From March 31 to April 2, the 5th Intellectual Property Industry Forum (iPiF 2026) was held in Hangzhou. With the theme "IP Engine, Innovation Driven," the forum brought together leading domestic and international enterprises, scientific research institutions, and intellectual property service agencies. It featured a main forum and five specialized sub-forums to conduct in-depth discussions on hot intellectual property topics across various industries.
As an important partner, Kangrui Law Firm made an appearance at the forum. Meanwhile, Kangrui partner Guiming (Gary) Wu delivered a keynote speech titled "How Chinese Battery Enterprises Break Through Under the Tulip Patent Hunting?" at the New Energy Sub-forum on April 2, which received extensive attention from attendees.
During the speech, Mr. Wu conducted an in-depth analysis of the severe challenges posed by the Tulip patent pool to Chinese battery enterprises. Led by giants such as LG Energy Solution and Panasonic Energy, the Tulip patent pool holds over 5,000 active patents covering the entire lithium battery industry chain, posing a significant threat to Chinese enterprises expanding overseas. Using the series of patent infringement lawsuits encountered by Sunwoda in Germany as a case study, he analyzed the technical features of the involved patents, the court's judicial logic, and the commercial risks and challenges brought by injunctions. In response to these challenges, Mr. Wu proposed multi-dimensional coping strategies, including conducting FTO (Freedom to Operate) investigations, actively utilizing patent invalidation declarations and EPO (European Patent Office) opposition proceedings, strengthening patent portfolios and localized legal teams in Europe, and evaluating differentiated technical routes to circumvent high-risk patents.
This speech provided valuable insights and strategies for Chinese battery enterprises caught in the dilemma of "patent hunting," winning high praise from the participants. Kangrui Law Firm will continue to cultivate the field of intellectual property law, providing professional and efficient services to assist Chinese enterprises in moving forward steadily in the international market.