作为中国科技初创公司的聚集地，深圳和广州两个城市对于知识产权服务的需求持续增加。同时，随着中国公司加速出海，律师预计，未来将会出现更多新的涉外知识产权业务。律所需要建立自身优势，积极抓住这一机遇。
广州和深圳两地作为中国经济发展和科技创新的驱动中心，孕育了包括人工智能、云技术、生物科技、机器人、智能出行等各个领域的企业，由此也引领了知识产权(IP)服务的发展。
万慧达知识产权合伙人姚红军律师告诉ALB，广深两地的知识产权服务需求总体仍然处于增长状态，只是在不同行业和不同领域有不同的表现。
姚律师说：“跨境电商领域、新能源行业、消费电子产品行业的知识产权需求仍然处于增长状态；但是在一些传统行业，由于受总体市场需求不足、国家主管部门打击商标囤积和专利不正常申请、国际地缘冲突加剧和中美贸易摩擦等多方面因素的影响，而处于需求萎缩的低迷状态。 ”
姚律师认为广深两地的IP市场各具特色。深圳作为特区，各方面的尝试更为积极，在知识产权保护制度和规范建设上有很多先行于全国的探索和经验，比如深圳中级人民法院率先出台全国首个数字经济知识产权司法保护意见，还首创了技术调查官“全流程嵌入”模式。
“广深两地的知识产权服务需求总体仍然处于增长状态，只是在不同行业和不同领域有不同的表现。广深两地的IP市场各具特色。深圳作为特区，各方面的尝试更为积极，在知识产权保护制度和规范建设上有很多先行于全国的探索和经验。”
姚红军，万慧达知识产权
华进律师事务所高级合伙人黎叶律师告诉ALB，在深圳和广州市场，知识产权服务需求出现分化现象，有些领域增长明显，有些领域却并未见增长。在新式茶饮、服装、饮料、酒店、新能源等领域知识产权服务需求旺盛，批量维权服务趋势比较明显，驰名商标案件和高判赔案件也在增多。
“广深两座城市的企业对知识产权服务的需求相似，但相比较广州，深圳科技型企业较多，跨境电商知识产权案件发生的频次较多。”黎律师说。
“深圳是重要的技术中心，是中国内地初创企业密度最高的城市，也是世界各地高科技公司的集结地。在深圳这样一个复杂的市场中，有很多不同的客户，各种法律服务都大有可为，摩根路易斯的服务与该地区的其他律所是互补的。”
朱韶斌，摩根路易斯律师事务所
摩根路易斯律师事务所合伙人朱韶斌律师观察到，深圳和广州市场对知识产权服务的需求在增加，特别是来自科技和生命科学公司的需求。
“深圳是一个重要的技术中心，是中国内地初创企业密度最高的城市，也是世界各地高科技公司的集结地。”朱律师说。正因此，今年7月，摩根路易斯新设了深圳办公室。
“我们决定在深圳开设办事处，将该地区领先的科技和生命科学公司与摩根路易斯遍布亚洲、中东、欧洲和美国的全方位服务和行业能力联系起来。服务需求包括专利和商业秘密纠纷、许可协议和商业合同的起草和谈判、交易和尽职调查。”
“深圳一直是中国崛起为全球科技领导者的核心。摩根路易斯深圳办公室将该地区的技术和生命科学公司与本所的全面服务和行业能力进一步联系起来，这一点非常重要。” 朱律师说，“在深圳这样一个复杂的市场中，有很多不同的客户，各种法律服务都大有可为。摩根路易斯为有跨境知识产权咨询需求的客户提供独特的服务，因此我们的服务与该地区的许多其他律所是互补的。”
广悦律师事务所知识产权高级合伙人陈明武律师观察到，在广州和深圳市场，涉外知识产权案件增长明显。根据广东省高级人民法院公布数据，2018年-2022年期间，全省法院共审结涉外知识产权案件9876件、涉港澳知识产权案件4913件，年均分别增长25.75%和27.59%。这也相应引发了涉外知识产权业务需求的增加。
“广州和深圳市场的涉外知识产权案件增长明显，也相应引发了涉外知识产权业务需求的增加。广东法院近年发布系列规定或意见，进一步加强依法平等保护境内外主体合法权益，巩固广东作为知识产权诉讼‘优选地’的地位。”
陈明武，广悦律师事务所
陈律师告诉ALB，在政策保护上，广东法院近年也发布系列规定或意见，进一步加强依法平等保护境内外主体合法权益，同时还发布了粤港澳大湾区知识产权保护典型案例，进一步巩固广东作为知识产权诉讼“优选地”或管辖地的地位。
涉外类型新业务
陈明武律师进一步列举了几类涉外类型的新业务。
第一类为公平竞争案件，包括打击商业经营主体之间涉及虚假宣传、商业混淆等各类不正当商业竞争行为，维护、持续促进市场健康有序竞争。其中仅广东高院发布粤港澳大湾区知识产权保护典型8起案例中，就有5起案例涉及商业主体的不正当竞争。
第二类为涉外反垄断业务。“广东作为跨境电商大省，涉及该领域的反垄断需求有所增加。”陈律师说。 例如：广州知识产权法院近期受理了首例跨境电商企业诉境外电商平台滥用市场支配地位纠纷案件。
最后一类为涉新技术类型的案例。“涉及高新科技及产业研发的技术型案件，包括侵害商业秘密、发明专利权属纠纷以及涉及互联网领域技术的不正当竞争等类型案件也明显增多。”陈律师说。
而姚红军律师指出，广深涉外IP服务领域呈现出两个比较明显的趋势：一是企业对海外知识产权布局的需求日益迫切。“随着越来越多中国企业走出国门，进入国际市场，企业对于如何做好国际市场的知识产权布局有很多疑问，急需专业指导。”姚律师说。
比如，很多中小企业由于资源和预算有限，不可能做大规模的知识产权全面布局，往往是随着目标市场的渐进式拓展逐步布局。但是对于何时开始在目标市场申请商标专利、需要对哪些商标专利进行重点布局、哪些市场需要重点布局哪些市场则可以暂缓等，企业往往有很多疑问。
“如何根据企业拓展规划、目标市场环境和知识产权制度、目标市场的法治完善程度等各方面因素，为企业量身定制符合实际需求的知识产权跨境布局策略和规划，是很多出海企业迫切需要的服务。”姚律师说。
第二个趋势是企业对海外知识产权纠纷的应对需求日益增多。
“在广深市场知识产权服务领域，中国跨境电商卖家正成为美国律师事务所发起的大规模批量知识产权侵权诉讼的主要目标被告。近期，亚马逊平台在广州、深圳被卖家起诉滥用市场支配地位，该等案件十分复杂，具有开创性、敏感性。”
黎叶，华进律师事务所
“很多企业在拓展国际市场的过程中，越来越多地遭遇商标被抢注、当地市场出现假冒侵权产品等现象；另外一方面，很多中小企业由于对目标市场的知识产权保护制度缺乏认识，频繁遭遇被他人投诉侵权、被起诉商标或专利侵权等各类知识产权纠纷，因而急需熟悉应对跨境知识产权纠纷的专业律师的指导和意见。”姚律师说。
黎叶律师也注意到，在广深市场IP服务领域，中国跨境电商卖家成为美国律师事务所发起的大规模批量知识产权侵权诉讼的主要目标被告，2022年针对中国侵权卖家的诉前临时禁令（TRO）被美国法院签发，各个跨境电商平台配合进行对卖家链接下架，资金冻结，或者缺席判决后划扣资金等，中国卖家面临谈判和解、应诉、反诉的决策和压力。
黎律师说：“据了解，亚马逊平台在广州知识产权法院和深圳中级人民法院被卖家起诉滥用市场支配地位，广义上也属于知识产权涉外新型案件。该等案件十分复杂，由于涉及中美关系，反垄断和反不正当竞争竞合，具有开创性、敏感性。”
而在生命科学领域，朱韶斌律师观察到，生物科技公司的跨境活动和需求正在增加。在技术方面，摩根路易斯与中国和国际公司在一些领域有着密切的合作，包括软件、电信、智能手机、视频处理、网络电视、发光二极管和机器人技术等方面。
“我的同事孙亚雷律师在硅谷和北京两地工作，他积极参与摩根路易斯大中华区业务的拓展，为中国公司提供知识产权尽职调查、许可和和解协议、专利诉讼、美国政府监管合规和上诉事务等方面的咨询服务。”朱律师介绍道。
脱颖而出
伴随着更多知识产权服务需求出现，律所也感受到了更加激烈的竞争。要想在竞争中脱颖而出，各个律所就必须按照市场的发展需求建立自己的独特优势，由此来吸引客户。
“广深知识产权服务市场向来竞争激烈，尤其是在世界经济增长乏力、行业总体需求停滞的情况下，各类知识产权服务机构处于存量竞争的状态，需求方也不断压低价格，因此行业总体竞争变得更为激烈。”姚红军律师说。
在这种情况下，要脱颖而出，姚律师认为律所要从两个方面着手。一是要更加注重专业化建设，要提供比他人更专业高效的服务，才能得到高价值客户的认可，在竞争中处于优势地位；二是要加强对市场需求趋势的判断和把握，及时抓住市场的新需求，并根据新需求的特点调整团队和资源，尽快占据新领域的专业制高点。
黎叶律师也认为，对广深的律师来讲，竞争更加激烈。“以前的涉外案件可能都是中国公司找中国律师，再到境外律师，现在很多中国公司会跳过中国知识产权律师，直接和境外律师合作。” 黎律师说。
黎律师认为，作为中国知识产权律师，需要积极思考如何参与到这些有影响力的国际知名案件之中。他们也应该思考是作为案件的直接牵头律师，还是作为国外知名律师事务所在中国的顾问，为这些中国公司提供高端、复杂的知识产权诉讼服务。
“如何让自己成为客户必不可少的顾问律师，并且能够提高效率，或者减少客户整体的律师费用，对客户行业的深度理解会成为律师竞争优势的考量。” 黎律师说。
同时，生成式AI技术的发展也将会很大程度地影响律师的业务，黎律师建议，律师需要积极思考如何结合自身的业务，主动去拥抱和结合AI，而不是坐等被AI淘汰替代。
陈明武律师则留意到近年北京、上海有知识产权专业经验的律所陆续在广州、深圳设立分所，或呈现出规模逐步扩大的态势，这也侧面说明了广东知识产权法律服务需求较高，竞争越来越激烈。
作为一家立足于大湾区的律所，相比于北京、上海知名律所，陈律师认为广悦在大湾区知识产权法律服务市场上虽面临着较大挑战，同时也有着属于自己的独特机会。
“在做稳传统知识产权业务前提下，我们正选择新的赛道，聚焦知识产权新领域及大湾区客户行业属性的法律需求上，重点包括在涉外知识产权、上市公司专利狙击、数字经济、互联网、跨境电商等领域出力，争取在知识产权细分领域突出专业优势。”陈律师介绍道。
朱韶斌律师认为，中国企业对知识产权服务的需求正在全面增长，而深圳和广州又是全球技术和金融中心，“这里的客户种类繁多，意味着律师事务所可以采取截然不同的战略。在这样一个不断发展的市场中，许多不同的法律服务方式都有用武之地”，他说。
新服务热点
展望广深知识产权市场的下一步发展，姚红军律师预期，2024年广深IP服务领域的热点主要有以下四个方面。一是海外市场，尤其是一带一路国家的知识产权布局；二是在新能源、人工智能、区块链、自动驾驶、生物医药、卫星通讯等领域的专利布局和高价值专利挖掘；三是跨境知识产权纠纷处理；四是知识产权价值评估、融资和交易。
黎叶律师认为，随着直接面向消费者的品牌(DTC)出海趋势发展，会有越来越多中国卖家需要知识产权合规服务。高科技类型的大公司仍然积极进行精密的全球布局，高质量申请发明专利，除了把专利池作为跨境被动应对诉讼和交叉许可的防御武器，也有主动维权起诉全球侵权人或阻击海外竞争对手的举措。黎律师预判2024会有中国企业在律所帮助下，在境外作为原告提起知识产权诉讼。
围绕广东法院“以高质量知识产权司法举措服务粤港澳大湾区高质量发展”重大战略布局，陈明武律师认为，“高端制造业知识产权保护会进一步强化，涉数字经济行业的新类型诉讼案件或非诉项目会逐步产生，涉及商事主体的公平竞争市场秩序会进一步巩固，涉及粤港澳大湾区及涉外业务会进一步加强”。
朱韶斌律师则认为，进入2024年，企业将要面临的一个问题是美国总统拜登于2023年1月5日签署成为法律的新的《2022年保护美国知识产权法案》（PAIP法案）的影响，该法案旨在规范中美两国政府和企业在知识产权盗窃这一长期问题上的关系。
此外，美国的中美战略竞争特别委员会将就一系列中美战略竞争相关问题提出立法建议。朱律师建议科技和生命科学公司密切关注这些进展。
“随着行业参与者对新能源技术和资源的开发、部署和投资，我们看到了巨大的增长潜力，尤其是在电动汽车和可再生能源、清洁和其他低碳技术领域。” 朱律师说。
“在竞争日益激烈的时代，保护知识产权对我们的客户至关重要。我们的全球知识产权团队包括具有不同技术背景的律师和知识产权专业人士，正在就影响电动汽车领域的各种知识产权相关问题为客户提供建议。”他说。
RIDING THE TECH WAVE
As hubs for Chinese tech startups, Shenzhen and Guangzhou are experiencing an increase in demand for intellectual property (IP) services. In addition, as Chinese companies expand in the global market, lawyers expect to see more foreign-related cases. Law firms need to build on their strengths to capitalize on this opportunity.
As a key driver for national economic growth and technology innovation, the Southern cities of Shenzhen and Guangzhou nurture companies in different fields, including artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, biotech, robotics and smart mobility, which drives the development of IP services.
Wanhuida Intellectual Property's partner Jason Yao tells ALB that the overall demand for IP services in Guangzhou and Shenzhen is growing, but different industries perform differently.
"The demand for IP services in the cross-border e-commerce, new energy and consumer electronics industry keeps growing. However, the demand is shrinking in some traditional industries due to factors such as insufficient demand in the overall market, crackdowns by the authorities on trademark hoarding and abnormal patent filings, as well as geopolitical conflicts and trade friction between China and the U.S.," says Yao.
“The overall demand for IP services in Guangzhou and Shenzhen is growing, but different industries perform differently. IP markets in Guangzhou and Shenzhen have their unique characteristics. As a special administrative region, Shenzhen is more active in attempting innovation.”
Jason Yao, Wanhuida Intellectual Property
Yao believes that IP markets in Guangzhou and Shenzhen have their unique characteristics. As a special administrative region, Shenzhen is more active in attempting innovation. The city has always been the first place to explore new things regarding IP protection systems and norms. For example, the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court took the lead in introducing the country's first judicial protection of IP rights in the digital economy and appointing technical investigation officers to IP case trials.
Advance Law Firm's partner Li Ye tells ALB that the demand for intellectual property services has diverged in different fields in the Shenzhen and Guangzhou markets, with some areas showing significant growth while others have not. Demand for IP services is increasing in areas such as clothing, beverages, hotels and new energy. The number of bulk services of IP protection, well-known trademark cases, and cases with high compensation awards is rising.
"Enterprises in both cities have similar needs for IP services. Compared to Guangzhou, Shenzhen has more technology enterprises and cross-border e-commerce IP cases," says Li.
“Shenzhen is a major technology hub, with the highest density of startups in mainland China, and it is a staging ground for high-tech companies from all over the world. In such a complex market, with so many different clients, there is scope for all kinds of legal services in Shenzhen.”
Shaobin Zhu, Morgan Lewis
Morgan Lewis's partner Shaobin Zhu sees an increase in demand for IP services in Shenzhen and Guangzhou, in particular from technology and life sciences companies.
"Shenzhen is a major technology hub, with the highest density of startups in mainland China, and it is a staging ground for high-tech companies from all over the world," says Zhu. Therefore, in July, Morgan Lewis officially launched its Shenzhen office.
"We decided to open in Shenzhen to connect leading technology and life sciences companies in the region to Morgan Lewis's full-service and industry capabilities throughout Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the United States. The demand for services includes patent and trade secrets disputes, as well as drafting and negotiating license agreements and commercial contracts, and transactions and due diligence."
"The City of Shenzhen has been central to China's emergence as a global technology leader. It's important for Morgan Lewis's Shenzhen office to further connect technology and life sciences companies in the region to the firm's full service and industry capabilities," adds Zhu.
"In such a complex market, with so many different clients, there is scope for all kinds of legal services in Shenzhen. Morgan Lewis offers a unique service for clients with cross-border IP counselling requirements, so we see our services as complementary to many other firms in the region."
Wang Jing & GH Law Firm's senior partner Chen Mingwu observes that there has been a significant growth in foreign-related IP cases in the Guangzhou and Shenzhen markets. Courts in Guangdong province concluded 9,876 foreign-related IP cases and 4,913 Hong Kong- and Macao-related IP cases from 2018 to 2022, with an average annual growth of 25.75% and 27.59%, respectively, according to data from the High People's Court of Guangdong Province, therefore, "there has been a significant increase in demand for IP services from foreign-related enterprises," says Chen.
“There has been a significant growth in foreign-related IP cases in the Guangzhou and Shenzhen markets. Guangdong courts have issued a series of regulations and opinions in recent years to strengthen the equal protection of domestic and foreign companies.”
Chen Mingwu, Wang Jing & GH Law Firm
Chen tells ALB that Guangdong courts have issued a series of regulations and opinions in recent years to further strengthen the equal protection of the legitimate rights of domestic and foreign companies. It also published typical cases of IP protection in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) to further emphasize the role of Guangdong as a preferred location for IP litigation.
EMERGING CROSS-BORDER BUSINESS
Chen further enumerated several new types of foreign-related business.
The first category involves fair competition cases, referring to combating unfair commercial competition behaviours such as false publicity and acts of confusion. Among the typical eight cases of IP protection in GBA released by the High People's Court of Guangdong Province, five cases were involved in unfair competition among commercial entities.
The other type is cross-border antitrust business. "As a major e-commerce province, Guangdong has seen an increase in antitrust demand in the cross-border e-commerce sector," says Chen. For example, the Guangzhou Intellectual Property Court recently accepted the first case of a local enterprise suing an overseas e-commerce platform for abusing its market dominance.
The last category is cases involving new technologies.
"There has also been a significant increase in the number of cases involving new technologies and industrial research and development, including infringement of trade secrets, disputes over the ownership of patents, as well as unfair competition involving technologies in the Internet field," Chen adds.
Meanwhile, Yao points out that cross-border IP services in Guangzhou and Shenzhen present two obvious trends. The first trend is the increasingly urgent demand of enterprises for IP applications in the global market.
"As more and more Chinese enterprises enter the international market, they need to know how to lay out their IP rights in the international market and require professional guidance," says Yao.
For example, due to limited resources and budget, many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are unlikely to do a large-scale and comprehensive layout. They tend to gradually expand in their target markets. However, they need professional suggestions on when to start applying for trademarks and patents in the target market, what trademarks and patents they need to focus on, which markets they need to pay attention to, and which markets can be put on hold.
"How to customize the cross-border layout strategy of IP rights based on various factors, such as the enterprise expansion plan, the IP system of the target market, and the perfection of the rule of law in the target market, is urgently needed by many enterprises that are going out," says Yao.
The second trend Yao has noted is the growing need for companies to respond to overseas IP disputes.
“In Guangzhou and Shenzhen, Chinese cross-border e-commerce sellers have become the main target defendants in large-scale IP infringement lawsuits initiated by U.S. law firms. Chinese sellers are facing negotiation and settlement, responding to lawsuits and counterclaims.”
Li Ye, Advance Law Firm
"Many enterprises increasingly encountered issues such as trademark squatting and counterfeit and infringing products appearing in the local market," says Yao.
"Meanwhile, due to the lack of understanding of the target market's IP protection system, many SMEs frequently encounter IP disputes, such as facing complaints about infringement and being sued for trademark or patent infringement. Therefore, they are in urgent need of professionals who are familiar with handling cross-border IP disputes and advice from lawyers."
Li also noticed that in the field of IP services in the Guangzhou and Shenzhen markets, Chinese cross-border e-commerce sellers have become the main target defendants in large-scale IP infringement lawsuits initiated by U.S. law firms. In 2022, the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against Chinese sellers was issued by U.S. courts, and then cross-border e-commerce platforms needed to take down seller links and freeze funds. Chinese sellers are facing negotiation and settlement, responding to lawsuits and counterclaims.
"The Amazon platform was sued for abuse of market dominance by sellers in the Guangzhou and Shenzhen courts. This type of case is complex, pioneering and sensitive as it involves the relationship between China and the U.S., antitrust and anti-unfair competition," Li adds.
Within life sciences, Zhu sees an increase in cross-border activity and demand from biotech companies. On the technology side, some areas where Morgan Lewis is working closely with Chinese and international companies include software, telecoms, smartphones, video processing, internet television, LEDs and robotics.
"My colleague Yalei Sun now divides his time between Silicon Valley and China, advising Chinese companies in IP due diligence, licensing and settlement negotiations, and patent litigation, US government regulatory compliance and appellate matters," says Zhu.
WAYS OF STANDING OUT
With the emergence of more demand for IP services, law firms are also facing more intense competition, each law firm should build its unique advantages based on the development needs of the market to attract clients.
The IP service market in Guangzhou and Shenzhen has always been highly competitive, especially in the context of the world economic slowdown and stagnant demand in the industry as a whole. IP service organizations are competing against others, and the demand side has been trying to suppress prices.
In this case, Yao believes that law firms should improve from two aspects to stand out. They need to improve themselves to provide more professional and efficient services than others. They also need to improve their judgment on market trends and, spot the new market demand, then make changes to team resources accordingly.
Li agrees that competition is fiercer for lawyers in Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
"In the past, Chinese companies involved in cross-border cases would look for Chinese lawyers first. Now, many of them will skip Chinese IP lawyers and collaborate with offshore lawyers directly," Li says.
Li suggests that Chinese IP lawyers should think about how to get involved in these influential and internationally recognized cases. They should also think about whether they should act as the lead attorney in a case, or as a consultant in China for well-known foreign law firms to provide IP services to Chinese companies.
"Lawyers have to figure out how to make themselves an indispensable advisor for clients and gain an in-depth understanding of the client's industry. They also need to improve efficiencies or reduce the client's overall legal fees. These will become lawyers' competitive advantages," Li adds.
In addition, generative AI technology will also greatly impact lawyers. Li suggests that lawyers need to actively think about how to combine their business with AI, instead of being replaced by AI.
Chen also notices that law firms with professional experience in IP in Beijing and Shanghai have been setting up branches expanding in Guangzhou and Shenzhen in recent years, which further indicates that the demand for IP legal services in Guangdong is increasing while the competition is getting more and more intense.
As a law firm based in the GBA, Chen notes that Wang Jing & GH Law Firm is facing greater challenges in the market from well-known law firms headquartered in other cities. But at the same time, it is also an opportunity for the firm.
"Apart from traditional IP business, we are focusing on new areas of IP legal needs and customers in the GBA, with emphasis on foreign-related IP rights, digital economy, Internet, and cross-border e-commerce. We aim to highlight our advantages in different IP segments," Chen explains.
Zhu highlights that demand for IP services is increasing across the board in China. As Shenzhen and Guangzhou are global hubs for technology and finance, the region presents opportunities for all kinds of companies with intellectual property requirements.
"The huge range of clients here means that law firms can have very different strategies, and there is room in such a growing market for many different approaches to legal services," Zhu adds.
NEW TRENDS TO LOOK OUT FOR
Yao expects that there will be four hotspots in IP legal services in Guangzhou and Shenzhen in 2024. They include IP layout in overseas markets, especially in Belt and Road Initiative involved countries; patent layout in the fields of new energy, AI, blockchain, autonomous driving, biotech, and satellite communications; cross-border IP dispute handling; as well as IP value assessment, financing and trading.
Li notes that more Chinese sellers will need IP compliance services as direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands expand overseas. In addition, large high-tech companies will continue to lay out in the global market and apply for invention patents. Apart from passive response to litigation, Chinese firms will proactively safeguard rights and prosecute global infringers. Li predicts that there will be Chinese companies filing IP lawsuits abroad as plaintiffs with lawyers' help in 2024.
Based on the Guangdong court's strategy "to serve the development of the GBA with IP judicial initiatives", Chen believes that "IP protection in high-end manufacturing industries will be further strengthened. New types of litigation cases or non-litigation projects involving the digital economy industry will gradually appear. It will also strengthen a fair competition market involving commercial entities. Cross-border businesses in GBA will be further improved."
Zhu points out that one issue for businesses going into 2024 will be the impact of the new Protecting American Intellectual Property Act of 2022 (PAIP Act), signed into law by President Biden on January 5, 2023, for regulating the relationship between the U.S. and Chinese governments and businesses concerning the long-standing subject of IP theft.
In addition, the United States Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and China will create legislative proposals on a range of U.S.-China strategic competition-related issues. Zhu suggests that tech and life sciences companies should be watching these developments closely.
"As industry players develop, deploy, and invest in new energy technologies and resources, we are seeing huge growth potential, particularly in the electric vehicle and renewable energy, clean, and other low-carbon technologies spaces," says Zhu.
"In a time of heightened competition, it is critical for our clients to protect their intellectual property. Our global IP team, which includes lawyers and IP professionals with diverse technical backgrounds, is advising clients on a full range of IP-related issues impacting the electric vehicle space," he says.
