Christine Yiu > Bird & Bird > Beijing, China > Lawyer Profile

Bird & Bird
8/F, CHINA WORLD TOWER 1, 1 JIANGUOMENWAI DAJIE
CHAOYANG DISTRICT
BEIJING 100004
China

Work Department

Intellectual Property

Position

Partner

Career

I am an intellectual property partner at Bird & Bird China, based in our Shanghai office. Together with our association law firm Lawjay, we have represented numerous companies in achieving excellent results of IP protection in China.

I have experience in assisting companies to protect their valuable innovations in the form of copyright, data rights, goodwill, trademark, design, as well as utility models and invention patents. I have worked with companies from a wide range of sectors including semiconductor, software, healthcare, chemicals, consumer and retail, and industrial machineries. One unique factor that distinguishes Bird & Bird is that most of our team members have science backgrounds and are certainly not afraid to dive deep into tech – I myself graduated with a first class engineering degree in Electronics & Information Science, and studied biochemistry as part of my science degree curriculum.

I have more than 15 years’ experience in China and handled a number of cross border, high value disputes. Many of our cases achieved results which exceed client expectations and certainly above the average odds, including obtaining landmark damages and preliminary injunctions, and overturning a first instance decision when the client came to us on appeal. Apart from advising on litigation strategies, I also guide companies through other ways of monetarising their innovations via tech deals and licensing transactions. I have worked on a number of M&A projects in which IP due diligence is a core element. I also frequently work with companies in setting up their internal IP policy, localising their IP contracts, and devising the inventor incentive and remuneration programme, all tailored specifically to the IP environments in China.

I am an expert on the competition law issue of FRAND, resulting from the undertakings given by patent owners to various standard setting organisations as part of their IP policies, and I advise our international clients on their development around the world.

Admission

  • Law Society of England & Wales in 2007
  • Law Society of Hong Kong in 2005

Languages

Chinese and English

Education

  • University of Cambridge, Master’s degree, Electrical and Information Science
  • University of Oxford, Postgraduate Diploma, Intellectual Property Law

Lawyer Rankings

China > Intellectual property: foreign firms

(Leading individuals)

Christine YiuBird & Bird

With the experienced duo Christine Yiu (Shanghai) and Hank Leung (Hong Kong) at the helm, Bird & Bird‘s comprehensive offering covers all areas of IP, including trademarks, patents, trade secrets, copyright and designs. The team has an enviable track record in litigation and providing strategic commercial IP advice; the department’s combined sectoral experience encompasses the tech, life sciences, healthcare, retail, consumer goods, media, entertainment and sports (including e-gaming) sectors. In Beijing, Rieko Michishita handles contentious and non-contentious IP matters and is a regular advisor to Japanese companies; Dorie Wong‘s workload includes protection strategies, trademark portfolio management and litigation. Also in Beijing, the firm’s IP consultancy enables the team to conduct trademark and copyright matters before mainland Chinese government departments, including registration and enforcement matters; and through its association with PRC firm Lawjay Partners, it assists with litigation before China’s courts. The Hong Kong-based Asia-Pacific IP group head Matthew Laight is also recommended.