Senior Partner
Attorney Gary Fu (Gang Fu) is a Senior Partner at Dentons Law Firm, with over 20 years of experience in legal practice. He is dedicated to the practice and research in the fields of intellectual property, major commercial dispute resolution, corporate compliance, financing, and mergers and acquisitions. He has particular insights into the intellectual property protection in the internet and entertainment industries, providing comprehensive legal services and value-added services to clients dealing with complex legal issues.
Attorney Fu has been involved in numerous influential litigation and non-litigation projects, earning a good reputation in the industry. He has served as a legal advisor to several well-known Chinese companies including Tencent, Meituan Dianping, Sina and Xiaohongshu. He has successfully presided over a great deal of major and difficult cases such as the first case of unfair competition in internet big data "Dazhong Dianping vs. Baidu," the first case of identifying online games as a film work "Miracle MU," and a series of rights protection cases for the "Legend of MIR II" series. Over 20 of his cases have been selected as Top 10 typical cases of intellectual property judicial protection in provinces including Beijing, Shanghai, Shandong, and Hunan, and four cases have been selected as annual typical cases of intellectual property by the Supreme Court.
Attorney Fu has received many prestigious honors and awards, such as one of the top 15 litigation lawyers in China by Thomson Reuters ALB China, one of the top 15 intellectual property lawyers in China, one of the top15 lawyers preferred by clients in China, and one of the top 100 excellent lawyers in China business by "China Business Law Journal." Chambers Asia-Pacific Legal Guide ranks Lawyer Fu Gang as a listed lawyer in the category of intellectual property litigation. In addition, he was also selected as one of the top 15 multifaceted intellectual property lawyers by LEGALBAND. In addition, he has been honored with the title of "Top 10 Outstanding Young Lawyers in Pudong New Area."
Currently Attorney Fu has held many social positions, including the Deputy Director of IP Committee of Shanghai Creative Industry Association, the Deputy Director of the Game Law Professional Committee of Beijing Culture and Entertainment Law Society, the Director of Internet Affairs Committee of Pudong Intellectual Property Association, part-time lecturer of the LLM course, East China University of Political Science and Law, a researcher of Shanghai Brand Development Research Center, a arbitrator of Baotou Arbitration Commission; member of the IP Committee of the National Law Association, member of the expert tank of Shanghai Intellectual Property Office and mediators of Shanghai Commercial Mediation Center, etc.
In non-litigation, Attorney Fu has served as a perennial legal advisor to companies such as Tencent, Bilibili, Xiaohongshu, Kunlun Wanwei, Meituan Dianping, and Qutoutiao, as well as cultural and creative units like the Shanghai Creative Industry Association and the Shanghai Creative Industry Center. He has also provided special legal advisory services for the development projects of many internet company products and business models.
In litigation, Attorney Fu has represented over 600 cases since his practice and has presided over a series of influential litigation cases, some of which are listed as follows:
1. The trademark infringement case of Dayoo Information Technology Co., Ltd. v. Shanda Network involving the 'Shanda Tycoon' trademark was selected for publication in the Supreme People's Court Bulletin.
2. Beijing Shusheng Electronics Co., Ltd. v. Shanghai Shanda Network Development Co., Ltd. Antitrust Dispute Case - the first antitrust case around the nation after the enactment of Anti-monopoly Law
2.Ma v. Shanghai Tudou Network Technology Co., Ltd. copyright infringement case – the first case in Shanghai courts applying the "Safe harbor" principle.
3.Shanghai XuanTing Entertainment Information Technology Co., Ltd. v. Baidu Copyright Infringement Case - The case was selected as one of the "Top 10 Typical Cases of Intellectual Property Protection in Shanghai" issued by the Shanghai Intellectual Property Office in 2011 and the "2011 Shanghai Shanghai High People's Court Court judicial protection of intellectual property ten cases "
4.Wang infringes Shanghai Xuan-Ting Entertainment Information Technology Co., Ltd. Criminal cases of copyright - Shanghai's first public trial of pirated online novel profit-making criminal cases
5.Shanghai XuanTing Company v. Wang Dispatched a Copyright Contract Dispute Case - This case was selected as one of the "2012 Top 10 Cases of Judicial Protection of Intellectual Property in Shanghai" and "50 Cases of Judicial Protection of Intellectual Property in Chinese Courts in 2012"
6.The "Gui Chuideng" copyright Dispute Case - This case was selected by Shandong Court "2013 Shandong Court Judicial Protection of Intellectual Property Ten Typical Cases"
7.Shanghai Xuan-ting Entertainment Information Technology Co., Ltd. v. Beijing Fantastical Violation of Dispute over Network Dispute of Information Works - The case was awarded 3 million and was awarded as "the most expensive online literature infringement case" Information network dissemination of copyright infringement, made the maximum amount of compensation, at the same time selected as Shanghai Joint Office of Intellectual Property "2014 Shanghai Top 10 Typical Cases of Intellectual Property Protection" and the Shanghai High Court 2014 "Shanghai Judicial Protection of Intellectual Property Top 10 Cases "
8."Super MT" Copyright Infringement and Unfair Competition Cases - This case was the first civil case after the establishment of Beijing Intellectual Property Court, was selected as one of the "Top 10 Typical Cases of Judicial Protection of Intellectual Property in Beijing 2015" and was selected as the official journal of the Supreme Court
9.The "Three Kingdoms" Trademark Dispute Case - This case was selected by Hunan Court "2015 Hunan Court Judicial Protection of Intellectual Property Ten Typical Cases"
10.Successfully represented ACTOZ to won the injunction against Wemade Entertainment, and the case was selected as one of the Shanghai High Court 2016 "Shanghai Judicial Protection of Intellectual Property Top 10 Cases "
11. Dianping.com V. Baidu.com over Unfair Competition - The case was jointly rated by the Internet Society of China and the All-China Lawyers Association as one of the ten most influential cases of the Internet rule of law in China in 2014-2016. It was investigated by the Research Office of the Supreme People's Court and the "China Trial" Journals as the 2016 Top 10 typical cases, and was selected as the 2016 Top 10 cases of intellectual property by the China case law research.
12. "Miracle MU" copyright infringement case - received 5 million for remedy, creating the highest amount of compensation in copyright infringement in Shanghai. It was the first case ruling a game is a cinematographic works to which are assimilated works expressed by a process analogous to cinematography. The case was selected as one of the "Top 10 Typical Cases of China's Copyright Industry in 2015-2016" and won the "First Prize of 2017 National Excellent Court Case Analysis"
13. The trademark administrative case of "Fishing Talent" - This case was selected as the "2018 National Top 50 Judicial Protection Cases of Intellectual Property Rights" issued by the Supreme People's Court.
14. The "Hujiang" trademark and unfair competition case between Hujiang Education Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. and University of Shanghai for Science and Technology - This case was selected as one of the "Top 10 Typical Cases of Intellectual Property Judicial Protection in Shanghai Courts in 2018" issued by the Shanghai High Court.
15. The "Dragon Valley" v. "Elves Throne" copyright infringement case - This case was selected as one of the "2019 Shanghai Pudong New Area Courts' Top 10 Typical Cases of Intellectual Property Judicial Protection" issued by the People's Court of Shanghai Pudong New Area.
16. The "Wuxia Q Biography Game" infringement of adaptation rights and unfair competition disputes - This case was selected as the “top 10 intellectual property cases in China's courts in 2019” issued by the Supreme People's Court.
17. Chongqing Tencent Information Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen Tencent Computer System Co., Ltd., Shanghai Magic Electronics Information Technology Co., Ltd., and Chen Hongtao's pre-litigation behavior preservation case - This case was selected as the “50 typical intellectual property cases” issued by the Supreme People's Court in 2019.
18. The "Three Kingdoms Sha" v. "Three Kingdoms Kill" copyright and trademark infringement case - This case was selected as one of the "Top 10 Most Researchable Intellectual Property Judgments in China in 2019" by the Shanghai Intellectual Property Institute.
19. The “Deng Baishi” trademark administrative enforcement case - This case was selected as the “First Batch of Guiding Cases for Administrative Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights” issued by the State Intellectual Property Office in December 2020, which is Guiding Case No. 1.
20.Tencent Computer Systems Limited of Shenzhen v. Feizhi Company of Shanghai regarding the "Peace Elite" online game "physical plug-in" interim injunction case, selected as a typical case of the Shanghai Courts' intensified intellectual property protection efforts in 2020.
21.The first case in the China involving "three-end interoperability" of a private server infringing on the copyright of the "Legend Mir II" game, selected as one of the "Top 10 Typical Cases of Intellectual Property Protection in Shanghai in 2021" and one of the "Top 10 Intellectual Property Judgment Cases with the Most Research Value in China in 2021."
22.Tencent Computer Systems Limited of Shenzhen v. Lizhi Network Technology Co., Ltd. of Guangzhou regarding the "The Three-Body Problem" audio work copyright infringement case, with a compensation award of 5 million yuan, marking the highest compensation amount for a single literary work copyright infringement case in China. In June 2022, it was rated as one of the "Top 10 Typical Cases of Copyright in Shanghai in 2021." In October 2023, it was awarded as one of the "Top 10 Outstanding Litigation Cases" by the Intellectual Property Professional Committee of the All-China Lawyers Association at its annual meeting and the China Lawyers Intellectual Property High-Level Forum.
23.Tencent Computer Systems Limited of Shenzhen v. Beisheng Company regarding the "Dai Lian Bang" APP pre-litigation interim injunction case, the first case in China to issue an injunction against "providing game leveling services to minors," selected as one of the "Top 10 Cases of Intellectual Property Judicial Protection by the Shanghai Courts in 2021" and as a typical case of the "Dual District Linkage" intellectual property judicial service guarantee by the Pudong Court. The effective judgment was included in the "Top 10 Typical Cases of Anti-Monopoly and Anti-Unfair Competition by the People's Courts in 2023" released by the Supreme People's Court in September 2023, and was awarded the "Golden Thread Award" by Weike Xianxing and others.
Other series of IP litigation and arbitration cases also have great influence on society, such as Shanda “Mir II” series litigations, China Literature Limited V. Migu Reading LLC over the breach of contract of copyright for 605 millions, “捕鱼达人” trademark administrative litigations, Youka Gaming V. Guangzhou Dayu over “Three Kingdoms” trademark and “Three Kingdoms” card game copyright infringing cases, case on affirmation of non-infringement for “龙之谷” trademark, represeting Abbott for “利舒坦” trademark infringement cases, represeting Hujiang Education and Technology Corporation V. University of Shanghai for Science and Technology regarding “沪江” trademark and unfair competition cases.
Fu Gang received his bachelor's degree from Shandong University in the year 2000 and earned his Master's degree from the Intellectual Property School at Shanghai University in 2004.
- July 2000 - August 2001, Teacher at Shandong Agricultural University
- November 2005 - July 2024, Lawyer/Senior Partner at Shanghai Co-effort Law Firm
- August 2024-present, Senior Partner at Beijing Dacheng Law Offices, LLP (Shanghai)
Member of Shanghai Bar Association
Practicing Lawyer
Attorney Fu has made substantial contributions to the theoretical research in the field of intellectual property within creative industries. He served as the deputy editor and main author of "Intellectual Property Management in Creative Industries," the first book on intellectual property management in the creative industry in China, published by Shanghai Century Publishing Co., Ltd., October 2006. The book was awarded the "Top 10 Intellectual Property Works Award" at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the Intellectual Property Professional Committee of the China Lawyers Association and the China Lawyers’ Intellectual Property Forum.
He has also contributed to the authorship of several professional books, including "Case Analysis of Software Network," "Information Network Law Review," "Shanghai Literary and Artistic Intellectual Property Annual Report," "Intellectual Property Lawyer Classic Cases," and has published more than 60 papers in professional journals such as "China Copyright," "China Intellectual Property Magazine," "China Trademark," "Electronic Intellectual Property," "Procuratorial Storm," "Modern Information Technology," and "Shanghai Economy."
Main research achievements of Attorney Fu Gang are shown below:
I. Journal Articles:
1. "On the Reasonable Use of Trademarks and Its Criteria for Judgment," approximately 6,000 words, published in "China Trademark," Issue 12, 2002.
2. "Trademark Reasonable Use and Its Practical Judgment," approximately 7,000 words, published in "Electronic Intellectual Property," Issue 11, 2002.
3. "Dilemma and Solution—Legal Reflections on DVD Patent Disputes," approximately 8,000 words, published in "Modern Information Technology," Issue 8, 2002.
4. "Standards—A Sharp Double-Edged Sword," approximately 9,000 words, published in "Modern Information Technology," Issue 1, 2003.
5. "On the Need for Caution in Codifying Intellectual Property Law," approximately 9,000 words, published in "China Trademark," Issue 6, 2003.
6. "The Rational Allocation of the Burden of Proof in Software Infringement Litigation," approximately 6,000 words, published in "Electronic Intellectual Property," Issue 10, 2003.
7. "A Preliminary Analysis of the Relationship between Software Licensing Contracts and Copyright Protection," approximately 7,000 words, published in "Electronic Intellectual Property," Issue 4, 2005.
8. "A Multi-Dimensional View of the Copyright Issues Surrounding 'The Promise' and 'Steamed Buns'—Can Chen Kaige's 'Steamed Buns' Be Touched?," approximately 5,000 words, published in "Shanghai Lawyer," Issue 3, 2006.
9. "The Wahaha Dispute Conundrum," approximately 10,000 words, published in "China Trademark," Issue 7, 2007.
10. "The Collective Price Increase of Instant Noodles and China's Anti-Monopoly Law," approximately 5,000 words, published in "Shanghai Economy," Issue 9, 2007.
11. "IP Q&A," in "Today's Fortune (China Intellectual Property)," Issue 10, 2010.
12. "Protecting the Image of Well-Known Personalities: Insights from the Michael Jordan vs. Qiaodan Sports Case," published in "China Intellectual Property," March 25, 2012.
13. "Media Copyright Protection Strategies," published in "Young Journalist," Volume 10, Issue 15, 2014.
14. "Exploring the Rational Boundaries of Internet Technology Innovation, Free Competition, and Unfair Competition," published in "China Intellectual Property," April 5, 2014.
15. "Online Game Rights Protection Is No Longer a 'Miracle'," published in "Prosecutorial Storm," Issue 13, 2016.
16. "The Shareholding Dispute and the Question of Financial Regulation," published in "Prosecutorial Storm," Issue 17, 2016.
17. "On the Boundary of the Right to Adaptation—From the Perspective of 'Adaptation Rights' Stipulated in Adaptation Contracts," published in "China Copyright," Issue 3, 2017.
18. "The Relationship between 'Illegal Use' and Article 32 of the Trademark Law on 'Use and Certain Influence,'" published in "China Intellectual Property Magazine," Issue 8, 2017.
19. "The Application of the Fair Use Principle in Live Streaming of Video Games on Broadcasting Platforms," published in "China Copyright," Issue 1, 2018.
20. "On the Copyright Protection of Game Rules—From the Perspective of Card Games," published in "China Copyright," Issue 2, 2019.
21. "Clarification and Research on the Copyright Protection of 'Game Rules' in Video Games," published in "Entertainment Law Insider," Issue 1, 2022.
II. Monographs:
1. Deputy Editor and main author of the first book on intellectual property management in the creative industries in China, "Intellectual Property Management in Creative Industries," published by Shanghai Century Publishing Co., Ltd., First Edition, October 2006.
2. Contributor to "Intellectual Property Classic Case Lawyer Comments," published by Intellectual Property Publishing House, First Edition, May 2011.
3. Deputy Editor of "Cultural and Creative Industries Intellectual Property Case Lawyer Comments," published by Shanghai Century Publishing Co., Ltd., First Edition, May 2014.
4. Deputy Editor of "Intellectual Property Classic Case Lawyer Comments (Volume 2)," published by Intellectual Property Publishing House, First Edition, May 2020.
5. Main contributor to "20 Years of Classic Cases in Online Games: Lawyer's Commentary," published by Shanghai Sanlian Bookstore Publishing House, First Edition, August 2022.