Asialaw Profiles
The Guide to the legal markets of the Asia-Pacific

With high profile clients including Starbucks, LVMH and The Body Shop, the China IP practice of Baker & McKenzie regularly features on award-winning matters. Notable deals include acting for Nokia on various design infringement injunctions. One involved a mobile handset factory in Shenzhen, which was violating design patent rights. On behalf of Nokia, Bakers requested a permanent injunction and compensation of Rmb1 million. The firm’s IP team boasts names such as Maria Smith and Loke Khoon Tan and senior partner Winston Zee.

Bird & Bird is regularly recognised for its patent work in China, particularly in pharmaceutical patents. Its client base spans sectors such as life sciences, electronics, consumer products, apparel, retail and music. Key work over the last year includes advising Motorola on enforcement raids and criminal court action against infringers in China, and acting for Nokia on patent litigation matters involving Qualcomm. The firm recently opened an office in Shanghai, which will focus on a range of corporate matters – including IP – under Shirley Kwok. China head Matthew Laight advises on all aspects of IP law, both contentious and non-contentious. The firm also recently welcomed former Motorola senior IP counsel for North Asia James Luo to its Beijing office. Luo will head up the Asian IP enforcement practice.

Lovells is regularly ranked in the top tier for IP in China, with its practice able to handle cross-border and domestic litigation enforcement, as well as technology transfer, licensing and other non-contentious matters. The firm’s particular strength is in patent litigation and counseling. Douglas Clark heads up the firm’s practice in Shanghai and is co-chair of the European Chamber of Commerce IPR Working Group in China and a member of the Asian Patent Attorney’s Association and INTA. He has advised Sony Computer, Nintendo and Microsoft on anti-circumvention cases, including obtaining simultaneous search and seizure orders and asset freezing orders. Beijing-based IP head Horace Lam acted for a large international agrochemical company to take civil, criminal and administrative IP protection and enforcement actions in China.

Rouse’s work over the last 12 months includes acting on a US-Chinese investigation against a mainland Chinese group that produced and sold pirated Microsoft and Symantec software. The firm also represented the International Federation of Phonographic Industry in its lawsuit against Yahoo! China for online copyright infringement. The lawsuit was filed in January 2007 with the first instance judgments made in April of that year in favour of the federation. The Beijing High People’s Court has since upheld the judgments and held Yahoo! China liable. China country manager Luke Minford has a wide range of experience dealing with IP protection and enforcement. Shanghai-based Elliot Papageorgiou has prominent German clientele in China, with special focus on IP litigation.

Wilkinson & Grist has announced a number of new client wins in the last 18 months, as well as a 10% increase in the number of cases it has handled. The firm’s key clients include Exxon Mobile, Matsushita and Bloomberg and for the latter it successfully prevented two Chinese companies from using a name similar to Bloomberg’s Chinese name. Other notable cases include the successful prosecution in a Chengdu court of criminals making counterfeit spirits on behalf of several spirits producers. And the firm successfully obtained judgments restraining parties in Beijing, Shandong and Fujian from imitating a client’s well-known device mark used on sports shoes. Leading IP practitioners include Liven Yang, Jack Zhu, Jean Wang, Lilian Shi and William Zhao.