ALB China 一年一度的知识产权业务排名评选出了中国境内专利、商标及版权业务领域的市场领先律所。我们与部分上榜律所展开对谈，探讨了他们过去一年的突破性成绩、执业经验与重点关注的知识产权话题。

 

世界知识产权组织（WIPO）公布的2023年“全球创新指数”（GII）对全球百强“科技集群”进行了排名，通过分析专利申请活动和科学论文发表的情况，记录了全球范围内发明人和科学著作人密度最高的地理区域。结果显示，就区域来说，深圳-香港-广州集群、北京集群、上海-苏州集群位列前五；就数量而言，中国首次跃居全球第一，拥有的24个集群也都处于领先地位。科技与创新的协同发展也为知识产权法律服务创造了更多机会。

创新是引领发展的第一动力，知识产权作为国家发展战略性资源和国际竞争力核心要素的作用也更加凸显。在此背景下，ALB再次将目光投向中国法律市场上优秀的知识产权律所。今年的知识产权业务排名同样分为“专利”和“商标/著作权”两部分，专利排名下设5个级别，商标/著作权排名则下设4个级别。

过去一年，伴随知识产权保护力度持续加强，中国国知识产权创造也获得了量与质的提升。相关数据显示，2023年，中国全年授权发明专利92.1万件，同比增长15.3%；核准注册商标438.3万件，认定地理标志产品13件；作品、计算机软件著作权登记量分别达642.8万件和249.5万件，同比分别增长42.3%和36%。

政策层面，2024年中国知识产权工作的主题是助推新质生产力发展，新质生产力是创新起主导作用的先进生产力质态，而知识产权便是激励创新的基本保障；国务院办公厅印发《专利转化运用专项行动方案（2023—2025年）》，进一步推动专利产业化。

法律法规层面，《商标法》在2023年迎来了第五次修改，对多项法条进行了重大调整，进一步细化了相关概念与程序；《专利法实施细则》和《专利审查指南》也于2023年底发布，进一步促进了专利转化运用与国家科技创新。

成就卓越

朱志刚律师是万慧达知识产权合伙人，他告诉ALB，过去一年对他们而言虽然极具挑战，却也极富成就感。“在全球化加速的背景下，我们不仅帮助客户在传统的知识产权保护上取得显著成就，还在更广泛的国际市场布局上提供了策略性的支持。过程中，我们与国际同行紧密合作，克服了不同法域间的法律和文化差异，确保了客户品牌和技术的全球保护。”

谈及过去一年的突破性成绩，协力律师事务所主任祝筱青律师尤其提到了对于新兴产业，如数据知识产权制度的布局。他指出：“协力聚集了一批在数据合规领域形成专业研究引领发展、聚焦重点、稳打稳扎的法律服务团队，参与编撰《数据资产入表100问》，并于2023年正式设立协力全国数字经济与数据合规专委会。”

杨迅律师是通力律师事务所合伙人，他从前端布局到后端争议解决，尤其是针对知识产权开发、许可、转让、投资、资本化等交易，由0到1建立了全方位生命周期的知产服务链条；车小燕律师则于2023年5月加入通力，对该所技术类知产服务进行了加强。两位律师表示，通力知产团队在过去一年办理了很多大案，无论是交易类的技术许可、数据权益的确认，还是知识产权侵权诉讼，例如《蓝月》电影与《热血传奇》游戏著作权纠纷，这是全国首例电影与游戏视听画面确认不侵权案，该判决明确了对游戏整体画面与电影作品之间侵权与否的判断方法，对未来同类案件具有重要的法律指导意义，此案也被最高院选入“电影知识产权保护典型案例”。

另外，通力律师代理的专利权属纠纷案最近获得最高院的突破性判决，涉案专利在二审中被宣告全部无效, 按照以往的判例, 通常会基于专利权被宣告无效则被视为自始无效而驳回原告的起诉, 但本案得到最高人民法院的突破性处理——“虽然专利权被宣告无效, 但不能排除涉案发明创造还有其他民事权益, 因此, 人民法院仍应对涉案发明创造的权益归属进行审理。” 从裁判要旨可以看出, 最高法将原告对所主张的发明创造是否具有受法律保护的利益为判断标准, 必将为后续类案提供有益借鉴。

回望过去一年，天驰君泰高级合伙人、知识产权部门负责人马翔律师指出，去年天驰君泰最具突破性的成绩是参与了央视“大头儿子”著作权纠纷案。他告诉ALB：“该案的案件过程可谓极其波折，此前经历过浙江高院的再审程序，且被评为2016年的最高院十大知识产权案件，后来我们在最高人民法院申请了‘再再审’，并最终获得最高院的支持。这在整个知识产权案件历史上都极为罕见，该案最终也入选最高院2023年十大知识产权案件。”

全球布局

伴随着中国企业出海势头正盛，相关知产法律服务需求也在不断提升，在帮助中企展开全球知产布局的过程中，上榜律所起到了至关重要的助力作用，也积累了不少实务经验与心得体会。

协力的祝筱青律师这样总结他所观察到的情况：一些中国企业“走出去”时会面临知识产权信息获取难、维权成本高、维权周期长的挑战。协力于1998年在日本大阪设立第一家海外分支机构后，在过去20余年中，又在日本大阪、福冈、东京、意大利米兰、法国巴黎、新加坡、德国柏林、瑞士日内瓦均开设了办公室，并与“一带一路”沿线国家的 16 家知名律师事务所签署了合作协议，能够为中国企业的全球布局提供强有力的支撑。

他进一步指出：“协力律师也曾成功地为多家知名中国企业在全球范围内进行商标注册、专利申请，保护企业权益及技术创新，并整合协力知识产权、金融并购、海商海事、国际贸易与仲裁、劳动法等多个专委会形成合力，为中国企业出海提供全方位一站式法律服务。”

万慧达的朱志刚律师也有着类似的观察。他坦言：“随着中国企业对外投资步伐加快，他们在国际市场上遇到的知识产权问题也越来越复杂。在帮助这些企业进行全球知产布局的同时，我们发现，单纯的知产保护已经无法满足企业的全面需求。因此，我们通过与国外同行的战略协作，提供了包括品牌打造、品牌收购、品牌许可以及市场准入和合规审查在内的全方位服务。”

“这些服务为中国企业在欧洲和美洲的扩张提供了全面的法律支持，涵盖了从初步的市场调研、品牌策略定位，到具体的法律执行如商标注册和专利保护，再到市场准入的合规审查等一系列递进服务。确保了客户不仅能够合法地进入新市场，而且能够在复杂的国际商业环境中保持竞争优势。”朱律师补充道。

天驰君泰则在过去几年代理了众多中国企事业单位，包括中央广播电视总台教育部中外语言交流合作中心、中国工商银行总行、中国黄金、央视动漫、中国铜业、百度、金山、双汇、恒安等在海外的商标案件。典型案例包括：教育部中外语言交流合作中心关于HSK商标在全球范围的注册申请；百度在新加坡、欧盟等地方针对抢注的“Baidu”商标的维权等等。

针对企业的海外知识产权挑战，马翔律师建议道：“企业一定要提高对海外商标保护的重视程度，提前布局，尽可能避免被抢注，一旦发现被侵权的行为，便需要积极主动维权。而且在维权过程中要做好打持久战的准备。通常来说，海外维权的流程都比较长，耗时比较久，所产生的费用也相对较高。”

在通力的杨迅律师看来，中国企业近些年已渐渐开始具备知产布局的意识，也更加注重布局的全面性。他指出：“中国市场、东南亚市场、欧盟市场法律文化和实践不同，虽然法律层面有相似之处，但我们的知产律师仍然需要引导客户，根据不同国家的情况采取不同的策略，根据市场导向来进行全面的布局。”

车小燕律师也观察到中国企业在专利和商标方面的出海需求都非常旺盛。例如专利布局，多数企业偏爱用PCT的方式来进行，成本可控的同时也给了他们更多考虑时间；商标方面，近期为客户处理在沙特地区的商标被抢注过程中，她深刻地体会到不同国家地区的法律法规差异巨大，为中国企业带来一定程度的挑战。因此她进一步指出：“由于不同法域的规则不同，在语言、文化认知上面的差异也很大，因此中国企业很容易在出海时发生理解上的偏差，这时候就尤其需要知产专家提供助力。”

内外共赢

懂行业、懂技术的知识产权律师依旧是受到市场欢迎的专业人才，然而在此基础上，懂商务也成为了衡量律师能否深入服务企业的标准之一。

祝筱青律师直言，如今，外部知产律师的角色已经发生了微妙变化。“过去，企业法务更多地依赖外部律师提供专业的法律服务，如今随着企业法务对知产的重视程度提升，研究学习不断深入，大部分常规的知产法律问题能够独立处理。一部分外部知产律师角色从全面合作转变成为企业法务提供专业支持和指导。”

“因此，知产律师不能仅仅局限于专业知识和业务的深耕，也需要深思自身的不可替代性，以及如何凸显或对外传递自身的不可替代性，可以通过加强综合型知识技能、提升服务质量和效率、紧密合作沟通、布局前沿产业赛道等等方式。”他补充道。

如何受到客户青睐？如何在客户眼中成为“不可替代”？这也是杨迅律师一直在思考的问题。对此他表示，“知产律师需要把自己定位成商务律师（commercial lawyer），懂商业逻辑，懂行业惯例，才能够降低与客户的沟通成本，助力企业达成商业目的。”

谈及内外部法律人的合作共赢，车小燕律师观察到：“一些企业最开始并没有设置内部IPR岗位（企业知识产权顾问），因此外部律师与技术人员交流时通常会产生较高的沟通成本。作为律师，我们也会建议企业招聘专门的IPR人才，这对于外部知产律师来说，会更加容易推进工作。然而，IPR并不能完全支撑企业对于知产布局的需求，而外部律师也拥有更多的实务经验，因此，内外结合才能够打造更强的专业结构。”

在朱志刚律师看来，随着企业法务团队对知识产权重视程度的提升，外部知产律师与内部法务的合作模式正逐步转变为战略性和顾问式的合作关系。他指出：“企业不再仅仅将外部律师视为解决问题的工具，而是将他们视为战略伙伴，共同探讨和制定公司的长远发展战略。因此，那些具备深厚法律专业知识，同时能够提供业务洞察、帮助企业进行战略规划和风险管理的知产律师，将更受企业欢迎。此外，随着数据保护和网络安全成为焦点，具有这些领域专长的知产律师需求也在不断增长。”

马翔律师则从另一个层面展开思考。他表示：“我认为这并没有改变法务与外部律师的合作模式，企业法务与知产团队主要负责企业知识产权合规管理，侧重事前预防，聚焦企业发展，但是如果企业遇到重大知识产权诉讼，一般情况下，法务团队还是需要专业的外部律师提供技术支持，因为律师更懂诉讼技巧和司法实践，更注重事后解决。因此在未来的市场竞争中，‘久经沙场’的诉讼律师可能会更被企业所需要。”

值得关注的话题

伴随知识产权法律服务市场的需求与趋势处在不断变化的过程当中，2024年，有哪些话题值得知产律师们重点关注？

在朱志刚律师看来，人工智能和AI生成内容（AIGC）的知识产权问题将是2024及未来几年内热议的话题。他指出：“随着AI技术的发展和应用，如AI在内容创作、程序编写和数据分析等领域的运用，其产生的法律问题和挑战也日益增多。特别是关于AI作品的版权归属、使用AI技术可能涉及的侵权风险以及如何在全球范围内制定统一的法律标准等问题，都需要深入探讨。同时，随着AI技术的商用化，数据隐私和使用的合规性也将成为企业和法律专业人士必须面对的重要议题。”

杨迅律师对此表示赞同，他指出，面对AIGC的快速发展，知产律师不仅要站在法律发展的前沿，也要站在技术发展前沿。“2023年，ChatGPT的问世引发了AI市场的火爆，但与此同时也带来了很多监管以及知识产权方面的挑战。例如训练数据的合规性、数据来源的合法性等等，这呼吁法律人跳出法律思维的局限，从动态层面，如政策、法律逻辑等角度出发来判断风险的大小，进一步助力客户做好风险和收益的平衡。”

祝筱青律师也同样关注AIGC的发展。他表示：“中国知识产权司法审判中，‘文生图’第一案、‘文生视频‘第一案都已生效，但留给知识产权学术界的思考余波未平。人工智能为行业应用带来了无限可能的同时，也颠覆了传统作品创作过程，对现有的知识产权规则体系提出了现实挑战。”

此外，在科技革命和产业变革深入发展的大背景下，数据作为关键生产要素的价值也日益凸显。祝律师进一步指出：“数字文化出海的发展潜力巨大，而数据合规则是资源要素交换、共享的基础保障，这二者在当下都是应高度关注的对象。‘数据二十条’和《企业数据资源相关会计处理暂行规定》进一步推动数据要素的资产化、价值化，企业数据资产入表在即。此外，国家数据局挂牌，将建立完善适应中国特色的数据产权制度作为重要任务之一，必将带来数据保护和利用的新格局。”

马翔律师则认为，最值得关注的或将是《商标法》的第五次修改。他告诉ALB：“本次修法因为改动极大，获得了社会各界的广泛关注，尤其是在律师届引起了广泛的讨论。长久以来，商标代理都是违法违规的高发领域，而本次商标法修改对推动行业持续健康发展做出了积极努力，设置了商标代理机构和人员的准入门槛，也进一步完善了后续监管机制，如果未来可以通过，势必会对整个行业产生深远影响。”

车小燕律师则从科技层面展开探讨。根据国务院、证监会政策文件要求，深沪交易所近日发布了相关配套业务规则，进一步完善主板定位，修订上市财务指标，其中便包括“科技元素”的增加。车律师表示：“在主板定位中增加科技元素，意味着上市过程中将关注于发行人的核心技术和工艺是否相对成熟，是否符合行业趋势，以及能够促进稳定经营，这些也是值得知产律师高度关注的关键词。”

与此同时，车律师指出，唤醒“沉睡”专利、盘活科技成果也同样是大势所趋。据国家知识产权局数据显示，截至2023年9月，国内高校有效发明专利拥有量达76.7万件，科研机构有效发明专利拥有量达22万件，合计占国内有效发明专利拥有量的25.3%，但却大量“沉睡”在象牙塔内。因此，她也呼吁知产律师关注科技成果的转化，加强与高校的沟通，避免成果流失，进一步助力将创新转变为经济效益。

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2024 ALB CHINA IP RANKINGS

 

ALB China unveiled its annual IP rankings that identify the best law firms in China for IP work related to patents, trademarks, and copyrights. As part of our coverage, some firms on the list share their breakthroughs, practice experience, and topics of concern over the past year.

 

The Global Innovation Index (GII) 2023, published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), ranks Top 100 science and technology clusters in the world with the highest density of inventors and scientific authors by analysing patent filing activities and scientific publications. For the first time, China is the economy that has the most clusters (24 in the lead), with the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou, Beijing, and Shanghai-Suzhou clusters among the top five. The synergy of science and innovation has created more opportunities for IP legal services.

Innovation is the primary driving force behind development and IP is playing a more prominent role as the strategic resource for national development and a core element of international competitiveness. Against this backdrop, ALB has once again set its sights on the strongest IP law firms in China. Again, the IP rankings this year are separated into two tables: "Patent" and "Trademark/Copyright" and the rankings are divided into tiers, with five tiers under Patent and four under Trademark/Copyright.

Over the past year, China has witnessed quantitative and qualitative improvements in IP creation thanks to intensified efforts in protecting IP rights. Data show that in 2023, China authorized 921,000 patents for invention, a year-on-year increase of 15.3 percent; approved 4,383,000 registered trademarks and recognized 13 geographically indicated products; and registered copyrights for 6,428,000 works and 2,495,000 computer software, a year-on-year increase of 42.3 percent and 36 percent, respectively.

In 2024, China has made the development of new quality productive forces a subject of IP protection. While innovation plays a leading role in the development of new quality productive forces, IP is the basic guarantee to stimulate innovation. The General Office of the State Council has issued the Patent Transformation and Utilization Special Action Plan (2023-2025) to ramp up patent industrialization.

Take laws and regulations. The Trademark Law was amended for the fifth time in 2023, with major article adjustments to refine relevant definitions and procedures; the Rules for Implementation of the Patent Law and the Patent Examination Guidelines were also released at the end of 2023, promoting the translation of patents and technological innovation.

REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

Zhu Zhigang, a partner of Wanhuida, reflects on the challenging yet fulfilling year. "With faster globalization, we need to not only help clients succeed in traditional IP protection but support them strategically in the broader international market. We worked closely with our international counterparts to overcome legal and cultural differences between jurisdictions and protect clients' brands and technologies globally."

Zhu Xiaoqing, director of Co-Effort Law Firm, highlights their presence in the emerging industries, such as the data IP system. "Co-Effort has a team of data compliance professionals with leading research capabilities oriented toward key areas, compiled 100 Questions on Including Data Assets in Statements, and set up Co-Effort National Committee on Digital Economy and Data Compliance in 2023."

Yang Xun, a partner of Llinks Law Offices, has established from scratch a full lifecycle IP service chain from front-end layout to back-end dispute resolution; and Che Xiaoyan who joined Llinks in May 2023, helps reinforce the firm's technical IP services. They share some major IP cases represented by Llinks in the past year, such as the copyright dispute between the movie Blue Moon and the online game The Legend of Mir. This is the first in China to confirm that there is no infringement because the overall picture of the game is different from that of the movie, and the judgment clarifies the thoughts of comparing whether the overall picture of the game and the film works are infringing. It is conducive to guiding similar cases in the future and was selected by the Supreme Court as one of the "Typical Cases of Movie Intellectual Property Protection".

Ma Xiang, senior partner and head of the IP department of Tiantai Law Firm, shares their most groundbreaking achievement last year — mediating CCTV Animation's "Big Headed Kid" copyright dispute. "There are twists and turns. It was recognized as one of the top ten IP cases of the Supreme Court in 2016 after the re-trial procedure at the Zhejiang High Court. Then we applied for a 're-trial' in the Supreme People's Court and the ruling was upheld. This is rarely seen before in previous IP cases, and the case was eventually selected as one of the Supreme Court's top ten IP cases in 2023."

GLOBAL PRESENCE

The growing momentum of Chinese businesses going overseas has driven up demand for IP legal services. The shortlisted firms have accumulated practical experience and insights in helping their IP layout globally.

Zhu Xiaoqing has observed that some businesses are challenged by the arduous collection of IP information and prolonged and costly IP protection. Over the past two decades after setting up its first overseas branch in Osaka, Japan in 1998, Co-Effort has opened offices in Fukuoka, Tokyo, Milan, Paris, Singapore, Berlin, and Geneva, and has signed cooperation agreements with 16 renowned law firms in the countries along the Belt and Road. Therefore, Co-Effort is a strong buttress for Chinese businesses operating abroad.

Zhu adds, "We have helped several renowned Chinese enterprises register trademarks and file patent applications around the world to protect their rights and technological innovations. At the same time, our special internal committees on IP, financial M&A, maritime affairs, international trade and arbitration, and labor law to support Chinese enterprises in global development through comprehensive one-stop legal services."

Zhu Zhigang shares a similar observation. "As Chinese enterprises pick up pace in outbound investment, they are bound to encounter increasingly difficult IP issues in the international market. While helping them with global IP layout, we have realized that IP protection alone is not enough to address their needs. Through strategic collaboration with foreign counterparts, we provide a full range of services including brand building, brand acquisition, brand licensing, market access, and compliance review."

"Chinese companies expanding in Europe and the Americas can enjoy legal services, from preliminary market research and brand strategy positioning to specific legal enforcement such as trademark registration and patent protection, and to compliance review for market access. As a result, clients can not only enter new markets legally, but maintain a competitive edge in the complex international business environment," Zhu notes.

In the past few years, Tiantai has represented quite some Chinese enterprises and institutions in their trademark cases overseas, including the Center for Language Education and Cooperation of the Ministry of Education, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) headquarters, China Gold, CCTV Animation Group, China Copper, Baidu, Kingsoft, Shuanghui, and Heng'an. The typical cases include global trademark "HSK" registration application for the Center for Language Education and Cooperation; and Baidu's defence against trademark squatting in Singapore and the European Union.

To address IP challenges overseas, Ma Xiang advises "enterprises to pay more attention to overseas trademark protection and move earlier to protect themselves from trademark squatting. Once any infringement is found, they need to respond quickly. And they need to get ready to fight a protracted war. Defending rights overseas is prolonged, time-consuming, and costly."

Yang Xun emphasizes the growing awareness of Chinese enterprises to plan IP layout across the board in recent years. "Despite legal similarities, the markets in China, Southeast Asia, and the EU are perceived differently. We need to direct clients to different strategies of comprehensive IP layout in target markets."

Che Xiaoyan also notices strong demand from Chinese businesses for patent and trademark support overseas. For example, most enterprises use PCT for filing patent applications because it gives them more time to consider while the cost is controllable; and intense trademark squatting and huge legal differences in Saudi Arabia pose a certain degree of challenge for Chinese enterprises. Therefore, she notes, "Given different rules of jurisdictions as well as huge language and cultural barriers, Chinese enterprises tend to have misunderstandings when doing business overseas. This is when IP experts are necessary."

EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL COOPERATION

Still, IP professionals with knowledge of both the industry and technology are sought after by the market. On top of that, the knowledge of business becomes the premise for lawyers to provide in-depth services.

Zhu Xiaoqing identifies subtle changes in the role of external IP lawyers. "In the past, in-house lawyers relied more on outside peers to provide professional legal services. Nowadays, with increased attention and research on IP, they can deal with most general IP-related legal issues. Outside IP lawyers have partly begun to provide professional support and guidance to corporate legal personnel.

While enhancing professional knowledge and business capabilities, IP lawyers also need to think about their irreplaceable advantages and how to show them to the outside world. This can be done by strengthening comprehensive knowledge and skills, improving service quality and efficiency, maintaining close cooperation and communication, and expanding presence in cutting-edge industries," he adds.

How to gain the favour of clients? How to become an irreplaceable lawyer that clients can truly trust? This is what Yang Xun has been thinking about. "IP lawyers need to position ourselves as commercial lawyers who can understand business logic and industry practices, so that we can help corporate clients achieve their business objectives with lower cost of communication."

Che Xiaoyan has observed that "some enterprises had no IPR roles (corporate IPR consultants) in the beginning, so high costs were incurred when external lawyers had to communicate with technical staff. Clients are advised to recruit IPR professionals, making it easier for external IP lawyers to move things forward. Yet IPR professionals alone cannot address the needs of corporate clients in IP layout, and outside lawyers have more practical experience. Only their cooperation can ensure professional services."

Zhu Zhigang identifies a strategic and consultative partnership between external and internal IP lawyers as corporate legal teams attach more importance to IPR. "Corporate clients no longer see external lawyers as problem solvers, but rather as strategic partners to discuss and formulate their long-term development strategies. For this reason, IP lawyers who boast profound legal expertise and are ready to help clients with business insights, strategic planning, and risk management are more popular. And the demand for IP lawyers with expertise in data protection and cybersecurity is growing as these areas are in the spotlight."

Ma Xiang thinks on another level. "I don't think the mode of cooperation between in-house and external lawyers has changed. Internal legal and IP teams are mainly responsible for IP compliance management, and they focus on risk prevention and corporate development. But in case of major IP litigation, professional external lawyers with litigation techniques and judicial practice are still needed because they know how to fix the problems. Therefore, seasoned litigation lawyers may be more necessitated in future market competition."

TOPICS OF CONSERN

Amidst changing needs and trends in the IP legal services market, what are the topics worth attention for IP lawyers in 2024?

Zhu Zhigang believes that the IP issues of AI and AI-generated content (AIGC) will be a big part of the conversation in 2024 and the coming years. "With AI development and application, e.g. the use of AI in content creation, program writing, and data analysis, legal issues and challenges arising from it are increasing. In particular, issues such as copyright attribution of AI works, possible infringement risks involved in the use of AI technology, and how to develop uniform legal standards globally require further discussion. With AI commercialization, data privacy and use compliance will also become important issues facing companies and legal professionals."

Yang Xun agrees, pointing out that IP lawyers should stand ahead of not only legal development but also technological development amidst the AIGC boom. "The introduction of ChatGPT in 2023 has fuelled the AI boom, and at the same time it has also brought many regulatory and IP challenges, e.g. the compliance of training data, the legality of data sources, etc. So legal professionals need to think outside the box and judge the magnitude of risks from such dynamic perspectives as policy and legal logic, to help clients balance risks and benefits."

Zhu Xiaoqing is also concerned about AIGC development. "China has enforced the first IP judgments concerning text-to-image and text-to-video, sparking continuous academic discussion. AI has brought infinite possibilities for industry applications while subverting the traditional work creation process, posing a realistic challenge to the existing system of IP rules."

The value of data as a key production factor is increasingly prominent against technological revolution and industrial transformation. Zhu points out, "There is huge potential in bringing digital culture overseas, while data compliance is the basic guarantee for the exchange and sharing of resource elements. Both call for great attention at present. Opinions on Establishing a Data Base System to Maximize a Better Role of Data Elements and Interim Provisions on Accounting Treatment Related to Enterprise Data Resources further promote the assetisation of data elements, thus realizing data value. Including business data assets in statements is imminent. In addition, the National Data Administration will make it an important task to develop a sound data IP system of Chinese characteristics. This will surely bring about a new pattern of data protection and utilization."

Ma Xiang believes that the fifth amendment of the Trademark Law may be the most noteworthy. "The amendment involves huge changes and has gained widespread attention. In particular, it is widely discussed in the legal community. Trademark agency business has long been plagued by violations of laws and regulations, and this amendment has positive effects on promoting the sustainable and healthy development of the industry by setting the threshold of entry for service agencies and practitioners, as well as on improving the regulatory mechanism. If the amendment is approved, it is bound to have a far-reaching impact on the industry."

Che Xiaoyan shares her views from a scientific and technological perspective. According to the policy documents of the State Council and the China Securities Regulatory Commission, the Shenzhen and Shanghai exchanges recently released supporting business rules to refine the positioning of the Main Board and adjust financial indicators for listing, like the addition of "technological elements". "Adding technological elements to the positioning of the Main Board means that the listing process will focus on whether the issuer has mature core technologies and processes in line with industry trends, and whether they can operate stably. These are key topics worthy of attention."

At the same time, Che highlights a defining trend of waking up "sleeping" patents and tapping scientific and technological achievements. According to the China National Intellectual Property Administration, as of September 2023, the number of effective patents for inventions owned by domestic colleges and universities amounted to 767,000, and the number of effective patents for inventions owned by scientific research institutions reached 220,000. Together they accounted for 25.3 percent of the total effective patents for invention at home, but a large number of them are "sleeping". Therefore, she calls for attention to the transformation of scientific and technological achievements. IP lawyers need to strengthen communication with universities to avoid the loss of results and translate innovations into economic benefits.

 

 

CHINA DOMESTIC FIRMS 中国本土律所
PATENTS 专利
TIER 1 一类	TIER 2 二类
CCPIT Patent and Trademark Law Office 中国贸促会专利商标事务所 China Patent Agent (HK) Ltd. 中国专利代理（香港）有限公司 JunHe LLP 君合律师事务所 King & Wood Mallesons 金杜律师事务所 Lifang & Partners 立方律师事务所 Zhong Lun Law Firm 中伦律师事务所	AllBright Law Offices 锦天城律师事务所 DeHeng Law Offices 德恒律师事务所 Global Law Office 环球律师事务所 Han Kun Law Offices 汉坤律师事务所 Liu, Shen & Associates 柳沈律师事务所 Long An Law Firm 隆安律师事务所 Wanhuida Intellectual Property 万慧达知识产权 Watson & Band 华诚律师事务所
TIER 3 三类	TIER 4 四类
AnJie Broad Law Firm 安杰世泽律师事务所 Anli Partners 安理律师事务所 Chang Tsi & Partners 铸成律师事务所 Dacheng Law Offices 大成律师事务所 East & Concord Partners 天达共和律师事务所 FenXun Partners 奋迅律师事务所 GEN Law Firm 己任律师事务所 Guantao Law Firm 观韬中茂律师事务所 Haiwen & Partners 海问律师事务所 Hiways Law Firm 海华永泰律师事务所 Hui Ye Law Firm 汇业律师事务所 Jincheng Tongda & Neal Law Firm 金诚同达律师事务所 Jingtian & Gongcheng 竞天公诚律师事务所 Tahota Law Firm 泰和泰律师事务所 Tian Yuan Law Firm 天元律师事务所	Beijing DHH Law Firm 北京德和衡律师事务所 Beijing Docvit Law Firm 北京市道可特律师事务所 Beshining Law Office 弼兴律师事务所 Co-effort Law Firm 协力律师事务所 Grandall Law Firm 国浩律师事务所 IP March 汇知杰 Kangxin Partners, P.C. 北京康信知识产权 Lung Tin Law Firm 北京隆诺律师事务所 SGLA Law Firm 中联律师事务所 Shihui Partners 世辉律师事务所
NOTABLE FIRMS
Advance Law Firm 华进律师事务所 Baijus Law Firm 重庆百君律师事务所 Bridgeon Law Firm 博遵律师事务所 Commerce & Finance Law Offices 通商律师事务所 Duan & Duan Law Firm 段和段律师事务所 HengDu Law Firm 北京恒都律师事务所 JunZeJun Law Offices 君泽君律师事务所 Lusheng Law Firm 路盛律师事务所 L&H Law Firm 浙江六和律师事务所 Merits and Tree Law Offices 植德律师事务所 T&C Law Firm 天册律师事务所
TRADEMARKS/COPYRIGHT 商标/著作权
TIER 1 一类	TIER 2 二类
CCPIT Patent and Trademark Law Office 中国贸促会专利商标事务所 Global Law Office 环球律师事务所 JunHe LLP 君合律师事务所 King & Wood Mallesons 金杜律师事务所 Lifang & Partners 立方律师事务所 Wanhuida Intellectual Property 万慧达知识产权 Zhong Lun Law Firm 中伦律师事务所	AllBright Law Offices 锦天城律师事务所 An, Tian, Zhang & Partners 安伦律师事务所 Boss & Young, Attorneys-At-Law 上海邦信阳律师事务所 Chang Tsi & Partners 铸成律师事务所 Co-effort Law Firm 协力律师事务所 Dacheng Law Offices 大成律师事务所 DeHeng Law Offices 德恒律师事务所 Hiways Law Firm 海华永泰律师事务所 Hui Ye Law Firm 汇业律师事务所 Jincheng Tongda & Neal Law Firm 金诚同达律师事务所 Long An Law Firm 隆安律师事务所 Lusheng Law Firm 路盛律师事务所 Merits and Tree Law Offices 植德律师事务所 Ronly & Tenwen Partners 上海融力天闻律师事务所 Tian Yuan Law Firm 天元律师事务所 TianTai Law Firm 天驰君泰律师事务所 ZY Partners 北京市正见永申律师事务所
TIER 3 三类	NOTABLE FIRMS
AnJie Broad Law Firm 安杰世泽律师事务所 Anli Partners 安理律师事务所 Beijing TA Law Firm 北京韬安律师事务所 Commerce & Finance Law Offices 通商律师事务所 Dahui Lawyers 达辉律师事务所 East & Concord Partners 天达共和律师事务所 FenXun Partners 奋迅律师事务所 GEN Law Firm 己任律师事务所 Globe-Law Law Firm 高文律师事务所 Haiwen & Partners 海问律师事务所 Han Kun Law Offices 汉坤律师事务所 Jingtian & Gongcheng 竞天公诚律师事务所 JunZeJun Law Offices 君泽君律师事务所 Kangda Law Firm 康达律师事务所 Kangxin Partners, P.C. 北京康信知识产权 Landing Law Offices 兰迪律师事务所 Llinks Law Offices 通力律师事务所 SGLA Law Firm 中联律师事务所 Tahota Law Firm 泰和泰律师事务所 Watson & Band 华诚律师事务所 W&H Law Firm 炜衡律师事务所 Yuanda China Law Offices 元达律师事务所	Advance Law Firm 华进律师事务所 Be Wu & Associate G.P. 嘉观律师事务所 Beijing Docvit Law Firm 北京市道可特律师事务所 Beijing Hylands Law Firm 北京浩天律师事务所 Grandall Law Firm 国浩律师事务所 HanSheng Law Offices 汉盛律师事务所 Hengdu Law Firm 恒都律师事务所 Shanghai Riying Law Firm 上海日盈律师事务所 Sunhold Law Firm 申浩律师事务所 T&C Law Firm 天册律师事务所 Weibo Law Firm 伟博律师事务所 Yingke Law Firm 盈科律师事务所

 

 

CHINA INTERNATIONAL FIRMS 在中国的国际律所
PATENTS 专利
TIER 1 一类	TIER 2 二类
Baker & McKenzie 贝克·麦坚时国际律师事务所 Bird & Bird 鸿鹄律师事务所 CMS CMS中国 Deacons 的近律师事务所 DLA Piper 欧华律师事务所 Eversheds Sutherland 安睿顺德伦国际律师事务所 Hogan Lovells 霍金路伟国际律师事务所 Jones Day 美国众达律师事务所 Mayer Brown 孖士达律师事务所 Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe 美国奥睿律师事务所 Rouse Consultancy 罗思	Allen & Overy 安理国际律师事务所 AWA Asia 安伟知识产权 Clifford Chance 高纬绅律师事务所 ELLALAN 张淑姬赵之威律师行 Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner 美国飞翰律师事务所 Gide Loyrette Nouel (new) 基德律师事务所 Gowling WLG (new) 高林睿阁律师事务所 K&L Gates 高盖茨律师事务所 Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP(new) 凯拓国际律师事务所 Morgan, Lewis & Bockius 摩根路易斯律师事务所 Morrison & Foerster 美富律师事务所 Nishimura & Asahi 西村朝日律师事务所 Norton Rose Fulbright 诺顿罗氏律师事务所 Perkins Coie 博钦律师事务所 Ropes & Gray 瑞格律师事务所 Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton 盛智律师事务所 Shusako Yamamoto 山本特许法律事务所 Simmons & Simmons 西盟斯律师事务所 SIPS 思朴知识产权代理 Spruson & Ferguson Squire Patton Boggs 翰宇国际律师事务所 Stephenson Harwood 罗夏信律师事务所 Steptoe & Johnson 美国世强律师事务所 TMI Associates TMI综合法律事务所 Vivien Chan & Co 陈韵云律师事务所 Wilkinson & Grist 高露云律师事务所
TIER 3 三类
Covington & Burling 科文顿·柏灵律师事务所 Dorsey & Whitney 德汇律师事务所 Lee & Ko 韩国广场律师事务所 Marks & Clerk 麦仕奇 MinterEllison 铭德律师事务所 MMLC Group MMLC集团 OLN IP Services 高李严知识产权服务 Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan 美国昆鹰律师事务所 Ribeiro Hui 李乔安许允立律师事务所 Shin & Kim 韩国世宗律师事务所 Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom 世达国际律师事务所
TRADEMARKS/COPYRIGHT 商标/著作权
TIER 1 一类	TIER 2 二类
Baker & McKenzie 贝克·麦坚时国际律师事务所 Bird & Bird 鸿鹄律师事务所 CMS CMS 中国 Deacons 的近律师事务所 DLA Piper 欧华律师事务所 ELLALAN 张淑姬赵之威律师行 Eversheds Sutherland 安睿顺德伦国际律师事务所 Hogan Lovells 霍金路伟国际律师事务所 Mayer Brown 孖士打律师事务所 Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe 美国奥睿律师事务所 Perkins Coie 博钦律师事务所 Ropes & Gray 瑞格律师事务所 Rouse Consultancy 罗思 SIPS 思朴知识产权代理 Vivien Chan & Co 陈韵云律师行 Wilkinson & Grist 高露云律师事务所	Allen & Overy 安理国际律师事务所 AWA Asia 安伟知识产权 Clifford Chance 高伟绅律师事务所 Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner 美国飞翰律师事务所 Gide Loyrette Nouel (new) 基德律师事务所 Gowling WLG (new) 高林睿阁律师事务所 Jones Day 美国众达律师事务所 K&L Gates 高盖茨律师事务所 Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP(new) 凯拓国际律师事务所 Morgan, Lewis & Bockius 摩根路易斯律师事务所 Nishimura & Asahi 西村朝日律师事务所 OLN IP Services 高李严知识产权服务 Norton Rose Fulbright 诺顿罗氏律师事务所 Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton 盛智律师事务所 Shusako Yamamoto 山本特许法律事务所 Simmons & Simmons 西盟斯律师事务所 Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom 世达国际律师事务所 Stephenson Harwood 罗夏信律师事务所 TMI Associates TMI综合法律事务所
TIER 3 三类
Covington & Burling 科文顿·柏灵律师事务所 Dorsey & Whitney 德汇律师事务所 Lee & Ko 韩国广场律师事务所 Marks & Clerk 麦仕奇 MinterEllison 铭德律师事务所 MMLC Group MLC集团 Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan 美国昆鹰律师事务所 Ribeiro Hui 李乔安许允立律师事务所 Shin & Kim 韩国世宗律师事务所 Spruson & Ferguson Squire Patton Boggs 翰宇国际律师事务所

 

 

METHODOLOGY评选方法

The volume, complexity and size of work undertaken Presence across Asia and in individual jurisdictions Key personnel hires and growth of the practice group Key clients and new client wins Firm’s visibility and profile in the region Year-on-Year development and momentum 排名基于以下标准进行： 律所开展工作的数量、复杂性和规模 在整个亚洲和各司法管辖区内的市场占有率 主要人员聘用和执业团队的成长 主要客户和赢得的新客户 律所在相关地区的知名度和地位 与去年同期相比的发展状态和发展势头