Professor Gao Fuping joined Watson & Band as a Senior Partner in 2018, bring a profound academic and practical background in Civil and Commercial Law. He earned his PhD from the China University of Political Science and Law, where he studies under the renowned jurist, Professor Jiang Ping. Since graduating in 1998, he has been a faculty member at East China University of Political Science and Law, where he served as the Dean of the Intellectual Property Institute from 2004 to 2014.

Professor Gao's illustrious academic titles include:

• College of Law Professor

• Director of Doctoral Supervisors in Civil and Commercial Law

• Director of the Property Law Research Institute

• Director of the Data Law Research Center

• Director of the E-Commerce Law Research Institute

He also holds significant roles in various national legal associations and committees, contributing to the development of policies and laws in e-commerce, internet governance, and data protection. Notably, he is:

• Deputy Director and Secretary General of the Policy and Law Committee of the China E-Commerce Association

• Executive Director of the China Civil Law Research Institute

• Executive Director of the China Internet and Information Law Society

Professor Gao also made achievements and received recognitions, including:

• Participating scholar, Shanghai Shuguang Project

• U.S. Fulbright Senior Visiting Scholar

• Shanghai Model Teacher

• Leading Shanghai talent

• Recipient of a special allowance from the State Council

As a part-time lawyer and an independent director at a public company, Professor Gao has gained valuable experience in corporate governance and risk management. His extensive knowledge of Internet application practices and industries has enabled him to provide theoretical and policy support to governments and enterprises in various areas, including:

• Internet governance

• E-commerce regulation

• Data content industry development

• Data protection and utilization

Professor Gao has consulted for prominent international enterprises including Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu, Intel, Ebay China, Microsoft and General Motors. In 2016 he became the Director of the Big Data Policy Law Research Center of the National Engineering Laboratory for Big Data Flow and Transaction Technology. Professor Gao completed a research project on legal issues surrounding privacy protection and data protection for big data under direct entrustment from the State Cyberspace Office; provided consulting services to Shanghai Data Exchange Corp., Shanghai Shenkang Medical Management Center and other big data institutions; conducted a research project on big data for the Shanghai Economic and Information Technology Committee, the Administration for Industry and Commerce and other organizations; and advised Shanghai municipal government on policy-making for big data technology.

Professor Gao's research primarily focuses on property law, e-commerce law, internet information law, and intellectual property law. He is the chief expert of the landmark project "Research on Legal Systems for Information Services and Transactions",  sponsored by the National Social Sciences Fund. He has authored over 20 books and published more than 100 academic papers, solidifying his position as a leading expert in his field.