Duan Xiaoling is a partner at Wanhuida Intellectual Property. She is one of the most experienced patent attorneys in the firm’s patent team. Her practice focuses on chemicals, chemical engineering, pharmaceuticals, materials science and the food industry.
Ms. Duan has been practising in the patent field for more than 30 years. Before joining the firm, she worked for 12 years at the then State Intellectual Property Office (the predecessor of the China National Intellectual Property Administration – CNIPA), where she served as a senior patent examiner and deputy director of an examination division from 1988 to 2000. She later joined private practice as a patent attorney, leading the chemical and bio department of China Patent Agent (HK) Ltd for over 10 years.
Ms. Duan is well recognised by peers and clients for her expertise and abundant experience in the patent field, from patent filing and prosecution, re-examination, invalidation and litigation. She has been instrumental in an array of high-calibre cases and has led the firm’s patent team in obtaining many favourable decisions for clients. She remains active in contributing to China’s legislative developments and provides pertinent advice on these topics. She excels in advising clients, both at home and abroad, on formulating patent strategies and in providing comprehensive solutions to complicated cases.
Ms. Duan is listed as one of the National Intellectual Property Leading Individuals by the CNIPA. She has also received accolades from various legal publications, being recognized as Notable Practitioner (intellectual property) in China by asialaw profiles (2016-2019), Recommended Individual in the prosecution field by IAM Patent 1000 (2018-2024) and Recommended IP Lawyer by The Legal 500 (2015).
Ms. Duan is a member of the executive council of the All-China Patent Attorneys Association (ACPAA). She is a member of the AIPPI IP Office Practice and Procedures Standing Committee and is co-chair of the AIPPI China IP Office Practice and Procedures Committee. She is also affiliated to the AIPPI China IP and Green Technology Committee.
B.S. degree in Applied Chemistry, Beijing Technology and Business University, in 1985
M.S. degree in Fine Chemical Engineering, Beijing Technology and Business University, in 1988
LL.M. study, jointly setup by Renmin University of China and City University of Hong Kong, from 2003 to 2006
Training at John Marshal Law School
Training instructor: designated by both CNIPA and ACPAA
Executive Council of All China Patent Attorneys Association (ACPAA)
AIPPI IP Office Practice and Procedures Standing Committee
AIPPI China IP and Green Technology Committee
Patent attorney (qualified both for prosecution and litigation), Judicial appraiser
