Zhengyu Hao

Practice Areas

IP Litigation & Enforcement

• Patent Litigation: Representing clients in complex infringement disputes and invalidation proceedings before courts and administrative agencies.

• Trade Secret Protection: Handling high-stakes civil and criminal trade secret misappropriation cases; designing robust corporate protection systems.

• Soft IP & Unfair Competition: Litigation involving trademark and copyright infringement, data-related disputes, and unfair competition.

• Ownership & Contractual Disputes: Resolving disputes over IP ownership, technology transfer agreements, and licensing contracts.

Patent Strategy & Portfolio Management

• Strategic Counseling: Patent mining, global portfolio layout, and high-quality patent prosecution.

• Risk Mitigation (FTO): Conducting Freedom to Operate (FTO) analysis and patent stability assessments for product launches and investments.

• Intelligence & Analytics: Deep-dive patent landscape analysis and competitive intelligence mining.

IP Transactions & Commercialization

• Licensing & Monetization: Leading negotiations for Standard Essential Patent (SEP) licensing, cross-licensing, and IP-related asset transactions.

• Technology Transfer: Advising on technology-based equity contributions, academic-to-industry commercialization, and R&D collaborations.

Strategic Advisory & Compliance

• Capital Markets IP Support: Specialized IP due diligence and strategic counsel for IPOs (SSE STAR Market, SZSE ChiNext, and HKEX).

• Data & Digital Compliance: Advising on data privacy, cybersecurity, and open-source software (OSS) compliance.

• General IP Counsel: Serving as long-term strategic IP advisor for listed companies and high-tech enterprises.

Personal

Mr. Hao Zhengyu is a Partner at Guantao Law Firm, recognized for his elite dual qualifications as an Attorney-at-Law and Patent Attorney. With over 18 years of profound experience in the intellectual property sector, Mr. Hao offers a rare "triple-threat" perspective. He holds a degree from Xidian University and possesses hands-on R&D experience in both hardware and software, providing him with a sophisticated understanding of complex technical architectures that few legal professionals possess.

Mr. Hao’s career is distinguished by his extensive tenure at the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), where he specialized in patent examination and re-examination. This experience granted him an insider’s mastery of administrative standards and judicial logic. Transitioning into private practice, he has served at several prestigious law firms, representing a diverse portfolio of leading enterprises in high-stakes IP disputes.

He has successfully secured victories in numerous landmark cases, some of which have been designated as Guiding Cases by judicial authorities. His expertise extends to the global stage, where he has spearheaded Standard Essential Patent (SEP) licensing negotiations with foreign rights holders. Furthermore, he provides strategic IP compliance counsel for enterprises pursuing IPOs on the SSE STAR Market, SZSE ChiNext, and the HKEX, and currently serves as a permanent IP Consultant for over ten listed companies.

A recognized authority in his field, Mr. Hao was honored as one of the "2025 ALB China Top 15 IP Lawyers" by Asian Legal Business (Thomson Reuters). He is also consistently ranked and recommended by elite international legal directories, including Chambers and Partners and The Legal 500.

Career

• Guantao Law Firm, Beijing—Partner (2020–Present)

• King & Wood Mallesons, Beijing—IP Litigation Lawyer (2017–2020)

• Ourchem IP Services Co., Ltd.—General Manager (2014–2017)

• China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA)—Patent Examiner & Reexamination Officer (2008–2014)

• China Unicom, Taiyuan Branch—Telecom Engineer (2003–2005)

Professional Memberships

• Instructor, Patent Litigation Training, All-China Patent Agents Association (ACPAA)

• Committee Member, Trade Secret Professional Committee, Capital Intellectual Property Services Association

• Committee Member, Party Building Work Committee, Beijing Xicheng District Lawyers Association

• Expert Panelist, Shenzhen Overseas Intellectual Property Dispute Response Guidance Center

• Guidance Expert, Overseas Intellectual Property Dispute Response Guidance Center (Yantai Sub-center)

• Guidance Expert, Shaoxing Intellectual Property Expert Database

Publications

• Author, Patent Infringement Risk Prevention: A Practical Guide to FTO Analysis (2024)

• Author, IP Guide for STAR Market Companies (2021)

• Author, Patent Analysis: Methods, Chart Interpretation and Intelligence Mining (2nd ed.) (2021)

Clients

CATL, Datang Mobile, Huawei, iFLYTEK, Ruijie Networks, GDS Holdings, Yadea Group, Jingwei Hirain, BiWin Storage, Cambricon Technologies.

Work Highlights

I. IP Litigation & Dispute Resolution

Patent Infringement & Invalidation Proceedings

• CATL v. CALB: Represented CATL in a patent infringement dispute involving power battery components; successfully secured a favorable judgment of RMB 58 million.

• Datang Mobile v. Samsung: Advised Datang Mobile in a high-stakes SEP (Standard Essential Patent) invalidation proceeding against Samsung, facilitating a global licensing agreement.

• Ruijie v. Zhifang: Represented Ruijie in telecommunications patent litigation; successfully invalidated the opponent’s patent and prevailed in the civil infringement case.

• Huawei v. Global NPE: Represented Huawei in a successful invalidation action against an international NPE’s standard-essential patents.

• Jiedian (Street Cat) v. Tuote: Represented Jiedian in invalidating a patent for mobile charger rental machines; the case was selected as one of the "Top 10 Patent Invalidation Cases of 2018" by the CNIPA.

• iFLYTEK v. NetEase Youdao: Represented iFLYTEK in patent litigation and invalidation proceedings concerning "translation pens"; successfully revoked the invalidation decision through administrative litigation.

• Siemens v. Aqara: Represented Siemens in patent infringement and invalidation proceedings regarding smart home products.

• SK Hynix v. Netlist: Represented SK Hynix in memory chip patent litigation and invalidation actions.

• Xiao Xian Dun v. Zhengdian: Represented the leading bird's nest brand in patent infringement and administrative litigation; secured over RMB 2 million in damages and successfully revoked the invalidation decision.

• In re Bamboo Technology: Represented the client in "shared power bank" patent litigation and invalidation involving claims exceeding RMB 100 million.

Trade Secret Litigation (Civil & Criminal)

• Chemical Enterprise v. Sinopec Subsidiary: Successfully represented the client in a technology secret misappropriation suit; obtained favorable judgments in both the Beijing IP Court and the Supreme People's Court.

• Panto v. Volkswagen (China): Represented Panto in technical contract arbitration and trade secret disputes against Volkswagen.

• In re Shandong Heavy Machinery Enterprise: Defended the client in a trade secret criminal investigation; successfully secured a non-prosecution decision from the procuratorate.

• Waterdrop v. Competitor: Represented Waterdrop in trade secret misappropriation and IP ownership litigation, securing a complete victory.

Trademark, Copyright & Antitrust Litigation

• Four-Way (NavInfo) v. Qihoo 360: Represented the client in a landmark case involving digital map copyright infringement and unfair competition; successfully secured a victory for the client.

• CLP v. Alpha Group: Represented China Life Property & Casualty in trademark infringement and unfair competition litigation; successfully argued non-infringement, leading the plaintiff to withdraw the case.

• Luckin Coffee v. Starbucks: Represented Luckin Coffee in high-profile antitrust/monopoly litigation.

• Hytera v. Motorola: Represented Hytera in contract breach and antitrust litigation.

II. IP Advisory & Strategic Services

Freedom to Operate (FTO) & Risk Assessments

Conducted comprehensive FTO analysis and risk mitigation for numerous enterprises pursuing IPOs on the SSE STAR Market and SZSE ChiNext, covering industries such as:

• Semiconductors and IC equipment;

• Automotive electronics and mechanical components;

• Robotics and smart home appliances.

• CNNC (China National Nuclear Corporation): Advised on IP strategic planning and infringement risk analysis for a National Major Special Project.

IP Transactions & Licensing Negotiations

• SEP Licensing: Lead counsel for a STAR Market listed company in Standard Essential Patent licensing negotiations with international rights holders.

• HEVC Advance: Represented a leading domestic enterprise in licensing negotiations with the HEVC Advance video codec patent pool.

• Cross-Border Transactions: Advised a Japanese sovereign fund on SEP licensing negotiations with Chinese enterprises.

Compliance & Institutional Building

• Commercial Secret Management: Designed and implemented comprehensive trade secret protection systems for leading enterprises in the New Energy and Medical Device sectors.

• Data & Tech Compliance: Advised a state-level AI laboratory on data compliance and a US-listed enterprise on Open Source Software (OSS) compliance.

• Outbound IP Strategy: Developed overseas IP risk response strategies for leading battery separator and intelligent sports equipment manufacturers.

General Intellectual Property Counsel

Acts as long-term IP Counsel for a sophisticated roster of clients, including:

• Tal Education Group (NYSE: TAL)

• ECARX (NASDAQ: ECX)

• GDS Holdings (NASDAQ: GDS)

• Longfor Group (HKEX: 0960)

• Cambricon (SSE STAR Market: 688256)

• Bwin Storage (SSE STAR Market: 688525)

• China Life Property & Casualty Insurance

Industry Sector Expertise

Intellectual Property Litigation (Patents, Trade Secrets, Trademarks, Copyrights, and Unfair Competition); IP Specialized Services (FTO Analysis, Due Diligence, Licensing & Transactions, Data & Cyber Security Compliance, and Trade Secret Management Systems).

Expert in these Jurisdictions

P.R. China (Mainland)

Languages Spoken

Chinese (Native), English (Professional Working Proficiency)

Education

Awards