On February 7, the World Trademark Review, a renowned legal media outlet specializing in trademarks, released the WTR1000 - the World’s Leading Trademark Firms of 2023. Watson & Band once again achieved recognition in the “enforcement and litigation” and “prosecution and strategy” categories, and lawyers Liming Zhang and Yizhou (Joe) Liu, partners of Watson & Band, were ranked highly in the “enforcement and litigation” category, with lawyer Zhang also selected for the first time in the “licensing and transaction” category.

WTR1000 of this year highly praised W&B for its comprehensive professional services in trademark enforcement and litigation, prosecution and opposition, and portfolio management and licensing. Additionally, it particularly recognized the outstanding performance of lawyers Liming Zhang and Yizhou (Joe) Liu in their respective specialized areas.

Ranked Area:

Enforcement and Litigation

Prosecution and Strategy

WTR comment:

Watson & Band’s IP contingent meets and exceeds the needs of domestic and international brand owners alike: its remit encompasses everything from enforcement and litigation, prosecution and opposition to portfolio management and licensing. Despite the impact of the covid-19 pandemic, the set has accomplished remarkable growth and handled more than 4,800 trademark cases during the research period. 

Ranked Lawyer

Enforcement and Strategy

Licensing and Transaction

Liming Zhang

Partner, Attorney at Law, Senior Patent Attorney 

WTR comment:

Serving as deputy director of the Trademark Agency Commission of Shanghai Trademark Association and an avid vocational trainer for future IP attorneys, Zhang’s counsel on trademark prosecution and opposition for both leading domestic and international brands is particularly highly prized.

Ranked Lawyer

Enforcement and Strategy

Yizhou Liu

Partner, Attorney at Law 

WTR comment:

Liu, a seasoned copyright and trademark litigator, marries the acumen of both practice with exceptional IP legal knowledge. Throughout his career, his representations have been selected as the yearly top 10 IP cases by several Chinese courts. 

WTR1000 is an independent publication that has been annually published for 13 years, recommending outstanding firms and practitioners in trademark matters. This year’s edition selected the leading legal service institutions in 80 major jurisdictions worldwide, based on research data collected from a diversity of channels, including face-to-face and telephone interviews, clients’ feedback and material submissions. The rankings took into account professionalism, market standing, and the complexity of cases handled, ensuring the accuracy, fairness and authority.