Kangxin Partners
Firm overview:
One of China’s top IP firms, Kangxin Partners has more than 500 professionals working out of offices in Beijing, Tianjin, Xi’an, Wuhan, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou.
Kangxin offers a highly efficient suite of non-contentious trademark services that covers more than 200 countries and regions around the world. The team conducts trademark searches, prosecution, and monitoring, and creates brand protection strategies for clients ranging from startups to Fortune 500 multinationals.
The firm has an in-house IP Platform that provides a one-stop-shop for the entire trademark lifecycle, offering AI-powered clearance searches and more. A client says the platform’s monitoring capability “greatly helps us to detect similar trademarks in the weekly publications of the trademark offices and identify suspected infringement on e-commerce platforms”. They also note that the team “provided us with very practical suggestions and a detailed action plan, quickly and effectively protecting our IP rights against copycats”.
Kangxin is also a safe pair of hands for contentious matters, with wide-ranging IP enforcement experience including litigation, arbitration and investigation.
Team overview:
Partner and trademark attorney Lichun Zhao is a recognised thought leader on trademarks, with expertise across Chinese and international application procedures and protection systems. With a broad non-contentious and contentious practice, Zhao contributed to the development of trademark standards and guidelines by the China Trademark Association.
Other trademark specialists at the firm include Cynthia Wang, whose practice covers trademark prosecution (including in Hong Kong), dispute resolution, copyright protection and domain name issues. Wang also devises strategies for clients to safeguard their trademark rights in China, and has handled thousands of cases for globally recognised brands.
Key matters:
- Teva Pharmaceuticals: Trademark opposition
In 2024, the Kangxin team filed an opposition action on behalf of client Teva against the trademark ‘Azilide’ in class 5. After examining the case, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) rejected the mark for registration.
Kangxin’s arguments in the opposition included that the opposed trademark was similar to Teva’s trademark ‘Azilect’, and that the marks covered similar goods. The team told the CNIPA that registration of the contested mark could lead to confusion and misunderstanding among relevant consumers.
- Northwave: Trademark invalidation action
Kangxin represented bicycle accessories company Northwave, which sells its products in 45 countries around the world. On behalf of Northwave, Kangxin filed an invalidation action against the trademark ‘Northnwave’ registered in class 25. The team argued that the applicant had maliciously registered the trademark without the intention to use it, and that it was a similar mark on similar goods to Northwave’s own trademark.
The CNIPA invalidated the mark on the similarity grounds.
- Lanxess: Trademark invalidation action
Kangxin represented Lanxess, a speciality chemical company based in Germany. The company has the trademark ‘Lanxess’ registered in China in class 1. The team filed a successful invalidation action against a trademark registration for ‘Lanxess’, arguing that it had been registered in bad faith and was a copy of the client’s well-known mark.
Clients:
Lanxess, Northwave, Teva Pharmaceuticals
