Areas of practice
Ms. TAI has 28 years’ experience as an IP practitioner, and worked with one of China's largest IP firms for long time as the executive member before joining KWM.
Ms. TAI is one of the most influential figures in IP law in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors, and has represented many influential cases including the Viagra® (Sildenafil) and Lipitor® (Atrovastatin) for Pfizer, Brillinta® (Ticagrelor) for AstraZeneca, Xarelto® (Rivaroxaban) for Bayer, Actemra® (Tocilizumab) and Xofluza® (baloxavir marboxil) for Roche/Chugai, Victoza® (Liraglutide) and Wegovy® (semaglutide) for Novo Nordisk, Entresto® (Valsartan Sacubitril) and Revolade® (Eltrombopag) for Novartis, in the patent invalidation and infringement litigations.
Ms. TAI is recognized in the international intellectual property community as one of the World’s Leading Patent Practitioners and Leading Lawyer by MIP and IAM for many consecutive years. Ms. TAI was named “Eminent Practitioner” in the category of intellectual property non-litigation by Chambers Asia Pacific Guide consecutively from 2016 to 2020, and was named “Leading Lawyer” in the category of intellectual property non-litigation from 2021 to 2024. Ms. TAI was selected as The 250 Top Women in IP by MIP from 2021 to 2022 and was selected as IP STARS by MIP from 2019 to 2023. She was also selected as one of 2021 ALB China Top 15 IP Lawyers. Ms. TAI was selected as one of the “Leading Lawyers” by Asialaw Profiles in 2020. Ms. TAI was one of the recommended lawyers in the field of IP recognized by The Legal 500 in 2020 and 2022 to 2024, and was one of the recommended lawyers in the field of Healthcare and Life Sciences recognized by The Legal 500 in 2023. Ms. TAI was included in IAM Patent 1000 in 2019 and 2022 to 2023. She was also selected as one of the first National IP Leading Experts and awarded by the then SIPO as one of the “First Leading Patent Attorneys in China”. She is the perennial counselor-at-law of INTERPAT and RDPAC (R&D pharmaceutical association committee).
Ms. TAI is experienced in both patent validity and infringement procedures. Her work highlights included but not limited to:
Patent Validity Procedures:
1. Represented Novo Nordisk in defending invalidations against the blockbuster drug Wegovy® (semaglutide) and achieved a positive Judgement from Beijing Intellectual Property Court.
2. Represented Roche in defending invalidations against Xofluza®. One of these cases was selected as Annual Top Ten Cases (2021) of Patent Reexamination and Invalidation Department, the corresponding administrative litigation case was selected as one of the Top 30 Cases in Beijing Courts’ 30 Years of Specialized Trials on Intellectual Property.
3. Represented Novartis on the series of patent invalidation case concerning Entresto® (Sacubitril Valsartan Sodium) and supported by China National Intellectual Property Administration. The case was selected as Deals of the year 2021 by China Business Law Jouranl.
4. Represented AstraZeneca before Beijing Higher People's Court on the patent invalidation case concerning Brillinta®, including Ticagrelor compound and Ticagrelor crystal. The compound case was selected as one of the top 50 IP cases of year 2018 by the supreme people’s court and deals of the year 2019 by Chinese business law. The crystal case set the first precedent for admitting post-filling data and was selected as one of the Top 100 Cases on the Fifth Anniversary of the Establishment of the Intellectual Property Court of the Supreme People's Court in 2024.
5. Represented Pfizer Inc. in the high-profile Viagra® (Sildenafil) case in both invalidation and court proceedings. After nine years of battle, Ms. Tai eventually secured favorable rulings for the client from Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court and Beijing Higher People's Court, respectively. The case attracted extensive coverage by domestic and overseas media including The Wall Street Journal and was listed as one of the eight "IP Cases of the Year" in 2008.
6. Represented Astellas before Beijing Intellectual Property Court on the administrative case concerning Xtandi® (Enzalutamide). The case was ruled in favor of the client and was supported by the Supreme People's Court.
7. Represented Bayer on the patent invalidation case concerning Xarelto® (Rivaroxaban). The case was selected as Annual Top Ten Cases (2020) of Patent Reexamination and Invalidation Department.
Patent Infringement/Linkage Procedures:
8. Represented Roche in bringing up administrative adjudication concerning its Baloxavir marboxil in Shanghai and got a favorable Decision from the Shanghai Intellectual Property Office. The case was selected as Top 10 Typical Cases of Intellectual Property Protection in Shanghai in 2022.
9. Represented Novartis in bringing up litigations over patent infringement concerning its Entresto® in multiple forums across the country regarding a series of patent infringement cases.
10. Represented AstraZeneca on the series of cases concerning Forxiga ® (Dapagliflozin). The series of administrative rulings on patent infringement culminated in a successful decision.
11. Represented FibroGen in patent linkage procedures concerning Evrenzo® (Roxadustat).
12. Represented Santen in litigations regarding a series of patent infringement cases involving its Verkazia® (Cyclosporine Ophthalmic Emulsion), and achieved favorable results.
In addition, Ms. TAI is also a highly recognized lecturer and project leader in a number of research projects, including:
1. Ms. TAI has been a highly recognized lecturer for many years for the “Patent Reexamination and Invalidation”, an induction training course offered by the All-China Patent Attorneys Association for new patent agents.
2. Ms. TAI participated in the research of the third amendment to the Patent Law. She co-authored a 50,000-word thesis on the nature of the proceedings for invalidation requests which was included in the Research Report on the Third Amendment to the Patent Law and Implementation Rules published by the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA).
3. She led a team to undertake the soft research project of the CNIPA entitled “Study on the Costs and Strategies for Chinese Applicants Seeking Patent Protections Overseas.”
4. She led a team to undertake the research project of China Intellectual Property Society entitled “Comparative Study on Accurate Calculation of Damages for Patent Infringement.”
5. She is team leader for the “Report on the comparative study of Patent Linkage worldwide and implementing proposals in China” (2019).
6. She is the team leader for the “Report on the stability of compound patent in China” (2020).
7. She is the first author for the book “ Comparative study on patent linkage system.”
She is the first author for “Comparative Study on the stability of compound patent.”
Work experience
Ms. TAI started her career in 1993. She joined King & Wood Mallesons in 2019. Prior to this, she worked for China Patent Agent (HK) Ltd as deputy general manager, responsible for the firm’s patent team management and handling of important and complicated cases.
Educational background
Ms. Tai graduated from Peking University with a bachelor's degree in applied chemistry and a master's degree in polymer radiation chemistry. In 2003, she obtained L.L.M from the University of London.
Her working languages are Chinese and English.
