I just learned that Alvin Y.H. Cheung has died, at the far too young age of 38. Who was Alvin Cheung, and why, after nearly 20 years of this blog, is he the first person to receive a memorial here? Alvin Cheung was a true scholar. By this, I mean he was the sort of
Last week I had a Zoom call with a long-time, no nonsense, client regarding an ongoing matter. As we were wrapping up the meeting, he mentioned his company was looking to start moving the manufacturing of some of its products from China to Vietnam or Thailand, and he wanted me to tell him what his
IP Strategies for the China Plus One Era I recently had a discussion with several of my law firm’s international lawyers about how so many of our clients are expanding their manufacturing operations or product sourcing beyond China. These clients now have an “international” strategy in which China is just one component, or in some
Are Contracts Really Enforceable in China? As lawyers, we spend a lot of time fielding good, bad, weird, interesting, deep, superficial, and all types of other questions from people. We’re generally expected to be oracle-level wizards, a lot like people are treating AI now. In this series, we’ll share some of these questions that people
The Critical Role of Dispute Resolution Clauses Last week, I published an in-depth post on international dispute resolution clauses. See A Guide to Dispute Resolution Clauses in International Contracts. The unexpected volume of emails I received from that wonky post — more than I’ve gotten to a post in months — highlights both how critical
Should I Visit My China Suppliers? As lawyers, we spend a lot of time fielding good, bad, weird, interesting, deep, superficial, and all types of other questions from people. We’re generally expected to be oracle-level wizards, a lot like people are treating AI now. In this series, we’ll share some of these questions that people
High-Quality Dispute Resolution Clauses With sushi restaurants, it’s the yellowfin. With new houses, it’s the windows. With international contracts, it’s the dispute resolution provision. The “it” I am talking about is the easiest, fastest, most accurate way to judge whether something is good or not. For international contracts, I head straight to the dispute resolution
China Trademark Oppositions Have you discovered that someone is applying for a trademark suspiciously similar to yours in China? Don’t panic! This blog post will guide you through the process of filing an opposition with the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA). What CNIPA Looks For When evaluating trademark oppositions, CNIPA focuses on two key
China IP Risks are Rising Earlier this week, in my blog post, Protecting Your IP from an Increasingly Rapacious China, I discussed the growing threats to intellectual property (IP) posed by deteriorating relations between China and the West I highlighted how these strained relations, coupled with China’s struggling economy, have led to an alarming increase
As lawyers, we field a wide range of questions—from the straightforward to the deeply complex. We’re often expected to be oracle-level wizards, much like how people now view AI. In this “Quick Question Tuesday series, we’ll share some of these intriguing questions along with our answers. For longtime China Law Blog readers, this “Quick Question
