Dr. Lulin Gao is one of the founders of Beijing East IP Ltd. and Beijing East IP Law Firm.
Dr. Gao obtained his B.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Geological Prospecting from the Institute of Geological Prospecting in Moscow and was elected as a scholar of the Russian International Academy of Engineering.
After returning to China, he worked as an engineer with the Geological Prospecting Institute, the Department of Science and Technology of the Ministry of Geology and the State Planning Commission. Dr. Gao was then appointed in 1981 as Deputy Director of the Quality Bureau under the State Economic Commission, and in 1982 as the Director of the Science and Technology Bureau in 1982. In 1983, he was appointed as Director of the Measurement Bureau under the State Economic Commission.
From 1987 to 1998, Dr. Gao served as Commissioner of the PRC Patent Office. In 1998, he was responsible for establishing the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) (predecessor of the current China National IP Administration) and subsequently became its first Commissioner.
From 1998 to 2000, he served as a Senior Advisor to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). He has also held positions including President and Honorary President of the All-China Patent Attorneys Association (ACPAA), Chairman and Honorary Chairman of the China Intellectual Property Society, Vice Chairman of the Internet Society of China, Senior Advisor to the International Intellectual Property Institute, committee member and Senior Advisor to the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), as well as the arbitrator with the Asian Domain Name Dispute Resolution Center (ADNDRC) and China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC). From 1998 to 2002, Dr. Gao was elected as a deputy to the National People’s Congress.
Dr. Gao has been recognized for the enormous contributions he has made to the development of China’s modern IP system. During his tenure at the Patent Office and SIPO, he spearheaded the revision of the Patent Law, institutional reforms in patent administration, patent automation initiatives, patent education programs, and participated in foundational work on IP legal frameworks. He frequently led Chinese delegations to international IP forums and conferences, facilitating China’s integration into global IP systems and promoting cross-border IP exchanges. Dr. Gao also played an important role in supporting China’s accession to the WTO, leading government dialogues relating to the country’s compliance with the TRIPS Agreement.
Dr. Gao has also been deeply involved in the operation of international IP treaties. Notably, he acted as Chairman of the WIPO Coordination Committee (1988), Vice-Chairman of the Diplomatic Conference for the Conclusion of a Treaty on the Protection of Intellectual Property in Respect of Integrated Circuits (Washington D.C., 1989), Vice President of the Diplomatic Conference of the Conclusion of a Treaty Supplementing the Paris Convention for Patents (1991), Chairman of the Paris Union Assembly (1991, 1993 and 1995) and Chairman of the WIPO Conference (1993 and 1995).
In 1995, Dr. Gao was awarded Germany’s Grand Cross of the Order of Merit for his exceptional contributions to international IP protection. That year, he was also awarded the European Patent Office’s International Cooperation Medal.
He frequently lectures on IP topics at the universities. Dr. Gao has served as an adjunct professor at the School of Law in Tsinghua University in Beijing, as well as the John Marshall Law School in Chicago.
Dr. Gao has also published numerous works on patent prosecution and litigation, licensing, IPR protection, the TRIPS Agreement and domain names. His publications include “How Foreigners Seek Patent Protection for Their Technology” in China Law; “Patent System and Market Economy” published in Reform and Its Theory, Tentative Ideas for Further Improvement of the Chinese Patent System (Chinese and English); “China and the TRIPS Agreement” (Chinese and English) which was presented at the APEC industrial Property Symposium of the Development of Industrial Property Systems Towards the 21st Century in August 1996 in Tokyo, Japan; and “China’s Accession to the WTO and Protection of Intellectual Property” (Chinese and English), published in China Patents and Trademarks.
