Lifecycle Patent Legal Services

We provide legal services across the full patent lifecycle, including:

Mining, Search & Prosecution

Technology mining and portfolio planning; novelty and inventiveness searches, freedom-to-operate (FTO) analysis, patent watch and competitor monitoring, and patent portfolio audits; drafting and prosecution of invention, utility model, and design patents (including SEP drafting in English, PCT international applications, and global filing) and third-party observations; annuity monitoring and rights maintenance.

Reexamination & Invalidation

Reexamination and invalidation proceedings; invalidity searches, technical comparisons, evidence preparation, and legal argumentation; related administrative litigation.

Enforcement & Litigation

Market investigation, evidence collection, and notarization; administrative complaints, customs recordal, and trade-fair / e-commerce takedowns; civil and criminal litigation; SEP licensing and FRAND disputes and cross-border enforcement.

Licensing, Assignment & Commercialization

Commercialization structuring for licensing, assignment, equity contribution, and pledge; agreement drafting, review, and negotiation; patent valuation and royalty structuring; antitrust compliance and technology export.

Representative Cases

Inventions

• Provided full-cycle pre-filing mining, search, and drafting services for a leading domestic internet company, and helped establish an overseas filing and prosecution framework spanning the US, Europe, and Australia, building a global patent portfolio.
• Provided pre-filing search and drafting services, through to grant, for the standard-essential patents of a leading domestic telecommunications-equipment company.
• Represented a well-known UK automotive company in invention-patent prosecution in China, including office-action responses, securing stable protection for its core technology.
• Represented foreign companies in invention-patent filings and office-action responses in Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, achieving patent protection across Greater China.
• Provided third-party observation services at the examination stage for domestic and international applicants, submitting professional opinions on the novelty and inventiveness of third-party patent applications.
• Assisted a famous US toy company with comprehensive FTO search and analysis for a planned production launch in China, helping avoid litigation risk.
• Represented an Italian company in an invention-patent infringement suit against a Shenzhen company; the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court found the products fell within scope and ordered cessation and damages.
• Represented a telecommunications company in an SEP licensing dispute, successfully countering a jurisdictional objection and anti-suit injunction; the client’s objectives were achieved after nearly three years.
• Defended Innolux (Taiwan) against a series of invalidation actions brought by HKC over its LCD invention patents, maintaining validity throughout, with the surviving claims continuing to cover the accused products.

Utility Models

• Handled over one hundred utility model filings for a leading domestic dairy conglomerate, with the fastest grant in as little as two months, aligning with product-launch timelines.
• Represented a listed semiconductor company in a series of utility model filings using a “dual-filing” strategy for near-term rights and long-term protection.
• Represented a footwear company in a utility-model infringement case against a Quanzhou company, obtaining a favorable judgment.
• Represented a pharmaceutical group in a utility-model infringement suit against a Hebei pharmaceutical company; infringement was found at first instance and the defendant withdrew its appeal.

Designs

• Represented Human Horizons in the "Automobile" design patent invalidation case arising from its cross-border IP litigation series with Renault; the case was selected by the CNIPA as one of the Top 10 Patent Reexamination and Invalidation Cases of 2022.
• Represented Human Horizons in the administrative litigation concerning the invalidation of the "Automobile" design patent; the final judgment was included in the Supreme People's Court Intellectual Property Court's Summary of Adjudication Points (2024).
• Acted for a renowned international sanitaryware brand in over 50 design patent infringement lawsuits nationwide, with infringement confirmed and damages awarded in every case.
• Represented a renowned smartphone brand in a design patent infringement case against a Shenzhen company, obtaining a favorable judgment.

Inventions

Invention patents offer the broadest, most stable, and most powerful protection—covering products, methods, and uses, with a term of up to twenty years. Subject to substantive examination and a higher bar for novelty and inventiveness, they form the most robust legal barrier around a company’s core technology.

Chang Tsi’s invention patent team combines deep technical expertise with legal insight: our practitioners broadly hold degrees in science or engineering, with hands-on experience across electronics, mechanics, telecommunications, biology, pharmaceuticals, and chemistry; over one-third are dual-qualified as lawyers and patent attorneys, and the team includes former senior judges and CNIPA examiners. Organized into specialist groups along these technical fields, we work in English, Japanese, Korean, and German.

We provide legal services across the full invention-patent lifecycle—from technology mining, search & analysis, and prosecution (including PCT international applications and national-phase entry in major jurisdictions, and SEP drafting in English) through reexamination, invalidation, infringement litigation, and licensing—helping clients build stable, enforceable patent assets around their core technology. Our clients range from Fortune Global 500 companies and leading research universities to technology-driven SMEs and top Chinese enterprises.

Service Scope

We provide full-lifecycle legal services for invention patents:

• Technology mining and portfolio planning; combined invention + utility model + design protection and a “dual-filing” strategy
• Overarching protection strategy and global portfolio aligned with R&D and business models
• Novelty and inventiveness searches, validity analysis, and freedom-to-operate (FTO) analysis
• Patent watch and competitor monitoring; patent portfolio audits and diagnostics
• Invention drafting and office-action responses (product, method, and use claims; SEP drafting in English) and third-party observations
• PCT international applications and national-phase entry in major jurisdictions; global portfolio management and annuity maintenance
• Reexamination and invalidation proceedings; invalidity searches, technical comparisons, evidence, and argumentation
• Administrative litigation arising from reexamination or invalidation
• Infringement investigation, evidence collection, and notarization
• Civil litigation on product and method patents (doctrine of equivalents, injunctions, damages) and criminal proceedings
• SEP licensing and FRAND disputes, anti-suit-injunction responses, and cross-border enforcement
• Licensing, assignment, equity contribution, and pledge structuring; valuation, royalty design, and antitrust compliance

Representative Cases

Mining, Search, Application & Prosecution

• Provided full-cycle pre-filing mining, search, and drafting services for a leading domestic internet company, and helped establish an overseas filing and prosecution framework spanning the US, Europe, and Australia, building a global patent portfolio.
• Provided pre-filing search and drafting services, through to grant, for the standard-essential patents of a leading domestic telecommunications-equipment company.
• Represented a well-known UK automotive company in invention-patent prosecution in China, including office-action responses, securing stable protection for its core technology.
• Represented foreign companies in invention-patent filings and office-action responses in Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, achieving patent protection across Greater China.
• Provided competitor patent watch services for an automotive-parts manufacturer, continuously tracking new filings in key technology areas to inform the client's R&D planning and patent strategy.
• Provided patent portfolio audit services for a consumer-products manufacturer, assessing the quantity, quality, and commercial value of its patent portfolio to support investment, M&A, and licensing negotiations.

Enforcement & Litigation

• Represented an Italian company in an invention-patent infringement suit against a Shenzhen company; the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court found the defendant’s products fell within the patent’s scope and ordered cessation of infringement and damages.
• Represented a German engineering-technology company in an invention-patent infringement suit against a Haicheng company; the Shenyang Intermediate People’s Court found the defendant’s products infringed both the method and product patents.
• Represented a telecommunications company in an SEP licensing dispute, successfully countering the opposing party’s jurisdictional objection and anti-suit injunction; after nearly three years, the client’s litigation objectives were achieved.
• Represented a US company in a series of trademark, unfair-competition, and patent-infringement actions against a Shanghai company; successfully resisted the defendant’s invalidation requests and concluded the matter by court mediation.
• Defended a state-owned enterprise as respondent in four patent-ownership disputes; by persuading the panel and technical investigator that the technical solutions differed, we achieved full victory.

Reexamination & Invalidation

• Defended Innolux (Taiwan) against HKC’s successive invalidation actions over several of its LCD invention patents, maintaining the patents’ validity in every proceeding, with the surviving claims continuing to cover the accused products.
• Defended a Foxconn subsidiary and Amazon against 50+ infringement suits filed by an overseas NPE over smart-home patents; by locating prior art, we invalidated the NPE’s broadest claims, removing the infringement threat and establishing strong non-infringement defenses across multiple cases.

Search & Due Diligence

• Assisted a famous US toy company with comprehensive FTO search and analysis ahead of a planned production launch in China, helping avoid litigation risk.
• Conducted IP due diligence in a US company’s acquisition of a major domestic food-equipment manufacturer, assessing the quantity, quality, and revenue contribution of the target’s patents.

Annuity, Consulting & Licensing

• Help hundreds of clients manage their Chinese patent portfolios, including status monitoring and annuity payments.
• Drafted and revised patent-license agreements and led negotiations for a famous US toy company regarding its licensing matters in China.

Mining, Search & Prosecution

At the rights-acquisition stage for invention patents, we help clients identify patentable solutions from R&D outputs, run searches, risk analysis, patent watch, and portfolio audits up front to assess grant prospects, infringement risk, and portfolio quality, and then secure stable, robust grants through high-quality drafting and prosecution. Because invention patents undergo substantive examination against a higher inventiveness bar, we pay particular attention to claim architecture and stability across product, method, and use claims.

Scope of Services

• Identify patentable innovations from R&D outputs and plan combined invention + utility model + design protection and a “dual-filing” strategy
• Develop overarching patent protection strategies and global portfolios tailored to clients’ R&D and business models
• Conduct novelty and inventiveness searches, validity analysis, and freedom-to-operate (FTO) analysis to identify infringement risks
• Provide patent watch, competitor patent monitoring, patent landscape analysis, and industry-trend interpretation
• Conduct patent portfolio audits and diagnostics, assessing the quantity, quality, and commercial value of existing patent assets
• Handle the full application and prosecution process: technical disclosure, patentability assessment, claims drafting (product / method / use), and office-action responses; SEP drafting in English; drafting third-party observations
• Handle PCT international applications and national-phase entry in major jurisdictions, coordinating global agent networks for progress and official communications
• Annuity monitoring, payment, and rights-maintenance management

Reexamination & Invalidation

Because invention patents are substantively examined, reexamination following a rejection is common; meanwhile, invalidity attacks and defenses around granted invention patents often turn on complex technical facts and legal issues. We help clients challenge improperly granted rights, reassess rejected applications, or defend their core patents against invalidation—safeguarding the stability of the right.

Scope of Services

• Handle reexamination proceedings following invention refusals and respond to office actions
• Represent clients in invalidation proceedings (filing and defending) on novelty, inventiveness, sufficiency of disclosure, claim support, and amendments beyond scope
• Provide invalidity searches, technical comparisons, evidence preparation, and legal argumentation, including expert and experimental evidence where needed
• Handle administrative litigation arising from reexamination or invalidation
• Defend against bad-faith or litigation-driven invalidation attacks to safeguard core patent stability

Enforcement & Litigation

Invention patents offer the broadest scope—covering both products and methods and benefiting from the doctrine of equivalents in infringement analysis—delivering the greatest deterrence and damages potential. We bring extensive enforcement and litigation experience, with an in-house investigation company supporting lead identification and evidence collection, a dispute-resolution team mostly dual-qualified as lawyers and patent attorneys, and particular strength in SEP and cross-border litigation in telecommunications and software.

Scope of Services

• Market investigation, evidence collection, and notarization; preliminary infringement analysis and enforcement recommendations
• Cease-and-desist letters, administrative complaints, and trade-fair / e-commerce takedowns
• Civil litigation on product and method patents, including doctrine of equivalents, preliminary injunctions, asset and evidence preservation, and damages claims
• SEP licensing and FRAND rate disputes, and responses to jurisdictional objections and anti-suit injunctions
• Administrative litigation on refusal or invalidation decisions; criminal proceedings for serious patent counterfeiting
• Cross-border enforcement; enforcement negotiations, settlement, or defense against counterclaims and invalidation

 Licensing, Assignment & Commercialization

Invention patents carry the highest asset value and are the core subject of licensing, cross-licensing, patent pools, and technology export. We help clients monetize and enhance the value of their technology assets through licensing negotiations, agreement drafting, pricing and royalty structuring, and cross-border arrangements, with dedicated support on SEP licensing and antitrust compliance.

Scope of Services

• Design commercialization structures for licensing, assignment, equity contribution, and pledge
• SEP licensing, patent-pool operation, and cross-licensing arrangements
• Draft, review, and negotiate license, assignment, and joint-development agreements
• Patent valuation and royalty-distribution mechanism design
• Handle assignment registration, license recordal, and pledge registration; resolve ownership and service-invention disputes
• Facilitate technology export and investment matching, with antitrust-compliance advice

Utility Models

Utility model patents protect new, practical technical solutions relating to the shape, structure, or their combination of a product. Requiring only preliminary examination, they are granted quickly and cost-effectively, with a ten-year term—making them especially well suited to technology-driven companies with rapid product-iteration cycles that need expedited protection.

Chang Tsi's utility model patent team combines deep technical expertise with legal insight: our practitioners broadly hold degrees in science or engineering, with hands-on experience across electronics, mechanics, telecommunications, biology, pharmaceuticals, and chemistry; over one-third are dual-qualified as lawyers and patent attorneys, and the team includes former senior judges and CNIPA examiners, working in English, Japanese, Korean, and German. Drawing on the firm's patent and litigation practice lines and 20+ in-house investigators supporting evidence collection and enforcement, we provide full-chain legal services for utility model patents across Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan (including Hong Kong short-term patents, Macau utility patents, and Taiwan utility model patents) for enterprises, research institutes, and individual inventors—spanning the full lifecycle from technology mining, search and analysis, and prosecution through reexamination, invalidation, enforcement, and licensing and assignment.

We are particularly experienced in combining utility models with invention and design patents through strategies such as "dual-filing" to build multi-layered protection systems; and, ahead of enforcement, we help clients obtain and deploy the "Patent Evaluation Report" to lay a foundation for fast, robust enforcement and litigation.

Service Scope

We provide full-lifecycle legal services for utility model patents:

• Technology mining and portfolio planning, using a “dual-filing” strategy to file invention and utility model in parallel
• Overarching protection strategy aligned with R&D and business models
• Full-process utility model applications: disclosure, patentability assessment, claims drafting, and prosecution, targeting expedited grants
• Novelty searches, validity analysis, and FTO analysis; patent watch and competitor monitoring and industry-trend interpretation
• Conduct patent portfolio audits and diagnostics, assessing the quantity, quality, and commercial value of existing utility model assets
• Obtain and deploy the CNIPA Patent Evaluation Report before enforcement to assess rights stability
• Reexamination and invalidation proceedings; invalidity searches, comparisons, and argumentation; related administrative litigation
• Infringement investigation, evidence collection, and notarization
• Administrative complaints, customs recordal, and trade-fair / e-commerce takedowns
• Civil litigation (injunctions, asset preservation, damages), managing the risk of invalidation raised during litigation
• Licensing, assignment, equity contribution, and pledge structuring; valuation and royalty design
• Annuity monitoring, payment, and rights-maintenance management

Representative Cases

Prosecution & Expedited Grant

• Advised a leading German beverage-packaging-equipment group on over forty utility model filings in China, with recent cases consistently granted within eight to twelve months, providing ongoing protection for the client’s core equipment technologies.
• Retained by a major US consumer-goods group to handle utility model filings across multiple brands and product lines, including kitchen appliances and outdoor products, with tailored filing strategies enabling efficient patent protection in China.
• Handled over one hundred utility model filings for a leading domestic dairy conglomerate, covering production equipment and packaging structures, with the fastest grant achieved in as little as two months—aligning with the client’s product-launch timelines.
• Represented a publicly listed semiconductor company in a series of utility model filings covering computing architectures and data-processing devices, employing a “dual-filing” strategy to secure near-term rights via utility models and long-term protection via co-pending invention applications.

Enforcement & Litigation

• Represented a footwear company in a utility-model infringement case against a Quanzhou company, obtaining a favorable judgment.
• Represented a pharmaceutical group in a utility-model infringement suit against a Hebei pharmaceutical company; the first-instance court found infringement and liability, and the defendant withdrew its appeal.

Reexamination & Invalidation

• Defended Innolux (Taiwan) against HKC’s invalidation actions over a “display panel” utility model, maintaining the patent’s validity in both proceedings.
• Defended the China Academy of Railway Sciences against two invalidation actions brought by a competitor over its “damped metallic railway noise-barrier” utility model, maintaining all claims through detailed argumentation on the drawings and technical features.

Mining, Search & Prosecution

At the rights-acquisition stage for utility models, we help clients identify product shape and structure solutions suited to utility-model protection, search up front to assess grant and infringement risk, and secure expedited grants through high-quality drafting. Because utility models undergo only preliminary examination and grant quickly, we make particular use of the “dual-filing” strategy—filing an invention and a utility model on the same day to obtain fast utility-model protection while the invention pursues long-term stable protection.

Scope of Services

• Identify product shape/structure innovations suited to utility-model protection and plan combined invention + utility model + design protection
• Develop overarching protection strategies and a “dual-filing” strategy tailored to clients’ R&D and business models
• Conduct novelty searches, validity analysis, and freedom-to-operate (FTO) analysis to identify infringement risks
• Provide patent watch, competitor patent monitoring, patent landscape analysis, and industry-trend interpretation
• Conduct patent portfolio audits and diagnostics, assessing the quantity, quality, and commercial value of existing utility model assets
• Handle the full application process: technical disclosure, patentability assessment, claims drafting, and preliminary-examination responses, targeting expedited grants
• Handle utility models in Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan (Hong Kong short-term patents, Macao utility patents, Taiwan utility model patents) and overseas filings via the Paris Convention
• Annuity monitoring, payment, and rights-maintenance management

Reexamination & Invalidation

Because utility models undergo only preliminary examination, their stability is often tested in invalidation proceedings, which frequently become the decisive battleground in enforcement and defense. We help clients obtain the Patent Evaluation Report to assess stability, challenge improperly granted rights, or defend their patents against invalidation—and gauge stability before enforcing.

Scope of Services

• Assist in obtaining the Patent Evaluation Report from CNIPA to assess rights stability and enforcement prospects
• Handle reexamination proceedings following utility model refusals and respond to office actions
• Represent clients in invalidation proceedings (filing and defending) on novelty, inventiveness, and claim clarity and support
• Provide invalidity searches, technical comparisons, evidence preparation, and legal argumentation
• Handle administrative litigation arising from reexamination or invalidation; defend against litigation-driven invalidation attacks

Enforcement & Litigation

Utility models grant quickly and can be enforced promptly, but because they are not substantively examined, courts and enforcement authorities generally require the patentee to submit a Patent Evaluation Report as evidence of validity, and defendants frequently counter with invalidation. We are experienced at coordinating report submission, stability assessment, and multi-pronged enforcement to deliver optimal outcomes, with end-to-end evidence support from our in-house investigation company.

Scope of Services

• Market investigation, evidence collection, and notarization for utility-model infringement
• Assist in obtaining and submitting the Patent Evaluation Report; prepare preliminary infringement analysis and enforcement recommendations
• Cease-and-desist letters, administrative complaints, and trade-fair / e-commerce takedowns
• Civil litigation, including preliminary injunctions, asset and evidence preservation, and damages claims
• Coordinate the risk and response strategy for invalidation raised during litigation
• Cross-border enforcement; enforcement negotiations, settlement, or defense against

Licensing, Assignment & Commercialization

We help clients commercialize their utility model patents through licensing negotiations, agreement drafting, pricing-model development, and cross-border arrangements. Fast and cost-effective to obtain, utility models are especially useful in combination with invention and design patents to create quick market barriers and negotiating leverage.

Scope of Services

• Design commercialization structures for utility models, including licensing, assignment, equity contribution, and pledge
• Draft, review, and negotiate license, assignment, and joint-development agreements
• Assist in patent valuation and royalty-distribution mechanism design
• Handle assignment registration, license recordal, and pledge registration
• Resolve ownership disputes and service-invention conflicts
• Facilitate technology cooperation, technology export, and investment matching

Designs

Chang Tsi's design patent team comprises over 20 professionals—partners, patent counsels, patent attorneys, lawyers, and draftsmen—with team members averaging more than ten years of professional experience. We provide comprehensive, one-stop legal services for design patents, spanning the full lifecycle from mining, filing strategy and drawing, and search & analysis through reexamination, invalidation, administrative and civil litigation, enforcement, and licensing and assignment, complemented by training, annuity monitoring, and market monitoring and investigation.

The design team draws on Chang Tsi's deep patent and litigation resources—including former CNIPA examiners, members dual-qualified as lawyers and patent attorneys, and 20+ in-house investigators—to coordinate the optimal approach across design mining and layout, expedited grant, and effective enforcement; the team's design patent grant rate exceeds 96%, well above the industry average.

Over the past two decades, the firm has helped clients secure tens of thousands of design patents across industries including automotive, food and beverage, home appliances, apparel and footwear, and equipment manufacturing; our clients range from Fortune Global 500 companies to international startups and Chinese enterprises of all sizes. Our design services cover major jurisdictions worldwide, with particular strength in Greater China, Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan, and Asia, and extend to filings across Europe, the Americas, and Australia—ensuring comprehensive global protection of clients' designs.

Service Scope

We provide full-lifecycle legal services for design patents:

• Design mining and portfolio planning across core and variant designs, with “one-to-many” protection
• Prior art and design searches and analysis, infringement comparison, and freedom-to-operate (FTO) assessment
• Patent alerts on competitors’ new products
• Design patent portfolio audits and diagnostics
• Full-cycle design patent prosecution  including drawing, filing and office action responses
• Global filing strategy under Paris Convention and Hague System, including multi-jurisdictional prosecution management, and annuity monitoring
• Asia Hub — coordinated IP management across Asian jurisdictions
• Full-cycle reexamination and related administrative litigation
• Full-cycle patent invalidation (filing and defense), and related administrative litigation
• Market monitoring, infringement investigation, and evidence collection
• Customs recordal, training, and seizure
• Trade-fair investigations, notarization, and administrative complaints
• Online takedowns
• Patent administrative adjudication proceedings
• Design patent litigation including injunctions, infringement determinations, damages claims
• Cross-border enforcement actions on platforms such as Amazon
• Design patent licensing, assignment, and negotiation; design valuation and royalty structuring
• Compliant deployment in brand licensing and cross-industry collaboration

Representative Cases

Reexamination & Invalidation

• Represented Human Horizons in the "Automobile" design patent invalidation case arising from its cross-border IP litigation series with Renault; the case was selected by the CNIPA as one of the Top 10 Patent Reexamination and Invalidation Cases of 2022.
• Represented Human Horizons in the administrative litigation concerning the validity of the "Automobile" design patent; the final judgment was included in the Supreme People's Court Intellectual Property Court's Summary of Adjudication Points (2024).
• Successfully invalidated multiple design patents of Chinese imitators on behalf of a multinational client, strongly supporting subsequent enforcement.
• Filed invalidation requests against Chinese imitators’ design patents for an international hotel chain, achieving 100% success.
• Assisted a foreign enterprise in invalidating competitors’ design patents in China, clearing the way for enforcement.
• In design patent infringement litigation for a renowned international sanitaryware brand, successfully invalidated the counterclaimed patents, facilitating the lawsuit’s progress.
• Filed design patent invalidation requests on behalf of a multinational client to protect trademark rights and safeguard brand interests.

Customs Recordal

• Assisted a multinational client in recording design patents with Chinese customs, effectively preventing import and export of infringing products.
• Completed customs patent recordal for an international enterprise, blocking circulation of infringing goods.

Online Takedowns

• Filed online takedowns for a Fortune 500 company, successfully removing infringing products from platforms.
• Filed online takedowns for an international enterprise, resulting in removal of infringing products.
• Administrative Adjudications & Trade-Fair Complaints
• Represented a well-known landscaping-tools brand in administrative adjudications against multiple infringers at the Nanjing and Dongguan IP Offices, obtaining favorable rulings and quickly stopping infringement.
• Filed trade-fair complaints for a Fortune 500 company against multiple infringers at industry exhibitions, successfully removing infringing products.
• During the Canton Fair, filed trade-fair complaints for a multinational client against multiple infringers, achieving removal of infringing products.

Civil Litigation

• Represented an automotive company in a design patent infringement lawsuit, winning at both first and second instance.
• Represented a leading sanitaryware brand in a design patent infringement case; the Shenyang Intermediate Court found infringement and awarded substantial damages, with compensation collected via interim property preservation.
• Filed multiple design patent infringement lawsuits for a top sanitaryware brand, securing victories; several cases were recognized as typical cases of the year by the Zhongshan, Wenzhou, and Shenyang courts.
• Represented a Fortune 500 company in design patent infringement litigation; under court facilitation, the parties reached a comprehensive settlement, with the defendant ceasing infringement, compensating losses, and committing not to infringe again.
• Represented a renowned smartphone brand in a design patent infringement case in Shenzhen, achieving a favorable judgment.
• Assisted a foreign enterprise in suing domestic manufacturers for design patent infringement; the court ordered cessation and damages, which were successfully enforced.
• Represented a multinational client in a design patent infringement case against a Guangdong enterprise, obtaining a favorable judgment that safeguarded competitive advantage.

Mining, Search & Prosecution

At the rights-acquisition stage for design patents, we provide integrated legal services covering design mining and portfolio planning, search and analysis, application drafting, and global filing. We help clients identify protectable design elements, search up front to assess grant and infringement risk, then ensure applications meet examination standards in China and key foreign jurisdictions through professional drafting and drawing preparation, and plan and execute global filing strategies under the Paris Convention or the Hague Agreement.

Scope of Services

• Identify visual innovation elements and protectable design features; build core-plus-variant protection strategies, including “one-to-many” portfolios
• Develop phased filing plans aligned with product and commercialization timelines; integrate into R&D with design review and reporting mechanisms
• Conduct novelty searches and prior-design analysis; provide infringement comparison, ownership investigation, and freedom-to-operate (FTO) assessment
• Monitor and issue watch alerts on competitors’ new product designs and prosecution status; interpret industry design trends
• Conduct design patent portfolio audits and diagnostics, assessing the quantity, quality, and commercial value of existing design assets
• Draft applications meeting China and key foreign jurisdiction requirements; review drawing quality and draft brief descriptions and design highlights
• Respond to office actions with corrections, arguments, or reexamination requests; help build internal drawing-management and documentation processes
• Develop stepwise global filing plans; handle Paris Convention priority claims and Hague Agreement international registrations; coordinate global agent networks
• Provide global annuity payments, status monitoring, and risk alerts

Reexamination & Invalidation

In response to office actions and refusal decisions, we provide professional counter-strategies such as drawing amendments, argument preparation, and reexamination petitions to secure grants for our clients’ designs during prosecution. We also represent clients in design patent invalidation proceedings—both filing invalidation requests to challenge improperly granted rights and defending clients’ own patents against invalidation attacks—to safeguard the stability of design rights.

Scope of Services

• Handle reexamination filings and amendments following design patent refusals
• Analyze invalidation challenges and prepare response strategies and technical amendments
• Prepare drawing-comparison materials and provide expert opinions on visual differences
• File or defend against design patent invalidation petitions
• Represent clients in administrative litigation arising from reexamination or invalidation

Enforcement & Litigation

We bring extensive experience in design patent enforcement and litigation, supported by a dedicated in-house investigation team that plays a critical role in identifying infringement leads and gathering evidence. Our patent dispute-resolution team is comprised primarily of attorneys dual-qualified as both lawyers and patent attorneys. Each year we handle a high volume of matters involving evidence collection, customs recordal, cease-and-desist letters, platform-based infringement complaints, administrative enforcement, administrative litigation on patent grant and validity, civil infringement litigation, and ownership disputes—specializing in tailored enforcement strategies that deliver optimal outcomes through coordinated, multi-pronged approaches.

Scope of Services

• Conduct market investigations and collect evidence of infringement for design patents
• Provide preliminary infringement analysis and enforcement-strategy recommendations
• Issue cease-and-desist letters, file administrative complaints, and assist with trade-fair and e-commerce platform takedowns and regulatory enforcement
• Represent clients in civil litigation concerning design patent infringement, including injunctions and damages claims
• Assist with customs IP protection filings and combat cross-border infringement
• Engage in enforcement negotiations and settlement, or respond to counterclaims and invalidation challenges

Licensing, Assignment & Commercialization

We assist clients in commercializing their design patents through strategic licensing negotiations, customized agreement drafting, pricing-model development, and cross-border deployment—enabling effective monetization and maximizing the global value of design assets.

Scope of Services

• Design commercialization strategies including licensing, collaboration, and joint-development models
• Draft, review, and negotiate license and assignment agreements for design rights
• Assist in evaluating design value and structuring royalty-distribution mechanisms
• Handle negotiation and settlement agreements related to design enforcement
• Support compliant deployment of designs in brand licensing, cross-industry collaboration, and product authorization