Expert Articles
Expert analysis and practical guidance on China IP
Why Patent Work So Often Comes Too Late
Launch is near, goods are already shipped, or dozens of patents are filed each year yet no one can say which ones would hold up in a fight—patent work often enters only at these points. Being late is frequently less about attitude than about where the work sits in the process. Moving judgment one step earlier usually costs far less than fixing problems after the fact.
Patent Risk’s Real Cost: Late Discovery, Not Filing Fees
The same patent risk looks very different if it surfaces during design rather than at tooling. Filing fees are easy to budget; what is harder to recover is the room to change course once molds, certification and launch plans are already in motion. Moving patent search and risk review earlier is a step many companies can take immediately.
Patent Rejection Is Not the End: How to Assess the Next Step in China
A patent rejection does not necessarily mean that an invention has no value or that the application cannot be recovered. It is a formal decision explaining why the current claims do not satisfy the requirements for grant and provides a basis for evaluating amendment, reexamination or a new filing strategy.
Patent Portfolio Strategy: Why More Patents Do Not Always Mean Better Protection
A large number of patents does not necessarily create strong protection. An effective patent portfolio should cover the core technology, realistic alternatives and important future developments in a coordinated way.
Patent Design-Around Strategies: Reducing Infringement Risk Through Independent Innovation
Patent design-around is not about disguising a copied product. It is a structured process of understanding the legal boundaries of a patent and developing a technically and commercially viable solution outside those boundaries.