Top China intellectual property firms

Spotlight on China's top IP firms:

Beijing

CCPIT was the first IP law firm in China to serve international clients; it has been doing so since early 1957 and was authorised to do patent work in 1984. The firm boasts a well-established client base and is renowned for its prosecution work. It houses a team of over 450 members and 170 patent and trademark lawyers. Leading partners of the firm are core members of China's major law associations. For example, President Hao Ma and vice-president Tianan Zhang are council members of the All China Patent Agents Association (ACPAA) while partner Zhongqi Zhou is vice-president of China Trademark Association. Other leading lawyers include Qingfa Meng and Chuanhong Long.

Headquartered in Hong Kong, China Patent Agent (HK) has branches in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. The firm handles a large amount of patent and trademark prosecution work, is involved in lawsuits and invalidation proceedings and has participated in the drafting of IP legislation, such as the amendment to the Patent Law and the Implementing Rules.

This year it successfully defended the US pharmaceutical manufacturer Pfizer against patent invalidation proceedings by the Patent Re-examination Board of the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO). The case was filed by a group of local drug makers against Pfizer's Viagra patent. Other clients include Philips, General Motors, GE, Dupont, Ericsson and Merck.