Watson & Band

Chairman: Mr Frank Qian
Managing Partners: Mr George Q Fu, Mr Shenmin Xu, Ms Jean Yang, Mr Fengting Kong
Number of Partners: 36
Number of Lawyers: 108
Languages: Chinese, English, French, Japanese, Russian

Firm Overview: Watson & Band was established in 1995 and is headquartered in Shanghai. It maintains domestic and international branch offices in Beijing, Hong Kong, Harbin, Lanzhou, Yantai, Guangzhou, Chicago and Tokyo. Over the last two decades Watson & Band, adhering to a philosophy of ‘Integrity, Strategy, Professionalism and Dedication,’ has developed into an integrated legal and IP services provider that is represented by Watson & Band Law Offices and Watson & Band Intellectual Property Agent Ltd. Watson & Band’s current scope of practice includes various areas such as intellectual property; corporate and commercial law; data law and IP services; capital market; financial and asset management; restructuring and insolvency; culture, entertainment and sports; construction, real estate and infrastructure; labour and employment; family law and wealth management; trade, customs and tax; litigation and dispute resolution; and investigation, etc.

Main Areas of Practice:  

Intellectual Property: Watson & Band, as one of China’s oldest intellectual property service providers with the qualifications as a foreign-related patent agency, continues to occupy a leading position in the IP industry due to its extensive experience. The intellectual property practice group is made up of several hundred professionals including lawyers, agents, engineers, professors, scientific researchers and senior consultants. The group offers IP services in various fields including chemistry, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, mechanics, electronics, communications, data, optics, automation, metallic materials and semiconductors and more. Taking into account client needs for IP prosecution services, Watson & Band has established detailed processing rules, and has developed an automatic electronic monitoring system to ensure procedural immediacy, high efficiency, superb quality and tight security for IP prosecution, designed to avoid potential conflicts of interest and procedural errors.

Corporate & Commercial Services: To meet the particular needs and requirements of its clients, Watson & Band is unmatched in its ability to provide consistent, professional and innovative legal and commercial advice, and to make good use of its long-term cooperative relationships with government authorities and professional intermediary agencies. Watson & Band’s clients in the corporate and commercial area include many leading multinational enterprises in industries ranging from computer software to automobiles, steel, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, machinery, electronics, real estate, retailing, hotels, restaurants, and financial institutions, among others. Services include M&A and corporate restructuring, investment, securities, futures, financing, domestic and overseas stock exchange listings, anti-monopoly enforcement, tax planning, labour law, compliance, corporate governance, private equity, commercial real estate, bankruptcy, IP rights licensing and assignment, IP strategy planning and enforcement, IP due diligence, among others. Meanwhile it provides detailed and comprehensive legal advice covering every step in business operations.

Litigation & Dispute Resolution: Watson & Band has experienced professional litigation and dispute resolution teams comprising former judges, senior lawyers and patent attorneys, legal and IP experts and university professors. Watson & Band’s litigation and dispute resolution services cover various disputes relating to patents, trademarks, copyrights, unfair competition, trade secrets, IP rights licensing and assignment, corporate management, equity of listed companies, corporate M&A, foreign investments, insurance, finance, joint ventures, distribution licensing transactions, maritime issues, real estate, labour, marriage and family, and other civil and commercial cases involving large sums in dispute. To ensure the quality and efficiency of its services, Watson & Band has established specialised teams based on the types of disputes they handle, including patent litigation, trademark/copyright litigation, civil and commercial litigation, as well as a special team for investigation and evidence collection. Professional lawyers and designated employees are assigned to the particular teams in line with their areas of expertise, so that intimate inter-team cooperation can be efficiently carried out in accordance with well-designed litigation strategies, for the ultimate purpose of offering maximum protection for the clients’ legitimate rights and interests.