Steve Zhao

Introduction

Steve Zhao is a partner at the Beijing office of GEN Law Firm, with 20 years’ experience in practice. He specialises in complex litigation involving trademarks, copyright, new plant varieties, trade secrets, data rights, AI and emerging forms of intellectual property. He has handled a number of landmark cases that have significantly shaped China’s IP jurisprudence and many of his cases have been selected by the Supreme People’s Court and provincial high courts as annual model cases.

Zhao has secured pivotal victories for clients in high-value and pioneering disputes. In the “Panpan” trademark case, he represented Assa Abloy and obtained an RMB100 million (USD14.1 million) award, the highest amount in damages ever granted by a Chinese court to a foreign trademark owner. In China’s first lawsuit over data scraping and resale, he successfully represented Sina Weibo and won RMB20 million in damages, setting a leading judicial precedent on the boundaries of data protection and lawful circulation. In the nation’s first case concerning whether AI-generated text-to-image outputs qualify as works under copyright law, he provided critical guidance that clarified the legal boundaries in this emerging area. He has also acted in multiple disputes exceeding RMB100 million concerning the protection of new plant varieties and trade dress, which have had wide-ranging influence across the industry.

A pioneer at the intersection of law and AI, Zhao chairs the firm’s AI and IT committee and is active in academic and professional exchanges, frequently lecturing at leading universities and industry forums on the responsible use of AI in the legal profession and IP protection.

Zhao also plays an active role in the IP community. He serves as a member of the International Trademark Association’s Global Advisory Council and as an expert for the China Anti-Infringement and Anti-Counterfeiting Innovation Strategic Alliance. His professional expertise and market influence have earned him consistent recognition as a leading IP litigator by Chambers and Partners, World Trademark Review (WTR 1000), The Legal 500, and Legalband.