Leveraging its long-standing reputation in the market, Schihead IP Group has been frequently involved in the region's most influential cases, and is nominated by one peer as "one of the leading competitors with all-around capacity in IP". It is the quality of its work that retains clients, one of whom notes: "For example, it is well-versed in dealing with responses to office actions. It enjoys one of the best reputations in the southern region."
One case to note saw Wen Xu, founder of the firm, help to obtain an award of Rmb1 million ($151,700), double the statutory damages of Rmb500,000 in a copyright infringement dispute. The compensation was ordered in a second round of litigation against the infringer, who repeatedly published a digital navigation map developed by Beijing Changdi Wanfang Technology even after a Beijing court had upheld liability.
In another landmark case, the Supreme People's Court clarified rules with regards to the order of injunction where the unauthorised use of a trade mark constituted unfair compensation. The disputed mark Xingqun belongs to leading domestic company Guangzhou Xingqun Pharmaceutical, which sought advice from the firm. At the time of writing, it is also assisting Japanese company Daicel Chemical Industries, which claimed damages of Rmb180 million ($27.3 million) against its Chinese competitor for patent infringement – the highest ever for an IP case in a Guangzhou court.
Schihead IP Group, which was established in 1986, was one of the first in the region to be qualified to deal with foreign applications. With 300 members, the firm has 14 offices in the country including Beijing, Shenzhen and Zhuhai. Its clientele includes industry leaders in the country such as TCL Corporation, Huawei, Guangzhou Hongda, Microsoft (China) and Foxconn Technology. Leading lawyers at the firm include Liu Mengwu, Liu Yanxi and Hao Chuanxin.