SIPS teams up with Chinese firms to create 150-strong IP practice

Hong Kong-based firm has joined with Beijing East IP and other teams | SIPS co-founder becomes one of lead partners of new practice.

Hong Kong-based SIPS has joined forces with teams from three Chinese law firms to create a new trademark and IP enforcement practice, East IP, encompassing over 150 professionals and staff across four cities in China.

The firm has merged with Beijing East IP and East IP Law Firm, as well as a team from Zhong Lun Law Firm that includes partner Jimmy Huang Jingwen, who will lead the new trademark prosecution team.

SIPS brings five partners and 90 professionals to the new IP practice, and Huang Jingwen arrives with a team of five other partners and 36 professionals and staff.

Lead partners of East IP’s trademark practice include SIPS founder Joe Simone, Zhang Yan and Huang Jingwen.

The combined trademark, enforcement and litigation teams from across the four firms will operate primarily from offices in Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

In a joint statement, SIPS founding partners Simone, Dan Plane and Helen Tang, said: “Aside from our greater resources and depth, we will now be able to assist with patent prosecution and advisory work, as well as enforcement involving all types of IP rights China through East IP Law Firm, which operates in Beijing and, starting in May, Shanghai.

“We wish to express our deepest gratitude to the admin teams of SIPS and East IP in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong for their enormous efforts over the last year, including on HR, finance, and the construction of our new Beijing office.”

SIPS was founded in 2012 in Hong Kong offering IP protection services, with a primary focus on trademark prosecution, IP investigations and enforcement, and has since grown to more than 90 professionals and staff operating in four cities in China.

On March 28, East IP announced the promotion of new partner Mai Lin, who has over 16 years of experience in China IP protection.

The firm said that women comprised half of its partners and 72% of its trademark team.

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