Practice Areas

Intellectual Property

Technical Transaction

Litigation & Arbitration

Professional Experience

As a pioneer in the practice of intellectual property in China, Andy Yang was admitted to practice as a PRC lawyer in 1998 and founded Wis & Weals in 2008. Under the leadership of Andy Yang, Wis & Weals has been recognized as one of the best intellectual property boutique firms in China.

Andy Yang was recognized by Beijing Lawyers Association as an “Outstanding Lawyer of Beijing” in 2005, and as one of the "Top 10 Intellectual Property Lawyers of Beijing" in 2013. In 2019, Andy Yang was named as one of the “100 Outstanding Chinese lawyers” on “The A-Lists” professional legal elite list by China Business Law Journal. As one of the few lawyers who has the privilege, he was appointed by the Leading Panel of National Intellectual Property Strategy Formulation as a subject evaluation expert in formulating National Intellectual Property Strategy in 2005. The Outline of the National Intellectual Property Strategy was officially launched in 2008.

With a strong electronic technology background, Andy Yang has been engaged in technical work such as electronics circuit design and R&D in large state-owned enterprises for many years. Since graduating from the Law School of Renmin University of China in 1998, Andy has been practicing in the field of intellectual property for more than 20 years. In particular, Andy is renowned for his sophisticated strategies and craftsman spirit in handling intellectual property infringement litigation, negotiations over technology transfer projects, dispute resolution over technical contracts, intellectual property strategy, and management.

Andy Yang's clients include large multinational corporations such as Google Inc., Johnson & Johnson, DHL and Hewlett-Packard (HP), large state-owned companies such as Sino Steel, China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation, China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, Air China, and China Tourism Group, private high-tech enterprises such as Haier, Qihoo 360, CHINA IWNCOMM, Lenovo, and Sugon, as well as a large number of foreign and private enterprises.

Besides customers from the enterprises, Andy Yang also provides legal services for government sectors like the National Intellectual Property Administration of China and the Beijing Intellectual Property Administration. He takes charge of multiple special government projects to provide proof for the government’s decisions.

Professional Association and Public Office
• Arbitrator of China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC)
• Expert of the Domain Name Dispute Resolution Center of CIETAC
• Director of the Case Law Research Association, China Law Society
• Director of China Academy of Arbitration Law, Expert Member of Intellectual Property Arbitration Expert Committee
• Executive Director of Beijing Intellectual Property Law Society, Director of the Patent Law Committee
• Visiting Researcher of the Institute for International Intellectual Property of Peking University
• Part-time Professor of the Law School of Beijing Institute of Technology
• Off-campus Master Tutor of Law School of Beijing Normal University
• Off-campus Master Tutor of Law School of Capital University of Economics and Business
• Lawyers' Representative of the 11th Beijing Bar Association, Deputy Director of the Rules Committee
• Director of the 3rd Dongcheng District Bar Association of Beijing, Deputy Director of the Lawyers Punishment Committee

Representative Experience
• Defended Google Inc. successfully in multiple typical cases such as patent infringement of Pinyin input method software, malicious code lawsuit, and malicious click lawsuit.
• Represented Lenovo to win intellectual property infringement cases upon computer mainboard design and mobile video software.
• Represented China IWNCOMM successfully in a Standard Essential Patent infringement case against Sony Mobile regarding the WLAN access safety technology, which is the first comprehensive Standard Essential Patent infringement case in China.
• Representing the Chinese side when AMD transferred x86 CPU technology to Chinese companies.
• Representing the Chinese side in the China-Europe steel furnace roof technology transfer project.
• Advising many clients on intellectual property market operation and internal management system construction, through which the intellectual property will be translated into competitive strengths.
• Providing legal services for government departments such as China National Intellectual Property Administration and Beijing Municipal Intellectual Property Office, undertook more than 15 governmental intellectual property projects regarding national overall planning and important industries as the basis for government policy.

Academic Works
• International Franchise Manual (co-author, 2000, Law Press-China)
• Copyright – Strategy, Management, Litigation (editor and co-author, 2008, Law Press-China)
• Research on Print Circuit Board (PCB) Intellectual Property Issues
• Strategy of Business Method Patent of Chinese Software and Internet Enterprises
• How to Protect Design Ideas of Computer Software under the Existing Laws
• The Fair Use of Trademark in Internet Searching (co-author, 2011, Peking University Press-China)
• Views on the Intellectual Property Strategy of Multinational Companies from the Perspective of Copyright Disputes of Apple App Stores
• Rights Disputes and ISP Responsibilities on Internet Keyword Searching
• Discussions on the Legitimacy of Internet Technical Measures
• Digitalized Music Internet Spreading in China: Beyond Legal Issue
• Intellectual Property Protection of Internet Encyclopedia (China Intellectual Property News, October 17, 2014)
• Internet Cases - Between Familiarity with the Law and Insight into the Industries (The People's Judicature, 2014/20)