Rouse

Firm overview:

Top-ranked firm Rouse has a strong presence in China, with offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong SAR, and a reputation for quality. A client says there is “no doubt” the firm is a leading IP service provider, and that what impressed them most was the “integrity, integrated service and level of client care” Rouse demonstrated in their time working together.

Rouse covers all facets of patent work in the country via its strategic partnership with Lusheng Law Firm and global network of 23 offices worldwide. Increasingly, the team handles outbound work for China-based multinationals. The firm is a stand-out option for those seeking strategic patent portfolio management and commercial advice. Rouse takes a transnational approach to patent prosecution, with a drafting style that meets the different demands of various patent offices around the world.

Rouse has been instructed by some of the world’s biggest technology, pharmaceutical and food and beverage companies for complex patent litigation cases and prosecution disputes. The team has a high win rate for clients thanks to its expertise in the jurisdiction, and seamless cooperation with Lusheng.

Team overview:

Rouse has a bilingual team with technical specialisms in a multitude of fields, including technology, life sciences, chemistry, artificial intelligence, machinery, electronics and engineering.

Principal and deputy global head of enforcement James Godefroy, based in Guangzhou, specialises in IP rights protection and dispute resolution. Godefroy serves a client base of well-known multinationals and leading Chinese enterprises across various industries, and is an authority on IP protection in the digital age.

Chief commercial officer Jeremy Newman provides “absolutely outstanding” client care, according to an international client. London-based Newman “inputs on strategy” in China, drawing on decades of legal expertise in helping clients manage global IP enforcement programmes.

Key matters:

• Design patent enforcement

James Godefroy represented a well-known international game company in a series of enforcement cases against the infringement of a design patent for “controllers of electronic devices”. It was selected as a model case of administrative protection of IP in Guangdong.