Squire Patton Boggs
Firm overview:
Squire Patton Boggs has one of the longest continuous presences among international law firms in China, having opened its Beijing office in 1980 and later expanding into Shanghai, in 2004, and Hong Kong SAR. The firm has built a strong reputation for advising multinational corporations on all aspects of trademark protection, enforcement, and portfolio strategy. Leveraging its global network and Greater China footprint, the team delivers coordinated solutions that span cross-border portfolio management, contentious disputes, and on-the-ground enforcement operations.
The China practice works across a wide range of industries, from fashion, cosmetics, and consumer goods to automotive, technology, and life sciences. The team is particularly well regarded for brand protection programmes, combining traditional litigation with market surveillance, customs enforcement, and digital monitoring. Clients value the firm’s ability to manage both international trademark portfolios and local disputes before the Chinese courts and administrative authorities.
Team overview:
The practice is led by Paolo Beconcini, head of the firm’s China Intellectual Property and Brand Protection practice, who is recognised for his expertise in anti-counterfeiting, portfolio management, and cross-border enforcement campaigns. He oversees investigations, evidence gathering, and coordinated enforcement programmes across China, supported by colleagues in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.
The Beijing office, one of the first foreign law offices in the capital, houses lawyers and IP professionals with decades of experience advising on trademark enforcement and litigation. The Shanghai team, established in 2004, adds PRC-, EU-, and US-qualified professionals with sector-specific knowledge in technology, retail, and life sciences. In addition, the firm maintains an investigative presence in several Chinese cities, including Yiwu, Guangzhou, and Taizhou, which enables it to conduct raids, gather actionable evidence, and work directly with enforcement agencies.
Key matters:
- Clarks: Trademark management and strategy
For many years, Squire Patton Boggs has managed the trademarks and designs of Clarks, one of the most famous and well-loved footwear brands in the world. Its trademark portfolio has more than 1,200 marks. The team in China handles a number of ongoing opposition and cancellation proceedings before the Chinese Trademark Office, as well as a complex patent infringement and invalidity claim.
- Major League Baseball and team brands: Enforcement of trademarks in China
Since 2022, the China IP team has conducted anti-counterfeiting investigations and enforcement work in China for all Major League Baseball’s franchisee brands (NY Yankees, LA Dodgers etc). Every year it carries out an average of 95 raid actions, of which more than one third are criminal raids and enforcement actions, seizing millions of dollars in counterfeit goods each year.
- Diesel: Administrative and criminal enforcement of trademark rights in China
Squire Patton Boggs has worked with Italian fashion brand Diesel since 2023, including investigating and raiding counterfeiters of its brands in China and Hong Kong SAR. In 2024 the team raided a huge operation in Xinjiang, seizing over 40,000 fake bags with a retail value of over $10 million. The raid led to the dismantling of a large-scale criminal organisation from the Beijing region. The team is continuing its work in 2025.
Clients:
Agden Consulting, Bora Creations, Clarks, Cream Deluxe and CDL, Dainese, Diesel, Harris Tweed Authority, Haus Rabenhorst, Major League Baseball, Roberto Cavalli, Supima, T&R Theakston
