfeit / infringement investigations;
• Registration of integrated circuit layout design;
• Registration of patents and trademarks in Hong Kong;
• Unfair competition; trade secret and confidentiality agreements;
• Counseling and registration of copyright works, including computer software and other works;
• Domain name registration and dispute resolutions;
• Other intellectual property related matters.