Partnership Office in China
Legal and technological expertise and clear and truthful communication are Sonoda & Kobayashi IP Law’ s tradition and have fostered long-standing trust with our clients around the world.
The opening of our partnership office in China is a milestone which enables both the expansion of our values established through legal services in Japan to China and synergy with Chinese wisdom. Our team in China is now ready to proudly offer legal services for the prosecution and enforcement of intellectual property rights in China in addition to Japan.
How are we different?
Sonoda & Kobayashi’s culture of candid internal communication will streamline the prosecution and enforcement of IP rights especially when Chinese and Japanese jurisdictions are involved. The client can save the trouble of giving substantially the same instructions to each local agent and we can eliminate the redundant work of analyzing the same prior art and reasons for rejection.
While the constant change in law firms and attorneys in China is a sign of the country’s vibrant nature, this can cause confusion and delay in IP prosecution/enforcement for non-Chinese companies in the long run. At Sonoda & Kobayashi Beijing, we fully understand the value of stability and offer our clients an exclusive combination of traditional Japanese reliability with Chinese efficiency and vibrancy to ensure trustworthiness and efficiency for our international clients.
With more than 20 years of experience in intellectual property, our team of Chinese patent attorneys, technical experts and translators will work together as necessary to offer the most effective protection for your IP assets in China. The employees at our principal office in Tokyo cooperate closely with those at the China office and regularly exchange knowledge.
Sonoda & Kobayashi Japan is well known for its clear and truthful communication in addition to its high quality and reliable standards for legal services. A transparent and reasonable charge system is another aspect of our clear and truthful communication and is not always the case at other firms. We maintain this tradition in the China office so that our clients always have a clear idea of the costs and the status of their IP rights.
Sonoda Kobayashi Beijing IP group
Beijing Fortune Bldg., Suite 804-805
5 Dong San Huan Bei Lu Chaoyang District
Beijing 100027, China
+86-10-6592-4958
What we offer:
- Patent and trademark prosecution in China
- Commercial and strategic IP portfolio analysis
- Local IP department support services
- Oppositions and nullity actions
- License negotiations, expert opinions, FTO searches and opinions, prior art searches
- Tailored seminars on Chinese IP law
- Translation services
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions regarding Chinese intellectual property law, we will be happy to help.
We sincerely thank you for your continuing trust in our firm and look forward to further collaboration.
People
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Yanhui Wang | Partner, Chinese Patent Attorney, Chinese Lawyer
MS, Clinical Pharmacy, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University
Expertise: Organic Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Polymer Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Material Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry
After completing graduate school, Yanhui Wang worked at a major patent law office in China for six and a half years. She was responsible for all patent operations in the field of chemistry pertaining to Japan and China. After qualifying as a Chinese patent attorney in 2011 and as a Chinese lawyer in 2013, she began working at a Japanese patent law firm in 2015 and joined SONODA & KOBAYASHI in 2017. In 2021, she became a partner of Sonoda & Kobayashi Beijing IP Group. -
Wataru Otani, J.D. | Japanese Patent Attorney
M.Eng., Material Science, Gunma University, Gunma, Japan
J.D., Omiya Law School, Saitama, Japan
LL.M., Florida Coastal School of Law
Expertise: Information Processing, Banking Terminal Devices, Telecommunications, Printers, Electronic Devices, Electronic Displays, Baby Products
Following graduate school, Wataru Otani worked in the IP departments of a major electrical machinery manufacturer and a baby product manufacturer. In those positions, his duties included performing and overseeing searches, preparing patent, design, and trademark applications, acquiring rights for patents, designs, and trademarks in Japan and overseas, developing filing strategies, handling litigation (mainly in China), negotiating licenses, conducting monetization of IP, reviewing contracts, and engaging in organization management.
He also has experience working in IP in China (Beijing) and the US (Washington, D.C.).He joined Sonoda & Kobayashi in February 2022 and also serves as a Japanese patent attorney of Sonoda & Kobayashi Beijing IP Group since 2024. -
Xudong Ma | Chinese Patent Attorney
MS, Metallurgical Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing
Expertise: Semiconductors, Machinery, Materials Science, Pharmaceuticals
After graduating from the Graduate School of Beijing University of Science and Technology, Mr. Ma served as an examiner at the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA)，then gained experience and expertise in intellectual property practice in China at a major patent law firm primarily handling Japanese clients. He joined our firm in 2023, employing his language skills in patent practice and international work involving both China and Japan. -
Rui Peng | Chinese Patent Attorney， attorney-at-law
BS, Telecommunications, Communication University of China
Expertise: Telecommunications, Electronics, Mechanical Engineering, AI
Mr. Peng has had a remarkable 20-year career in the Intellectual Property industry. After graduating from the Communication University of China, he served as an examiner at the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) for 12 years. In 2017, he transitioned into working for patent law firms. During this period, he managed a substantial number of patent prosecution and invalidation cases for clients in various industries. Through these experiences, he has accumulated extensive experience in patent practice. He joined our firm in 2024. He is responsible for cases in the fields of communications, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and artificial intelligence. -
Lu Yang Shang | Paralegal
Shandong University Graduate School of Economics,
Yamaguchi University
Japanese Language Proficiency Test level 1, TOEIC (850 points), Chinese Lawyer Qualification
Ms. Shang has more than 10 years of experience in Japanese translation and patent prosecution services. She joined the company in 2023. -
Wei Chen | Paralegal
Chinese certification test (CATTI) for translation and interpreter Level 3
College English Test （CET-6）
CET-SET
Ms. Chen joined our firm in 2023 and currently serves as a paralegal staff member. Prior to joining our team, she accumulated work experience in intellectual property related fields. She has a clear understanding of IP and an excellent grasp of legal process management.
