Long'an’s achievement | First case in the country! Long'an’s agent for game clients has had their design parameters for game art resources recognized as technical secrets, with the support of the court.

Recently, the first-instance judgment issued by the Guangzhou Intellectual Property Court in a technical secret dispute case involving a well-known listed game company, represented by Lawyer Wu Rangjun, the deputy director of the management committee of Beijing Longan (Guangzhou) Law Firm and a senior partner, and Lawyer Liu Huan, a partner, has been delivered. The judgment confirms that the design parameters and other information related to the artistic resources involved constitute technical secrets, and that the defendant Yan illegally obtained and used these artistic resources, thus constituting an infringement of technical secrets.

In judicial practice, for infringements of game artistic materials, most rights holders protect their rights through copyright infringement. In some cases, protection against unfair competition is obtained by determining that the undisclosed artistic materials are business information. This case marks a new approach to protecting publicly available game artistic materials through technical secrets. It is the first judicial case in China where design parameters of game artistic resources are recognized as technical secrets. This case has high reference value for handling similar rights issues.

Trade secrets are important intellectual property for enterprises. It is also a area that the Yanshang Legal Team led by Lawyer Wu Rangjun has always focused on and studied.

In terms of research

The team has conducted comprehensive and in-depth systematic research on legal issues related to trade secrets. They have systematically studied and organized cases related to trade secrets over the past 5 years. Based on this research, they have prepared the “Big Data Report on Software-Related Trade Secret Disputes”. This report analyzes the judicial proceedings regarding software-related technical secrets from multiple perspectives, including regional distribution of cases, causes of disputes, compensation rates, cross-jurisdictional issues, appraisal procedures, plaintiff evidence and key points, defendant defenses and key points, and factors of compensation. By combining point and area analysis, a comprehensive and in-depth analysis of judicial proceedings regarding software-related technical secrets is provided. The team has also developed several excellent lectures and training courses, such as “Uncovering the ‘Secrets’ of Trade Secrets”, “Burden of Proof in Trade Secret Litigation and Cross-Jurisdictional Issues”, “Defenses Against Infringement in Trade Secret Litigation”, and “Compliance Management Practices for Enterprise Trade Secrets”. These have received widespread praise from clients.

In terms of litigation

The Yanshang Legal Team has represented many cases involving trade secrets in various fields such as chips, new materials, chemicals, communications, and the Internet. These cases involve different subjects such as software code, drawings, manufacturing processes and equipment selection, product formulas, and design parameters. The team has achieved remarkable results while accumulating rich litigation experience.

In terms of compliance

The team has handled several special compliance projects related to trade secrets. They have helped multiple clients establish a basic framework for trade secrets that includes organizational structure, institutional management, process guidance, technical tools, and cultural development. This has led to the establishment of compliance management mechanisms for risk assessment, risk governance, supervision and inspection, and continuous improvement for enterprises.

LONGAN

The Yanshang Team always adheres to the philosophy of “professional depth and service warmth”. The innovative approach in this case stems from the team’s deep understanding of the nature of trade secrets. It is a vivid manifestation of the team’s philosophy of “professional depth” in the field of trade secrets. In the future, the team will continue to uphold this philosophy and provide professional, high-quality, and innovative legal services to clients.

Profile of the Lawyer

Lawyer Wu Rangjun

Lawyer Wu Rangjun graduated from Peking University and holds both lawyer and patent agent qualifications. His main areas of expertise include intellectual property, civil and commercial litigation and arbitration, and long-term legal counsel and compliance projects. He is currently a senior partner, deputy director of the management committee, director of the Longan Bay Intellectual Property Research Center, and head of the Yanshang Legal Team at Beijing Longan (Guangzhou) Law Firm.

With 15 years of practice, Lawyer Wu Rangjun has extensive practical experience, solid legal theory knowledge, and skilled litigation skills. He is skilled in studying legal issues and planning cases as a whole. The cases he handles have been recognized as typical cases of the year on multiple occasions. The intellectual property cases handled by his team have been selected as typical cases by the Supreme Court, various high courts, and intellectual property courts. The civil and commercial litigation and arbitration cases he handles have received “Business Achievement Awards” from the Law Association on more than 10 occasions. The theoretical research articles he writes have also won several top ten paper awards or first prizes. As a result, Lawyer Wu Rangjun has been listed in the “2024 LEGALBAND China Lawyers Special Recommendation List: Games and E-sports” and has been recognized as one of the “Top 50 Intellectual Property Elite Lawyers Under 50 in China” in 2023.

In addition, Lawyer Wu Rangjun also serves as a member of the Intellectual Property Professional Committee of the National Lawyers Association, deputy director of the Copyright Law Professional Committee of the Guangdong Lawyers Association, deputy director of the Copyright Professional Committee of the Guangzhou Lawyers Association, external expert to the Guangzhou Copyright Bureau, consulting expert for civil and administrative cases at the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, arbitrator at the Guangzhou, Xiamen, Zhuhai, and Maoming Arbitration Committees, part-time professor at the Law School of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, and lawyer mediator at the Guangzhou Intellectual Property Court. His professional capabilities are highly recognized in the industry.

Lawyer Liu Huan

Lawyer Liu Huan is a master of civil litigation. She is currently a partner at Longan Guangzhou and a member of the Legal Professional Committee for Online Games and E-sports of the Guangzhou Lawyers Association. During her practice, she has represented nearly ten thousand cases, mainly in civil and commercial and intellectual property litigation. She is particularly skilled in formulating litigation strategies, managing court proceedings, and negotiating settlements. She has extensive experience in winning cases in areas such as copyright, corporate business, real estate and construction, financial lending, computer software, trade secrets, online games, integrated circuit layout designs, and unfair competition.

She has provided intellectual property legal services for many well-known companies, including Microsoft, Tencent, AutoCAD, Odysee, Dassault, LG, Ali, BSA, ViewSonic, 37 Entertainment, Jinhua Technology, Southern Daily, Watsons, Starlight Entertainment, Huanya Group, and other companies. She has achieved remarkable results. She has also provided litigation and long-term legal services for government agencies such as the Guangdong Highway Affairs Center and the Guangdong Highway Administration Bridge Center.