ZY Partners

Firm overview:

Notable for its contentious and non-contentious work, ZY Partners conducts IP trials and appellate work in the areas of patents, copyright, trademarks, unfair competition and trade secrets. Since its establishment in 1998, the firm has contributed to the forming of China’s modern-day IP system with early cases represented by ZY Partners relied on in judicial opinions and legislation initiatives.

Aiming to be “the best, not the biggest”, the boutique provides services to clients, aided by a team of partners who each have around 25 years of experience in China’s IP sphere. ZY Partners also invests in the training of its staff, holding sessions this year on the infringement liability of online platforms, and vocational skills in using legal search databases.

ZY Partners’ work includes representing multinational companies in antitrust litigation in China, involving telecommunications standard-essential patents and domain names.

The firm also successfully defended a prominent mobile phone manufacturer in the first case brought by a domestic patentee against a multinational telecommunications company for patent infringement in a Chinese court.

Team overview:

ZY Partners’ patent prosecution team comprises attorneys specialised in areas including electronics, telecom, semiconductor, mechanical engineering, solar/nuclear energies, pharmaceuticals and more. Thirteen members of the team have a technical background and seven are dual-qualified attorneys-at-law and patent attorneys.

In 2023, ZY Partner Huang Xiaolin (Richard) gave a presentation during a US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) meeting on patent examination practice, providing practical advice to patent applicants and attorneys from both China and the US.