Entrepreneurs often find themselves wrestling with tough intellectual property issues, such as how to respond to trademark squatting or how to defend against the counterfeiting of technical achievements. To address these challenges, Wanli Subdistrict is now delivering legal services right to the companies' doorsteps, enabling them to access expert legal guidance without having to travel far. Recently, the Wanli Subdistrict Justice Office, together with its legal advisors, formed a dedicated service team that visited local enterprises to offer customized intellectual property "legal checkups" as part of a broader initiative to support businesses.
This year, Wanli Subdistrict has been actively advancing its intellectual property service project for businesses, aiming to channel high-quality legal resources directly to the front lines of enterprise operations. Preliminary research revealed a common trend among small and medium-sized enterprises: they often prioritize daily operations while overlooking intellectual property protection. For instance, a product might sell well, but its trademark was never registered in time; a core technology is barely developed before it faces imitation; or commercial contracts are signed without proper consideration of IP clauses, creating hidden legal risks. While the demand for IP legal services among these businesses is high, they frequently struggle with unclear pathways to seek help and are unsure how to connect with professional services. In response, the subdistrict's Justice Office has made these "legal checkups" a key component of its IP service project, coordinating with legal advisors to proactively visit businesses themselves. This approach flips the old model—where companies had to seek out legal help—to one where legal services are delivered directly to them, right at their doorstep.
On August 28, acting on feedback from an earlier questionnaire, the Justice Office and its legal advisors entered a business park, visiting companies including Shanghai Yigong Fenxin Technology Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Chengshi Enterprise Management Co., Ltd.. During these visits, the service team, composed of Justice Office staff and practicing lawyers, conducted a comprehensive "legal checkup" through discussions and on-the-spot Q&A sessions. The focus was on high-frequency legal areas for businesses, such as intellectual property protection, contract risk management, and labor employment practices.
The "pulse-taking" phase involved one-on-one assessments where the team, considering each company's specific industry and operations, meticulously identified potential IP risks relating to trademarks, patents, copyrights, and trade secrets. Following this, the "prescription" phase saw lawyers personally addressing the companies' specific concerns—from trademark registration and patent filing to infringement litigation—providing actionable legal advice and risk mitigation strategies. Finally, in the "file creation" stage, the team established individual service files for each visited company, documented their unique needs, kept communication channels open, and set up a follow-up mechanism to ensure that legal support remains continuous and responsive.
This "legal checkup" serves a dual purpose: it functions as both a comprehensive risk assessment of business operations and an educational session on legal best practices. It helps companies identify weaknesses in their IP management, facilitates the early resolution of legal risks, and works to nip potential disputes in the bud, thereby easing corporate worries and fostering a secure business environment. Looking ahead, Wanli Subdistrict is committed to tracking feedback from these visits, refining and deepening its legal checkup initiatives. The goal is to extend convenient, professional, and considerate legal services to a broader range of enterprises, using the power of law to support high-quality business growth and further solidify the subdistrict's reputation as a paragon of a law-based, business-friendly environment.