Yihang Liu holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from Southwest University of Political Science and Law and has 14 years of practice experience. He has academic backgrounds in both science/engineering and law. He has practiced at a number of Chinese domestic and international law firms, including Clyde & Co.

Yihang Liu is licensed as both a lawyer and a patent agent. Leveraging this dual qualification, he has long provided Chinese IP legal services to domestic and international clients, focusing on IP rights confirmation, IP litigation and enforcement, FTO investigations, and trade secret protection. As a partner of Aquila Law Firm, he oversees the daily operations of the IP rights confirmation and litigation practice groups and has led numerous major IP litigation and invalidation proceedings.

Key Technical Fields

Mechanical Engineering · Automatic Control · New Energy Vehicles · Ecological Environment, etc.

Selected Representative Cases

Patent Litigation

• Represented Wirtgen, a European road equipment company, in patent and design infringement litigation against multiple infringing companies in China, winning all cases
• Represented a German water purification equipment company in invention patent infringement litigation in China against multiple infringing companies concerning its water purification filter products, winning all cases
• In the design patent infringement case (2024) Yu 01 Min Chu No. 808, represented the defendant in a successful defense, compelling the plaintiff to withdraw the suit and reducing our client’s exposure by RMB 1.35 million
• In the invention patent infringement case (2024) Zui Gao Fa Zhi Min Zhong No. 837, represented the defendant in a successful defense, compelling the plaintiff to withdraw the suit and reducing our client’s exposure by RMB 210,000
• In the utility model patent infringement case (2022) Yue 73 Zhi Min Chu No. 2243, represented the defendant in a successful defense, compelling the plaintiff to withdraw the suit and reducing our client’s exposure by RMB 200,000
• In the design patent infringement case (2022) Yue 73 Min Chu No. 5492, represented the defendant in a successful defense, compelling the plaintiff to withdraw the suit and reducing our client’s exposure by RMB 200,000
• Represented a Chongqing-based company in responding to malicious IP litigation brought by a competitor, successfully compelling the competitor to withdraw the suit and securing a win for the client in the damages action arising from the competitor’s malicious IP litigation (2025) Yu Min Zhong No. 349

Trademark Litigation

• Represented a major German wind turbine equipment manufacturer in a trademark infringement and unfair competition action against a domestic Chinese infringer, securing a win
• Represented a domestic Chinese road equipment manufacturer in a trademark infringement dispute against a competitor, securing a win
• Represented a Chinese pharmaceutical company in a trademark infringement action against its competitor, securing a win
• Represented an Italian company in overturning a rejection decision by the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board in administrative litigation

Unfair Competition & Trade Secrets

• Represented a Chongqing food company in a trade secret and unfair competition dispute against a competitor, successfully reducing the client’s exposure by RMB 1 million
• Acted as counsel for a Chongqing automotive technology company in a trade secret dispute with an upstream manufacturer, successfully helping the client avoid damages through negotiation

Patent & Trademark Invalidation

• Represented a major Israeli wind energy equipment manufacturer in filing an invalidation against a trademark maliciously registered by a domestic distributor, successfully having the disputed trademark invalidated
• Represented Thyssenkrupp, a renowned European wind power equipment manufacturer, in successfully invalidating a competitor’s Chinese patent
• Represented a European grinding equipment company in successfully defending against multiple invalidation actions initiated by infringers
• Represented a Chongqing agricultural machinery manufacturer in invalidating a competitor’s invention patent and utility model patent, successfully having the patents at issue invalidated

Patent Reexamination

• Represented a German company in a Chinese invention patent rejection appeal; the original rejection decision was overturned and the invention patent was ultimately authorized
• Represented Wirtgen GmbH in a Chinese invention patent rejection appeal; the original rejection decision was withdrawn at the pre-review stage of reexamination, and the invention patent was ultimately authorized
• Represented Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen) in an invention patent rejection appeal; the original rejection decision was withdrawn at the pre-review stage, and the patent was successfully authorized within only two months
• Represented Soochow University in an invention patent rejection appeal; the rejection decision was withdrawn at the pre-review stage, and the patent was successfully authorized within only two months
• Represented Southwest University in an invention patent rejection appeal; the original rejection decision was overturned within only one month, and the invention patent was successfully authorized
• Represented Southwest Jiaotong University in an invention patent rejection appeal; the original rejection decision was overturned within only 10 days, and the invention patent was successfully authorized

（FTO）/ Freedom-to-Operate（FTO）Investigations

• Conducted FTO investigations in China for multiple new water purification technologies of a German water purification equipment company, providing legal advice on whether infringement is constituted and whether the relevant prior patents are stable
• Conducted FTO investigations in China for multiple new large-scale road construction machinery technologies of Wirtgen, providing legal advice on whether infringement is constituted and whether the relevant prior patents are stable

Foreign-Related Patent Prosecution

• Assisted foreign companies including Wirtgen (Germany), Sabaf (Italy), and Semikron (Germany) in patent filings and portfolio development in China
• Assisted a Chinese agrochemical adjuvant manufacturer in international patent filings and portfolio development across eight countries
• Assisted a membrane fouling technology research team at Chongqing University in filing an invention patent in the United States; authorization was obtained in six months through the PPH route

Education

Southwest University of Political Science and Law — Master of Laws (LL.M.)

Working Languages

Chinese / English