The Patent 1000 focuses exclusively on patent practice and has firmly established itself as the definitive 'go-to' resource for those seeking world-class legal patent expertise.
Xia Zheng is the founder of AFD China Intellectual Property Law Office and BHTD Law Firm.As a patent attorney, trademark attorney and attorney-at-law, she has been actively involved in many areas of IP practice especially IP strategy, prosecution, post-grant proceedings and IP-related litigation, for thirty years. She has assisted numerous clients to successfully obtain and protect IP rights and win post grant proceedings, arbitrations and litigations.
Ms Zheng actively participates in the industry and has been:
- named an excellent patent professional by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1997; and
- elected as director of the Beijing IP Association since 2007, director of the All-China Patent Attorneys Association since 2010;
- honoured for significant contributions to the Chinese patent and IP industries by the CNIPA in 2010;
- named an excellent legal professional by the Beijing Haidian Judicial Bureau in 2012;
- named Outstanding Patent Attorney of the Year by the Beijing Patent Attorney Association in 2014;
- recognized as IP star by MIP since 2015;
- named a National IP Talent by CNIPA since 2016;
- recognized as a IP Expert recommended by Asia IP, and IAM Patent 1000 since 2016;
- recognized by WTR1000 since 2018;
- an adviser on IP services to the Beijing Innovation and Entrepreneurship Medium since 2018;
- elected a leading professional in IP services in Beijing in 2020; and
- recognized by Legal 500 in 2021.
Before founding AFD, Ms Zheng advanced from department director to general director assistant to director and partner of another IP firm. Her prior in-house IP work included patent management, filing and prosecution. Her industry experience includes research work at the Research Institute relating to catalytic cracking processes and work at Human Genome Sciences.
Ms Zheng obtained an MSc in organic chemistry and biochemistry from the University of Illinois, an MEn in petroleum processing from SINOPEC Research Institute of Petroleum Processing and a master’s degree in IP law from Franklin Pierce School of Law, University of New Hampshire.
AFD China, a leading Chinese intellectual property firm, is privately owned and based in Beijing, China, with a US office in Seattle, WA, USA. Since its establishment in 2002, AFD, together with its spin-out BHTD Law Firm originated from the litigation group of AFD in 2011, has been continually dedicated to providing exceptional services in combination with a high level of professionalism and care to global clients in all areas of intellectual property law, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, domain names, and others.
AFD is one of the few Chinese IP firms that provide a broad spectrum of services including IP strategy, search, patent mining, patent drafting, patent and trademark filing and prosecution, post-grant proceedings, freedom-to-operate analysis, validity or invalidity analysis, investigations, IP dispute resolution and IP litigation to strengthen and protect its global clients' IP rights.
AFD has nearly 300 professionals. Its attorneys are well-versed in the laws of China related to patents, trademarks and other IPs. Some once studied abroad and many had obtained advanced degrees in various technical fields as well as extensive industry experiences before joining AFD. Some were Chinese patent examiners. This combination of legal and technical expertise enables AFD professionals to better understand the clients' requirements, and to provide effective solutions. By assembling skilled and dedicated work teams, AFD ensures timely and effective solutions, safeguarding its clients’ IP rights.
Up to now, AFD has served over ten thousand clients from various sectors including small and medium size enterprises, and reputable academic and research institutions, and international corporates, some of which are Fortune 500 companies or Top 500 Chinese enterprises.
Collaborative Teamwork:
Teamwork is the cornerstone of AFD’s success. AFD believes in the power of shared experiences and continuous learning. Their seamless collaboration leverages the collective resources and strengths of their team to complement individual limitations. With creative mind sets and effective approaches, AFD team is dedicated to empowering its clients' innovation and development.
Forward-thinking approach
AFD offers comprehensive, forward-thinking advices at each step of the prosecution or litigation process. Their dedicated professionals provide recommendations on tailoring new patent applications in accordance with Chinese patent law and pre-empt patentability objections, and deliver comprehensive analyses to their clients upon receiving examination opinions. AFD utilizes every possible opportunity during the course of the prosecution to advance clients’ cases.
Up-to-date knowledge
The attorneys at AFD have been staying up-to-date with the latest changes in their respective areas of IP practice. They promptly communicate with clients in regard to changes to governmental, statutory and regulatory laws and regulations, examination guidelines and specific handlings through regular emails, newsletters, seminars and workshops.
Value-added services
AFD offers value-added services such as foreign patent and trademark application support, licensing and exploration, counselling services, right-to-use and validity opinions, due diligence and docketing and monitoring. It is willing to go beyond what most patent and trademark attorneys will do in providing long term services.
Quality Control:
Since its inception, AFD has been maintaining a mandatory quality control policy. Through continual refinement, AFD has established a closed-loop monitoring mechanism that identifies and rectifies issues, conducts training, and diligently follows up on progress, thereby ensuring the high standard of its services and meticulous risk management.
Excellence in Tackling Complex matters：
AFD has a reputation for tackling difficult cases and defending clients in complex situations. Its practices are not limited to verbatim interpretations of the law or conventional operations, but are rooted in getting to the crux of the problem and creating out-of-box, innovative solutions.
AFD Awards & Honors
Beijing IP Service Alliance for Integration of Defense and Civilian Technologies since 2007,
Chinese Patent Golden, silver and outstanding prizes by WIPO & CNIPA, thirty times since 2009
Top PCT filing firm by MIP, 2009-2020
Excellent Patent Agency by Beijing by Beijing Patent Attorneys Association, 4 times since 2013
Recommended by Beijing Municipal IP Office, Union of Beijing Business Services, since 2007
Recognized by Asia IP, MIP, IP Stars and The Legal 500 since 2015, IAM Patent 1000 since 2016, and World Trade Mark Review since 2018
AAAAA Patent firm by Beijing Patent Attorneys Association since 2017