Leslie Xu
Counsel Attorney at Law Head of Shanghai Office

Dr. Leslie Xu is the head of Shanghai office. He has been focusing on intellectual property (IP) related practice and research since 2013. His practice areas cover the overall strategy of IP prosecution and enforcement, trademark and copyright infringement litigation and non-litigation dispute resolution, IP administrative protection, IP due diligence, IP licensing, online IP protection, domain name dispute resolution, anti-unfair competition, antitrust, etc. The sectors he serves include consumption and retail, manufacturing, leisure and catering, industry, technology, finance, energy, advertising, etc.

Dr. Xu has helped many clients, including Fortune 500 companies and start-ups, to formulate comprehensive IP protection strategies, and helped clients maintain IP rights in China through administrative, judicial channels, and beyond. During his work in Germany, he assisted several large Chinese companies in investment projects in Germany and Europe and provided local IP-related legal services. In addition, he has also provided IP due diligence services for investment and M&A projects of many well-known multinational companies, as well as filed applications for antitrust review of simple cases of concentration of undertakings. 

Dr. Xu is a Humboldt Scholar and postdoctoral researcher. He was once sponsored by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange and ECUPL and engaged in academic research at the University of Warsaw and UC Berkeley. He was also awarded the 2021/22 German Chancellor Fellowship of Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and involved in academic research at the renowned Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition as a guest researcher. Much of his research output and interests focus on IP law’s implications for society. He is particularly proficient in trademark law and is familiar with US, EU, and German trademark law.

 

+86 21 6168 2668
Antitrust & Unfair Competition / Copyright & Domain Name / Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Shanghai

Years with IP Matters

Since 2014

Professional Experiences

  • Visiting Lawyer, Boehmert & Boehmert, Munich, Germany
  • Associate, Shanghai Pacific Legal (Partnering with Norton Rose Fulbright), Shanghai, China
  • Associate, Chang Tsi & Partners, Shanghai, China

Representative Cases

  • Represented many multinational corporations like The Home Depot, Johnson Controls, Four Seasons Hotels, Honeywell, Guinness World Records, etc., through administrative protection, customs protection, C&D letters, online complaints, civil litigation, negotiation, and other channels to effectively stop infringements;
  • Provided full-range services for Johnson Controls to protect their well-known brands in fields such as temperature control, machinery, energy, etc., assisting with trademark portfolio management, including filing and IP due diligence, domain name disputes, internet infringement protection, etc.;
  • Represented Charles Schwab in conducting annual market checks in China and effectively protected client’s rights through online & onsite investigations, C&D letters, and complaints to the Hong Kong Company Registry;
  • Represented Iconix Brand Group to defend against trademark squatter before Chinese customs, effectively promoting the smooth export of OEM products, avoiding high direct losses, and reducing future risk;
  • Represented a multinational frozen food company in safeguarding their core business interests in China through filing, cancellation, litigation, negotiation, and signing of agreements, etc.;
  • Represented a Chinese technology company to file a series of civil litigations against copyright infringers and obtained several favorable judgments, and successfully applied for enforcement;
  • Represented a US retail company filed a trademark infringement and unfair competition litigation with a local court against a domestic company and got a favorable judgment;
  • Represented a North American start-up to seize back its domain names, launch its Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise and website in China, and establish all-round IP management and protection system;
  • Represented a European company in the industry of flavor and fragrance materials to secure its rights over its key marks, which a local company preempts, stop the abuse of logos and copyrighted images and false statements, and seize back the trademarks amicably and cost-effectively;
  • Represented several European and Asian corporations in a series of merger control review procedures for M&A transactions in Asia and worldwide.

Publication

  • (In English) New Trends, New Possibilities: A Comment on the Proposed Fifth Amendment to China’s Trade Mark Law, GRUR International - Journal of European and International IP Law, Volume 72, Issue 10 2023; 
  • (In English) Fighting against COVID-19 Related Trademark Applications: How China Reversed the Trend? China Intellectual Property (English version), Issue 98, 2020; 
  • Changes in the US Trademark Registration Examining Standard for Offensive Marks and its Inspiration: A Discussion Starting from COVID-19 Related Trademark Applications, Intellectual Property, Vol.1, 2021 (CSSCI);
  • Green Technology Intellectual Property Protection under the Goal of Carbon Neutrality: Status Quo and Improvement, Science Technology and Law, Vol.6, 2021 (CSSCI);
  • Understanding and Application of the "Adverse Effect" Clause of Trademark Registration: An Analysis Based on the Study of Comparative Law and Interpretation of Law, Electronic Intellectual Property, Vol.11, 2020 (CSSCI);
  • Reflections on the Value of Punitive Damages in Intellectual Property Law from a Comparative Perspective, Electronica Intellectual Property, Vol.10, 2022;
  • The Construction of Urban Soft Power from the Perspective of Intellectual Property: A Case Study of Shanghai, Global Cities Research, Vol. 3, 2021;
  • New Trends in the Administrative Protection of Trademarks: Comments on the 2017-2019 National Typical Cases of Administrative Protection of Trademarks, IPR Daily, July 17, 2020.

Social Services

  • East China University of Political Science and Law, Part-time Postdoctoral Researcher
  • China IP SME Helpdesk - European Commission, Expert in the Expert Pool
  • The 12th Intellectual Property Committee of Shanghai Lawyers Association, Committee Member
  • Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, Partime Lecturer
  • Shanghai Lawyers Association Legal Science and Technology Association, Member
  • Shenzhen Administration for Market Regulation, Expert in the IP Expert Pool

Education

  • Postdoctoral research, IP, East China University of Political Science and Law
  • Ph.D. in IP Law, East China University of Political Science and Law (2022)
  • Co-supervision of Ph.D. Study, University of California, Berkeley (2020)
  • Juris Master, East China University of Political Science and Law (2014)

Awards

  • 2024 WIPR Leaders

Bar Admission    

China Bar

Languages  

Mandarin Chinese
English