The China Law Blog focuses on the practical aspects of Chinese law and how it impacts foreign companies that do business in or with China. The goal is to help readers understand what works and what does not work and what businesspeople can do to use the law to their advantage. China Law Blog’s aim is to assist businesses already in China or planning to go into China, not to break new ground in legal theory or policy.

Web3 and blockchain

China (and Other Nations) May Be Winning the Blockchain Race Against the U.S.

I recently read a great article in Politico by Brandon Possin, a U.S. foreign service officer (and friend of my colleague Fred Rocafort) who is currently stationed at the U.S. embassy in Tokyo. Possin also has significant blockchain-related credentials. In U.S. Diplomat to Washington: You’re Becoming Obsolete in One Big Area of Tech Policy, he

International product sourcing

Thinking the Right Way About the New China Sourcing Environment

I have recently been helping a company source and develop a new product in China. This post contains the questions that have arisen during that process, along with my answers. 1. What is the right way to think about China sourcing now? A. Use Supply and Demand to Your Benefit The future will be rough,

international contracts that work

International Contracts That Work

Lawyers love to jab at each other, especially when we are friends and operate in different jurisdictions or different practice areas. Recently a litigator friend said to me, “Don’t transactional lawyers just cut and paste? It looks really easy.” I replied, “Don’t litigators just argue about pointless things?” This willful misreading of each other’s skills

Foreign Entrepreneurs in China

Helping New Entrepreneurs Understand Today’s China Business Environment

I have recently spoken with many entrepreneurs still growing their businesses in the United States. When I talked with them about their international plans, many were interested in expanding internationally, but lacked a viable roadmap and resources for doing so. As they learned about my expertise in China and greater Asia, our discussions coalesced around

China M&A Deals. Mergers and Acquisitions.

VCs and PEs Hunting for China Deals Still Need an Exit Plan

December was a typically busy transactional month for our China team with the end of the calendar tax year looming. We were brought onto a China acquisition by one of our PE clients mid-month, and we closed before the end of the year. This cyclical frenetic pace of closing deals has caused me to reflect

Global Trademark Protection Under the Madrid Protocol

Does U.S. Trademark Law Apply Worldwide?

The United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear a trademark infringement case arising under the Lanham Act that has huge implications for manufacturers and sellers of products based outside the U.S. The case is Hetronic International, Inc. v. Hetronic Germany GMBH, et al. The case arises from a $114 million judgment for an industrial