On 22 April 2024, the Supreme People’s Court released its lists of ten major and 50 typical intellectual property cases for 2023. A Hubei technology trade secret case handled by a YunTing team co-led by Li Shu was selected among the 50 typical cases. It was also included in Hubei’s ten leading intellectual property cases for 2023.
The dispute concerned a competitor’s representative entering an enterprise under a false identity and obtaining and using its technical secrets. The YunTing team analyzed the legal relationships, evidence and disputed issues and secured a favorable first-instance judgment for the rights holder in Wuhan Intermediate People’s Court.
According to YunTing’s report, the two defendants withdrew their appeal. On 17 March 2023, the Supreme People’s Court permitted that withdrawal in ruling (2022) Zui Gao Fa Zhi Min Zhong No. 2430, leaving judgment (2021) E 01 Zhi Min Chu No. 334 effective. The report discusses punitive damages, reasonable enforcement expenses and recovery of appraisal costs advanced in the related criminal proceedings.
The case illustrates the importance of evidence organization, coordination between civil and criminal proceedings and claims for reasonable enforcement costs in trade secret disputes. The work was undertaken jointly by Li Shu and YunTing’s professional team.
