Li Zhu

Experienced Global Brand Protection and Anti-Counterfeiting Counsel

Li Zhu is dual-qualified in the U.S. and China and brings nearly two decades of experience helping brands protect and enforce their intellectual property across borders — including a decade of on-the-ground practice in China. A trademark attorney by training, Li has built a reputation as a trusted advisor to multinational companies, with deep expertise in anti-counterfeiting, distribution control and eCommerce enforcement. Her work focuses on safeguarding brand value in complex supply chains and fast-moving digital marketplaces.

Li also is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US, CIPP/CN), with growing capabilities in cross-border data transfer compliance, cybersecurity risk management and AI governance - particularly as they apply to eCommerce platforms and interconnected supply chain systems.

She authors the weekly LinkedIn series China eCommerce & Brand Protection Insights, which provides timely legal and business updates for companies navigating China’s rapidly evolving digital economy and brand protection landscape.

• Leads cross-border enforcement campaigns, including civil, administrative and criminal actions in China and Hong Kong, to dismantle counterfeit networks and stop unauthorized sales.
• Designs global anti-counterfeiting strategies, manages enforcement vendors and coordinates actions with customs, police and IP offices.
• Conducts trademark and copyright portfolio reviews to uncover enforcement vulnerabilities and develop comprehensive protection plans.
• Handles complex IP disputes involving bad-faith trademark filings, trade dress misappropriation, unfair competition and trade secret theft.
• Advises on brand control in eCommerce channels addressing parallel imports, unauthorized seller activity and online infringement.
• Leverages AI-powered brand protection tools, takedown automation and enforcement dashboards to scale digital enforcement efforts.
• Oversees worldwide trademark portfolios and domain name strategy for companies with expansive consumer product lines.

• Led a multi-agency criminal enforcement action in China for a global brand that resulted in imprisonment and fines for counterfeiters; the case was selected among the “Top 10 Border Protection Cases” by China Customs and recognized as a provincial “Top 10 IP Protection Case.”
• Successfully petitioned the Supreme People’s Court of China for rare retrials in trademark opposition and invalidation cases, overturning prior decisions to protect U.S. brand rights.
• Secured a “Well-Known Mark” recognition for several American consumer brands, unlocking broader protection and enforcement leverage under Chinese law.
• Built and managed online enforcement programs that removed more than 10,000 infringing product listings annually across platforms like Alibaba, JD and Walmart.
• Executed on-the-ground enforcement at trade shows, resulting in booth closures and removal of counterfeit goods.
• Negotiated a high-stakes, cross-border trademark settlement on behalf of a U.S. sports equipment company and avoided over $500,000 in litigation costs while preserving brand control.
• Helped an eCommerce accelerator company develop and implement a China-facing distribution control program, enabling greater platform control, pricing consistency and enforcement against unauthorized sellers.