Introduction
Foreign and domestic companies in China are facing increasing challenges to protect their intellectual property rights and to battle infringing acts. Beijing-based An, Tian, Zhang & Partners is a specialist intellectual property law firm widely considered to be one of the leading IP law firms in China. The firm's well-rounded capabilities include contentious and non-contentious matters, and its lawyers have the experience necessary to deal with the innumerable technical and legal issues required of a comprehensive intellectual property practice in China. An, Tian, Zhang & Partners boasts a wide range of clients from innovative start-up ventures to established multinational companies.Awards and Recognition
An, Tian, Zhang & Partners is one of only 26 law firms which have been appointed by the State Intellectual Property Office as designated agencies to handle patent applications in China. The firm also has been named by Asian Pacific Legal 500 as one of the most highly recommended IP law firms in China since 2002, and also was recommended by Asialaw Profiles in 2005 and 2006 and by Chambers & Partners in 2008.Representative Clients
Representative clients of An, Tian, Zhang & Partners include Sanyo Electric, Panasonic Corporation, Total S.A., Qualcomm, Sotheby's, Toshiba Corporation, Clko Entertainment Co., Ltd., China National Light Industrial Products Import & Export Corporation and Jiangsu Tongda Holding Co., Ltd.Founding and Offices
Founded in 1999, An, Tian, Zhang & Partners now has 26 legal professionals to service clients. In addition to its Beijing office, the firm opened a branch office in Guangzhou in 2006, expanding our capability to undertake thorough investigations throughout China. The firm is currently a member of International Trademark Association (INTA).Qualifications and Background of Lawyers
An, Tian, Zhang & Partners is recognized for its strong technical credentials and IP litigation skills, as well as extensive experience in advising clients on a full array of cutting-edge issues. Lawyers of the firm consist of qualified patent and trademark attorneys and experienced IP lawyers who previously worked for the Patent and Trademark Law Office of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade. English and Chinese are the daily working languages of the firm, but a variety of other languages, such as Japanese, French and German, are also commonly used to suit the needs of the firm's increasingly diverse international client base.Government Relations
An, Tian, Zhang & Partners maintains close working relationships with key local and provincial government departments, regulatory authorities, judicial officials, professional associations, local Administration for Industry and Commerce and Technical Supervision Bureau.Main Practice Area
Intellectual Property
An, Tian, Zhang & Partners prides itself on its specialist intellectual property practice, and through its full-range, top-notch and efficacious legal services, assists client to build and maximize IP value. The firm has extensive experience in handling all aspects of intellectual property litigation and all aspects of patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, unfair competition, intellectual asset management, and technology and licensing agreements, and has set up a multilingual and multidisciplinary patent translation network and an investigation network for collecting and finding evidence.
Key partners of the firm include An Xiaodi and David Tian (See bios of partners below).
Representative intellectual property matters include:
- Acted for Qualcomm in Shanghai on a patent infringement dispute against NOKIA
- Acted for Apple on a trademark infringement and unfair competition dispute
- Acted for Sotheby's on a trademark infringement and unfair competition dispute, which involved a subject amount of RMB 1 million
- Acted for Sanyo Electric on a trademark infringement dispute, which involved a subject amount of RMB 5 million
- Acted for Mosaic on a trademark infringement and unfair competition dispute, which involved a subject amount of RMB 500,000.
- Provided legal services to S.T. Dupont on various contentious trademark infringement matters before the China Trademark Office
- Provided legal services to Clko Entertainment Co., Ltd. on various copyright registration matters before the Copyright Protection Centre of China.
Biographies of Key Partners
An Xiaodi is the firm's managing partner and heads its IP practice. He received an M.A. in English Literature and Linguistics from Peking University in 1990, and has been qualified to practice law since 1997. Prior to commencing his private practice, Mr. An worked for the Patent and Trademark Law Office of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade for seven years. Mr. An is a member of the Patent Committee of Beijing Lawyers Association and his working languages include English, Chinese and French.
David Tian is a partner and focuses his practice on contentious IP related and unfair competition disputes. Mr. Tian received an L.L.B. from Peking University and has been qualified to practice law since 2004.
Virginia Zhao is a senior trademark attorney and the director of the firm's trademark department. Ms. Zhao graduated from Shanxi University of Finance and Economics in Business English, and her practice focuses on foreign-related trademark matters and providing legal opinions to foreign companies operating in China.
Jerrey Liu is the firm's patent attorney. Mr. Liu received a B.Sc. in Physics from Shanghai Normal University and an L.L.M. from the University of International Business and Economics. Mr. Liu was qualified as a patent attorney in 2004 and has been practicing law since 2005.
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