As protection has increased, rights owners have turned to China's top intellectual property practices to enforce their rights. It was this dynamic environment in which Asia IP's editorial team has release 2023 China IP Awards, designed to recognize and honour the top IP firms and practices, including winners in practice specialties (such as pharma, biotech and life sciences) and by region as well as a national IP Firm of the Year.  

The decisions were made by the Asia IP editorial team, based on feedback and recommendations received from in-house counsel, senior corporate executives and legal professionals from around the region and around the world, as well as submissions from law firms themselves. 

To determine the winning firms, the editorial team carefully evaluated each firm's most important cases, portfolios and other notable work throughout in the past year, in conjunction with the recommendations and comments they received. 

Chang Tsi & Partners has been recognized in the following areas:

1. Trademark Prosecution Firms of the Year 

According to Asia IP, Chang Tsi & Partners experienced a strong 2021, handling 32,953 trademark cases, an increase of 32 percent over the previous year, including more than 10,000 new trademark applications. In an important case, the firm helped American Dairy Queen (ADQ) obtain well-known trademark recognition without being sued before the court; the case also cleared a disputed mark owned by Wuxi Zhengke Foods Science and Technology Co., which claimed that the disputed mark was created by themselves, and it is not a copy or imitation of ADQ’s prior marks – and that he has many cups being the disputed mark in stock, and thus refused to sell its trademark to ADQ. “We filed an invalidation against the disputed mark on ADQ’s behalf, and received the favourable decision from the CNIPA, wherein the in-charge examiner finally decided to declare the disputed mark as invalid based on our well-known claim,” a representative told Asia IP. 

2.Trademark Litigation Firms of the Year 

According to AsiaIP, Chang Tsi & Partners advised Baidu Online Network Technology(Beijing) in its application for invalidation with CNIPA against trademark No. 7015260 “君尚百度及图” (the disputed trademark) registered by Beijing Baidu Building Decoration Engineering Anhui Co. 

In 2021, CNIPA issued a ruling on the request for invalidation of the trademark, ruling that the disputed trademark was upheld. On April 6, 2021, Baidu instructed the firm to file a lawsuit with the Beijing Intellectual Property Court, which found that the disputed trademark was a copy of Baidu's second well-known cited trademark (No. 1579950 "百度") and the registration and use of the disputed trademark violated paragraph 2 of Article 13 of the Trademark Law 2001, and therefore ruled that the sued ruling was revoked. Both the CNIPA and Baidu Construction Company appealed against the first instance judgment. The Beijing High People’s Court rejected the appeal and upheld the first instance judgement after review. 

3.Licensing & Franchising Firms of the Year 

Chang Tsi & Partners' exceptional expertise and achievements in licensing and franchising matters have been recognized in this category. We have displayed a deep understanding of the complexities involved in licensing and franchising arrangements, providing strategic guidance to clients and delivering favorable outcomes.

Chang Tsi & Partners remains committed to upholding the highest standards of excellence in the field of intellectual property, serving as a trusted partner for rights owners seeking comprehensive and effective legal representation.