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.
Our International IP lawyers are always preaching how foreign companies must register their trademarks in China if they are going to be doing business in or producing product in China (see, for example, China Trademarks — Do You Feel Lucky? Do You?). And in most cases, companies should register their trademarks in China now. Right
A trademark registrant in China is not required to use the trademark, but that could soon change. If a draft revision of China’s Trademark Law is adopted, registrants may be required to certify their use of their trademark every five years after registration. We have covered other aspects of the proposed law in Draft Revision
The China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) has published a draft revision of the country’s Trademark Law and called for comments from the public. In our first post on the potential implications of the revised law for international brands, we looked at proposed changes to the definition of what constitutes a trademark and the absolute
The China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) has published a draft revision to China’s Trademark Law and called for comments from the public. In this post and others that will follow, we will look at the most significant proposed revisions and consider how they might impact foreign businesses. Today we begin by looking at some
As regular followers of this blog well know, we quite often stress the importance of registering trademarks in China, and the need to do so promptly. See for example China Trademarks: More Useful and More Necessary Than Ever. Today, I want to address some of the questions our China trademark attorneys fairly regularly get about
Quarantine requirements are set to be lifted for inbound travelers to China. According to press reports, starting on January 8, there will be no quarantine requirements for those arriving in the country, with the only requirement being a negative COVID test result issued within the preceding 48 hours. This is a critical development for all
Green trademarks are running into red lights in China. Just about every application to register a mark that includes the word “green” is being rejected. Rumor has it that concerns over greenwashing are to blame, though given the opaque nature of the application process this cannot be confirmed. Greenwashing is the “practice of making unwarranted
Crypto trademarks are a no-go in China. In line with the country’s prohibitions on cryptocurrencies, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) will not register trademarks that describe crypto goods and/or services. Brands in the crypto space must be mindful of this reality when crafting brand and intellectual property rights protection strategies for China. China
Women's protection will get a legal boost in China starting on January 1, 2023, when the latest revision of the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Protection of Women’s Rights and Interests (中华人民共和国妇女权益保障法) goes into effect.
Intellectual Property and United States Customs 1. Trademarks and U.S. Customs Trademarks are defined in U.S. law as a word, name, symbol, device, color, or combination thereof used to identify and distinguish goods from those manufactured or sold by others and to indicate the origin and source of goods, even if said source is unknown.
