On February 27, 2012, Beijing No.1 Intermediate People’s Court made out the first instance Judgment (2010) Yi Zhong Zhi Xing Chu Zi No.2148, upholding the Decision on Request for Patent Invalidation No.14484 issued by SIPO’s Patent Reexamination Board (PRB) which declared a bus design of German bus maker Neoplan invalid. The appeal against the PRB decision was filed by Neoplan and the third party Zhongwei Bus & Coach Group was represented by Lifang partners Xie Guanbin and Sun Xi.

Previously, Neoplan filed a patent infringement charge against Zhongwei and its subsidiary. Zhongwei lost in the first instance proceedings and was ordered to pay Rmb21.16 million ($3 million) to its German rival as damages. Zhongwei then came to Lifang partners Xie Guanbin and Sun Xi, who are helping Zhongwei in the appeal and have succeeded in invalidating the involved design patent of Neoplan in an effort to overturn the infringement case.