Leading PRC law firm Shihui Partners recently announced that intellectual property experts Zhijie Liu(刘志杰) and Chi Cheng (程驰) have joined its Shenzhen office as partners. Both lawyers principally practice in intellectual property dispute resolution and property-related compliance matters bringing extensive experience in handling litigation involving complex technologies. Their addition will further strengthen the professional team of the firm across high-tech patent litigation, trade secret protection, cross-border parallel proceedings, and IP risk response during corporate IPO and financing stages. The firm noted that the transfers of their practice licenses are currently being finalized.
Mr. Liu focuses on IP dispute resolution and full-chain compliance for complex technologies spanning patent infringement, patent ownership, trade secrets, software copyright including open-source license compliance, and unfair competition. He has frequently handled high-risk scenarios such as pre-litigation and interim injunctions alongside cross-border parallel proceedings. Highlighting his representative litigation matters he represented Roborock in a series of disputes with Dreame Technology marking the first case in which the Supreme People's Court took up jurisdiction over the reconsideration of a pre-litigation injunction where he successfully secured the revocation of the first-instance act preservation ruling. He also represented the Korean entity SL Hitech Limited in seven patent ownership actions winning all cases. Furthermore he represented an electric motorcycle manufacturer in global patent litigation achieving a remand for retrial at the second instance in Chinese proceedings while synergistically managing parallel litigation in the United States. He defended a leading photovoltaic silver paste company against patent infringement claims while proactively bringing malicious IP litigation involving a cumulative claimed amount exceeding RMB 1 billion. Additionally he represented a British originator pharmaceutical manufacturer in an unfair competition case concerning pharmaceutical trade dress prevailing at the second instance and securing the highest damages awarded in comparable cases in China. Notably a number of his cases have been successfully reversed by the Supreme People's Court in retrial proceedings.
On the non-contentious side Mr. Liu possesses extensive experience in establishing software copyright and trade secret compliance programs, patent portfolio building, freedom-to-operate analyses, patent acquisitions, and technology licensing negotiations. He is particularly adept at IP risk review and response during the IPO or financing stages of clients. Holding a combined legal and technical background he received a bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering and Automation from Shandong University and a master degree in Electrical Engineering from Technische Universität Dresden. Dual-qualified as a PRC lawyer and patent attorney he practiced at the Shenzhen Representative Office of China Patent Agent (H.K.) Ltd., King & Wood, and Liu, Shen & Associates prior to joining Shihui Partners.
Ms. Cheng primarily handles IP disputes involving complex technologies across sectors including telecommunications, medical devices, precision instruments, automotive engineering, robotics, consumer electronics, and new energy. She possesses extensive experience in patent infringement litigation, patent invalidation proceedings, and patent ownership disputes while frequently representing clients in trademark, copyright, trade secret, and unfair competition matters. Drawing on her strong engineering background she assists clients with overseas IP litigation and interim injunction proceedings by combining a thorough understanding of technical issues with rigorous legal analysis. Beyond her contentious practice she advises companies on patent portfolio development, technology licensing and acquisitions, infringement risk assessments, and IP due diligence to manage risks arising from research and development alongside business transactions. Dual-qualified as a PRC lawyer and patent attorney Ms. Cheng holds master and bachelor degrees in Engineering alongside a bachelor degree in Economics from Tsinghua University. Before her current transition she practiced at Han Kun Law Offices and Liu, Shen & Associates.
The Management Committee of Shihui Partners stated that Mr. Liu and Ms. Cheng are adept at understanding complex technical issues and integrating technical analysis with legal reasoning. The committee emphasized that their ability to develop dispute resolution strategies aligned with the commercial objectives of clients will further strengthen the capabilities of the firm in IP dispute resolution, corporate IP compliance, and risk management.
