Fred leads Harris Sliwoski’s intellectual property practice and is the coordinator of the firm’s international team. Much of Fred’s practice consists of helping cannabis businesses protect their brands. He also works with entrepreneurs and companies entering the Web3 space, a new frontier for IP law. Prior to joining Harris Sliwoski, Fred worked overseas for more than a decade, in both government and private sector roles. Fred is a regular contributor to the award-winning China Law Blog and Canna Law Blog.
Fred began his career overseas as a U.S. consular officer in Guangzhou, China, where he advocated for fairer treatment of American companies and citizens in China and for stronger intellectual property rights enforcement. After entering the private sector, Fred worked at a Shanghai law firm as a foreign legal advisor and later joined one of the oldest American law firms in China, helping foreign companies navigate the Chinese legal environment. He also led the legal team at a Hong Kong-based brand protection consultancy, spending most of his time out in the field, protecting clients against counterfeiters and fraudsters in Greater China, Southeast Asia and Latin America.
In addition to his IP work, as a native Spanish speaker, Fred works closely with different Harris Sliwoski teams on Latin America and Spain matters. Fred also provides advice to cannabis industry participants and other businesses on import and export transactions.
Fred is an ardent supporter of FC Barcelona—and would be even in the absence of Catalan forebears who immigrated to Puerto Rico in the mid-1800s.
Introduction You’ve just come up with a catchy name for your new business, but there’s one crucial step before you can start splashing that name everywhere—ensuring no one else has a claim to it. This is where the world of trademarks and, specifically, trademark oppositions come into play. Think of a trademark opposition as someone
Introduction Picture this: A young entrepreneur named Alex (all names have been changed to protect the innocent) launches a trendy eco-friendly shoe line named “VerdeVoyage” in the U.S. After gaining popularity stateside, Alex decides to expand to China. However, unbeknownst to Alex, 绿行 (lvxing), which translates to “Green Journey”, is already a registered trademark for
Bye-bye China Manufacturing With no sign of peace breaking out any time soon on the US-China trade front, an increasing number of businesses are turning their eyes toward alternative manufacturing destinations, such as Vietnam, Thailand and Mexico. Such relocations present all sorts of new and different headaches, but I suspect that before long many folks
Cannabis Brands and China Challenges Cannabis brands account for a sizeable component of my law firm’s intellectual property work (and, indeed, our work generally). Historically, there has been little overlap between our cannabis and China practice areas, beyond our representing a number of cannabis ancillary product companies on their China manufacturing matters. This is starting
Consular Visits for Chinese Dual Nationals Consular visits, especially for detained citizens abroad, play a vital role in international diplomacy. So, China’s recent notification to foreign consulates in Hong Kong — that they can’t visit detained individuals if they also hold Chinese nationality — has sparked controversy. International Agreements on U.S. and China Consular Relations
China is Central to Latin American Counterfeiting Issues Counterfeit challenges in Latin America are closely tied to manufacturing in China because a significant proportion of these counterfeits trace back to China. This means an effective brand protection strategy for Latin America often requires an effective brand protection strategy for China as well. For many brands,
Introduction As we regularly stress on these pages, trademarks (and other intellectual property) are often a brand’s most valuable assets. It therefore follows that international trademark protection should be a key priority for brands engaged in international business. Globalization and Trademark Realities In this age of increasing globalization, where phones and ATM cards from your
Introduction Navigating the intricate landscape of intellectual property (IP) protection in China is a paramount concern for businesses in today’s global market. Countering counterfeiting and IP infringement requires a comprehensive strategy that goes beyond borders. This post sets out the five keys to safeguarding your IP assets from and within China. From registering your IP
Chinese nationals face serious restrictions on their ability to buy land in Florida, with the entry into force of SB 264 on July 1 of this year. This new law curbs real estate acquisitions by citizens of seven “countries of concern” (China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria, and “the Venezuelan regime of Nicolás Maduro”),
CHINA TRADEMARKS Securing Trademarks in China China’s massive consumer market represents a tremendous opportunity for companies to build their brands. However, substantial risks of trademark squatting, counterfeits and other infringements make registering and protecting your trademarks in China absolutely essential. This in-depth guide provides practical insights on the benefits, process, tips and potential pitfalls of
