On September 10, the INTA thematic forum “Beyond the Trademark – Diverse Paths for Brand Protection,” jointly hosted by NTD IP Attorneys and Lusheng Law Firm, was successfully held in Shanghai. As one of the co-hosts, NTD was deeply involved in the planning, organization, and on-site execution of the forum. Nathan Yang, Partner of NTD, and Yi Yang, Partner of Rouse International, co-chaired the forum. More than one hundred guests from government departments, the judiciary, enterprises, and professional service institutions gathered to exchange views on topics including brand trade dress protection and cross-departmental collaboration within enterprises, jointly exploring how to enhance brand protection effectiveness and unlock the commercial value of intellectual property through the coordinated application of different IP rights and the effective integration of internal corporate resources.
Ms. Heather Steinmeyer, Chief Policy Officer of INTA, attended the forum and delivered welcome remarks. She noted that corporate IP protection strategies are expanding from single-right protection to systematic combinations of mutually complementary rights. During the keynote session, Xiao Han, Section Chief of the Intellectual Property Section of the Shanghai Huangpu District Market Supervision Administration (Intellectual Property Office); Chuan Lu, Deputy Director of the Intellectual Property Procuratorial Department of the Shanghai People’s Procuratorate; Ying Zhang, Judge of the Intellectual Property Tribunal of the Shanghai High People’s Court; Meili Shen, Head of Legal Affairs at Shanghai Chicmax Cosmetic Co., Ltd.; and Shan Wang, Director of the Shanghai Branch of Lusheng Law Firm, shared practical experience from the perspectives of administrative enforcement, procuratorial protection, judicial adjudication, corporate practice, and legal services, focusing on the interface and coordination among trademark, copyright, design, and anti-unfair competition protection.
Second Half Spotlight: INTA 2026 Presidential Task Force Research Findings and Corporate IP Collaboration Practices
The roundtable discussion in the second half was moderated by Nathan Yang, Partner of NTD. As a member of the INTA 2026 Presidential Task Force, Nathan Yang first introduced the INTA 2026 Presidential Task Force research project. The theme of this year’s task force is “Unifying IP Protection and Enforcement Strategy,” initiated by Ms. Deborah A. Hampton, INTA 2026 President and Global Head of Brand Enforcement and Trademarks at Chemours. Mr. Yang pointed out that many companies, especially large ones, may have multiple functional departments managing intellectual property, potentially leading to a lack of coordination and even mutual constraints. This fragmented approach to IP management is causing significant resource waste and inefficiency. Therefore, the 2026 Presidential Task Force has set a clear mission—to eliminate value leakage and risk caused by fragmented IP management and enforcement, explore better operating models, and integrate strategy, execution, and measurement so that companies can operate more intelligently, protect more effectively, and quantify their impact. In terms of research methodology, the task force adopted a data-driven approach, collecting information through questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and focus group studies, and ultimately producing models, blueprints, reports, and specific practical recommendations.
(Nathan Yang presenting the INTA 2026 Presidential Task Force research project)
Nathan Yang then engaged in in-depth dialogue with four in-house IP counsels from leading domestic and international companies on five core topics, presenting practical experience and cutting-edge thinking on corporate IP management one by one.
Topic 1: Rights Architecture and Strategy
Nathan Yang invited all guests to discuss the setup and decision-making architecture of internal IP management functions. Guests shared the applicable scenarios and operational advantages of both decentralized and integrated management models, drawing on practices from the internet, multinational FMCG, traditional automotive, and emerging vehicle industries.
Topic 2: Prioritization and Internal/External Coordination Mechanisms
Sally Zhu, Director of Trademark and Brand Legal Affairs at Beijing ByteDance, shared his dual perspective from both law firm and corporate roles on how to determine priorities for enforcement targets and methods when infringement occurs in multiple locations, as well as the sequencing strategies for judicial litigation, administrative seizure, and platform complaints. Deborah Zhang, IP Manager of Greater China at Nestlé (China) Ltd., shared practical experience in cross-border and cross-market coordination based on Nestlé’s enforcement practice as an international brand.
（Sally Zhu, Director of Trademark and Brand Legal Affairs at Beijing ByteDance）
（Deborah Zhang, IP Manager of Greater China at Nestlé (China) Ltd.）
Topic 3: Asset Operations and Data Infrastructure
Tingjun He, Senior IP Manager at Geely Holding, shared his experience in using IP management tools across the automotive, pharmaceutical, and other industries, discussing the trade-offs between external tools and in-house development and budget allocation. Sally Zhu, Director of Trademark and Brand Legal Affairs at Beijing ByteDance, shared practical experience in system building from the perspective of a technology company’s technical advantages and complex needs, and explored the potential paradigm shift in IP management tools in the AI era.
(Tingjun He, Senior IP Manager at Geely Holding)
Topic 4: Prosecution and Enforcement Perspectives
Deborah Zhang, IP Manager of Greater China at Nestlé (China) Ltd., shared forward-looking experience in international brand protection, discussing the shift in corporate strategy from “casting a wide net” to “precision enforcement” amid a changing enforcement environment. Yingxian Zeng, Global Trademark Head of Legal at NIO, shared from the prosecution side how to reduce the difficulty of downstream enforcement through front-end trademark portfolio and design, and how to mobilize judicial resources to address complex infringement.
(Yingxian Zeng, Global Trademark Head of Legal at NIO)
Topic 5: Summary and Q&A
All guests engaged in candid exchanges on pain points in IP management system development, including people, funding, and systems, sharing experience in building corporate IP legal teams and a series of practical guidelines, which resonated widely with the audience. Within the limited Q&A time, on-site discussions were lively, with further exchanges on the daily work of corporate IP legal teams that are not ordinarily accessible to outsiders.
NTD’s Strength: Continued Deep Engagement with the INTA Platform, Promoting Brand Protection Ecosystem Development
As one of the co-hosts of this forum, NTD participated throughout the agenda planning, speaker invitations, and on-site organization. As the moderator of the second half, Nathan Yang, with his professional moderation skills and deep understanding of the topics, guided guests in high-quality dialogue on core issues such as the INTA Presidential Task Force research project, rights coordination strategies, and internal corporate collaboration mechanisms. The event received unanimous praise from attendees.
NTD has long actively participated in the activities of international IP organizations such as INTA. Successfully hosting the Shanghai forum together with INTA is another important practice of NTD’s continued deepening of international engagement and promotion of IP protection ecosystem development. In the future, NTD will continue to uphold the philosophy of “Professionalism as Foundation, Clients First,” actively participate in global IP governance and industry dialogue, and provide domestic and international clients with more precise, efficient, and forward-looking IP legal services.
About the INTA Presidential Task Force
The INTA Presidential Task Force (PTF) is a high-level special task force initiated annually by the INTA President, aimed at concentrating the Association’s expert resources to conduct in-depth research on a cutting-edge issue of strategic significance to global brand owners, and to produce research reports, best practice guidelines, and practical toolkits that can be directly used by the industry.
