At 2:00 p.m. on June 26^th, 2015, W&B’s June China Law Salon entitled “Who Moved My Cheese — A Battle between Game Providers and Right Owners” was held in the firm’s multifunction hall.

　　Attorney Yizhou Liu from the Copyright and Trademark Litigation Department was the main lecturer. Clients and industry partners were invited to discuss the game companies’ IP rights battles revolving around copyright, trademark and unfair competition issues.

Yizhou Liu

Starting from the “battle” over the game Dota Legend, Mr. Liu introduced the idea that copyrights, trademarks and unfair competition form the IP rights “cheese” that game providers must seize. During the game development process, companies inevitably interact with IP rights -- on one hand, various IP rights are created during the development and operation of the games (and game companies need possession of these rights to protect themselves); on the other hand, without due care, a game company may interfere with the IP rights of others, thereby giving rise to IP rights disputes. Lilith Company, the operator of the game Dota Legend, is a typical example of a company that is in a position to allege IP rights infringement against others yet at the same time faces IP rights liability of its own. According to Mr. Liu, “with the pie (i.e. the game industry) growing larger and larger, industry participants must learn to establish their own IP rights systems and use them as a sword against their competitors and to establish risk prevention and control systems to use as a shield against other industry participants.”

　　The early summer rainy season did not dampen the attendees’ enthusiasm. The end of the discussion was marked by a light atmosphere in which Mr. Liu concluded that the secret of success in the game industry is to build up IP defenses, emphasize the importance of IP rights enforcement, and guard against the risk of infringement so as to properly safeguard the “cheese”. games (and game companies need possession of these rights to protect themselves); on the other hand, without due care, a game company may interfere with the IP rights of others, thereby giving rise to IP rights disputes. Lilith Company, the operator of the game Dota Legend, is a typical example of a company that is in a position to allege IP rights infringement against others yet at the same time faces IP rights liability of its own. According to Mr. Liu, “with the pie (i.e. the game industry) growing larger and larger, industry participants must learn to establish their own IP rights systems and use them as a sword against their competitors and to establish risk prevention and control systems to use as a shield against other industry participants.”

Profile: Yizhou Liu

Attorney Yizhou Liu is a partner with Watson & Band Law Offices in Shanghai.

Mr. Liu graduated with an LLB degree from the Shanghai University of International Business and Economics.

Mr. Liu joined Watson & Band Law Offices the year he graduated as a civil, commercial and intellectual property litigation lawyer. Because of his rich litigation experience, Mr. Liu is particularly skilled in trademark, copyright and unfair competition litigation.

Mr. Liu has represented clients in a multitude of influential cases, some of which became landmark cases in their respective fields. One trademark infringement and unfair competition case he litigated, a dispute between two longstanding scissor brands in Hangzhou, was selected by the Supreme People’s Court as one of the one hundred most prominent domestic IP rights cases of 2009. Another case, a copyright infringement dispute between a well-known Shanghai TV station and a photography studio, was selected by the Shanghai Copyright Office as one of the top ten 2010 Shanghai copyright cases. He also participated in an intellectual property rights contract dispute between a well-known Japanese sewing machine enterprise and a local company. That case was selected by the Shanghai Higher People’s Court as one of the top ten Shanghai IP rights cases.

Mr. Liu also provides intellectual property protection services for multiple cross-border enterprises, including a prominent U.S. sporting goods brand, a well-known Italian men’s clothing brand, and a well-known industrial enterprise. Mr. Liu is also a member of the China Law Society.