The Legal 500 > Asia Pacific > China > Intellectual property: foreign firms

Baker McKenzie FenXun has a strong expertise in all aspects of portfolio management, technology transfer and licensing transaction, and has the capabilities to assist with IP audits, patent validity issues and infringement litigation. Honghuan Liu spearheads the team's contentious practice from the Beijing office while Clement Ngai focuses on regulatory and transaction issues in the pharmaceutical and technology sectors from the Shanghai office. Maria Smith leads the Hong Kong and regional brand protection and enforcement team and is also a name to note alongside the Beijing-based Andrew Sim whose practice includes domain name, Internet and new technology laws.

Bird & Bird's intellectual property offering in China is spread across its Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong offices and operates under the leadership of Hong Kong-based Matthew Laight. The group has strong capabilities with respects to both advisory mandates and contentious matters. Christine Yiu is a litigation expert who sits in the Shanghai office, while in Beijing Rieko Michishita is particularly well-known for her advice to Japanese clients doing business in China and Hong Kong. Also notable are Hank Leung  who is based in Hong Kong and was recently made partner, and Beijing-based managing associate Dorie Wong who specialises in cross-border protection strategies.

DLA Piper combines its local and regional expertise with its global network to provide a full IP service to its enviable client roster in China and abroad. Based in Beijing, Horace Lam co-heads the firm's Asian intellectual property group and regularly advises on both non-contentious licensing, brand protection and know-how transfer matters, as well as high-profile cross-border litigation. William Fisher sits in the Shanghai office and leads the Chinese patents group. Hong Kong-based Edward Chatterton is also a key name to note.

On top of its general IP advice, Hogan Lovells International LLP provides a dedicated litigation service through its associated Shanghai-based local firm Hogan Lovells Fidelity. Zhen (Katie) Feng specialises in IP litigation and advises clients on protecting and enforcing their IP rights in China from the Shanghai office. The Beijing office features practice co-head Helen Xia and counsel Grace Guo who covers the full gamut of advisory and contentious matters. Also notable is Shanghai-based counsel Yu-An Chang who regularly advises on complex IP and technology-related transactions, and assists multinationals with drafting and negotiating cross-border IP licenses and commercial agreements.

Jones Day's China-based IP practice operates as part of its global offering and primarily focuses on representing multinational companies in their inbound disputes, IP transactions and China portfolio strategy, and representing Chinese companies in outbound litigation. Under the joint leadership of Haifeng Huang, Anthony Chen, both based in Shanghai, and Chiang Ling Li who is based in Hong Kong, the team is particularly known for its contentious capabilities. Also notable in Shanghai is of counsel Guoping Da who advises on enforcement and infringement cases in China and the US.

Deacons' IP team in Beijing is especially well-known for its work regarding trade mark applications, oppositions, invalidation claims and other post-grant procedures directly with the National Intellectual Property Administration. The IP litigation group sits in Hong Kong where practice co-heads Charmaine Koo and Annie Tsoi are based. Catherine Zeng heads the patents and designs group and is another key name in the Hong Kong office alongside Ian Liu and Dora Si. Benjamin Choi recently joined the trade marks practice from Mayer Brown.

Mayer Brown's IP experts handle complex litigation, due diligence and transactions, data privacy matters, franchising and technology-related mandates. The firm's trade mark agency in Beijing enables it to assist its diverse client roster directly with their trade mark needs in China. Hong Kong-based practice head Gabriela Kennedy represents an impressive client roster in the full spectrum of IP matters including name hijacking cases. Rosita Li and counsel Amita Haylock are also noteworthy in Hong Kong. The team lost Benjamin Choi to Deacons.

The team at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP specialises in patent infringement and trade secrets misappropriation litigation cases in the ITC and the US courts, but covers the full gamut of patent and trade mark portfolio management and applications. Its impressive client list includes leading multinationals and Chinese private and SOEs requiring IP counsel regarding a vast array of technologies ranging from software, machinery, semiconductors, automotive and electronics to renewable energy, pharmaceutical and medical devices. Xiang Wang and Shelley Zhang jointly lead the practice from Beijing with Shanghai-based Yufeng (Ethan) Ma.

Simmons & Simmons manages the global or regional trade mark portfolios for several household name brands. In recent years, the team has maintained its longstanding clients in addition to working with a number of new clients. It has a particularly strong practice in invalidation actions against the registration of disputed trade marks. In one highlight, George Chan and key associate Sophie Zhao successfully assisted Johnson & Johnson with an invalidation action against a mark; the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board (TRAB) considered that the co-existence of the disputed mark and Johnson & Johnson’s prior marks on similar goods would cause confusion among relevant consumers.

Noted for its 'legal expertise as well as practical insights', SIPS – Simone Intellectual Property Services balances a varied workload of trade mark portfolio management and IP enforcement, including anti-counterfeiting, online enforcement and trade secrets protection. Headquartered in Hong Kong, the firm has offices in Beijing and Shanghai, and a large proportion of its work involves PRC matters, though it also advises on IP matters in Hong Kong and the region. Managing partner Dan Plane advises leading players in the luxury goods, electronics and pharma sectors; founding partner Joseph Simone  has been active in Hong Kong and the PRC since the 1980s; and the multilingual Helen Tang advises multinational and Asia-based clients on IP prosecution, enforcement and management.

Clifford Chance's Greater China IP practice, led by Ling Ho, handles a range of trade mark, patent and copyright matters, both contentious and non-contentious. The group benefits from the firm's broad office network and expertise in corporate and M&A, technology and dispute resolution. On the transactional side, the team is equipped to advise on the IP aspects of cross-border corporate transactions. In internal developments, Shanghai-based IP litigation specialist Lei Shi made partner in 2019.

From its offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Palo Alto, Morrison & Foerster advises leading players in the tech and life sciences sectors on the IP aspects of corporate and commercial transactions. It particularly stands out for its experience in patent applications and protection. Ancillary areas of expertise include licensing, data privacy and cybersecurity. Gordon Milner and Chuan Sun are among the key partners in the team.

Multinational companies operating in the life sciences, tech and financial services sectors turn to Norton Rose Fulbright for trade mark portfolio management and assistance in IP prosecution, enforcement and litigation. The team also advises on licensing and commercialisation. Practice head Justin Davidson and a team assist pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline with its trade mark prosecution matters and clearance searches for the company's new products. Senior associate Maggie Chong has a broad IP practice that takes in trade marks, domain names, design rights, patents and copyright.

The Hong Kong-based IP team at Stephenson Harwood receives plaudits for its 'exceptional client service' and counts multinational companies from numerous sectors among its clients. Jezamine Fewins specialises in IP litigation and also has a notable track record in representing clients in matters involving the theft of trade secrets and confidential information by employees. Jonathan Chu, who co-heads the practice with Fewins, has a comprehensive IP practice that includes contentious and non-contentious issues.