In the recently released “China’s 500 Most Valuable Brands” list, Mengniu ranked 92nd with a brand value of 69.443 billion RMB. During the recent 618 Shopping Festival, Mengniu’s liquid milk topped online sales rankings. Mengniu has also been listed among the “Top 20 Global Dairy Companies” by Rabobank for ten consecutive years, ranking in the global top ten in 2020.
Mengniu’s brand and products are becoming increasingly popular. At the same time, the company is heavily investing in innovation to produce higher-quality products and meet the diverse needs of consumers. To protect its research outcomes and support its R&D efforts, Mengniu issued a tender for intellectual property services in 2017. Sanju Sunshine won the bid, becoming Mengniu Group’s intellectual property service provider.
Since the collaboration began in 2017, Sanju Sunshine has handled nearly 500 new patent applications for Mengniu over the course of five years. These patents span various fields, including liquid milk, ice cream, milk powder, and cheese, delivering excellent results.
From Single Utility Patent Applications to Comprehensive Services
At the start of the collaboration, Mengniu primarily commissioned Sanju Sunshine to handle single utility model patent applications. Sanju Sunshine’s patent agents conducted thorough searches and analyses for each case and provided application suggestions. The meticulous and pragmatic service attitude of Sanju Sunshine earned recognition from Mengniu, which began entrusting them with a large number of invention patents. Mengniu also commissioned Sanju Sunshine to handle infringement analyses, patent stability assessments, invalidation lawsuits, and patent operations. Sanju Sunshine’s expertise across the entire intellectual property service chain, including patent disputes, analysis, consulting, and operational services, has been a critical factor in their deepened collaboration with Mengniu.
Innovating Patent Service Models
As the collaboration deepened, Mengniu’s needs grew beyond the “single case commission” model. To better translate R&D outcomes into patents, Mengniu and Sanju Sunshine developed a new patent service model. For significant R&D projects, the two parties organized patent mining workshops involving company inventors, technical experts, IP management staff, and patent agents. These workshops facilitated multi-perspective discussions to further explore, expand, refine, and improve product technologies, resulting in more comprehensive protection for Mengniu’s products and technologies.
Adapting to Challenges During the Pandemic
In 2020, due to the pandemic, in-person communication was no longer feasible. To ensure timely conversion of R&D outcomes into patents, Mengniu and Sanju Sunshine transitioned their discussions online. In the first half of 2020 alone, they conducted five online patent mining sessions, analyzing 43 R&D outcomes. Before each session, Mengniu provided a foundational introduction to the technical plans, and Sanju Sunshine’s agents conducted thorough prior art searches and analyses to prepare for the discussions. During the sessions, both parties examined the technical plans, existing technologies, application scenarios, and the upstream and downstream industry chains to develop effective application strategies. As a result, the number of patent applications Sanju Sunshine handled for Mengniu increased by 30% compared to the previous year.
Exemplary Client Relationships and Service Excellence
Mengniu’s case is not unique. Many of Sanju Sunshine’s clients, including Gree Electric Appliances, Meituan, Sanju Environmental Protection, and Tsinghua University, began with single service commissions but were impressed by Sanju Sunshine’s professionalism and dedication, eventually entrusting them with more comprehensive services.
In 2020, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, Sanju Sunshine ensured timely patent applications by enabling their agents to work remotely. The company processed approximately 8,500 domestic patent applications, reflecting an 18% year-over-year increase. Additionally, Sanju Sunshine provided extensive patent layout and mining services for clients such as Mengniu, Gree Electric Appliances, and others, demonstrating its commitment to client success.
Expertise and Commitment to Quality
Sanju Sunshine’s domestic agency team includes over 80 patent agents, more than 70% of whom hold master’s degrees or higher. Nearly half have over five years of experience, and several are senior patent agents, former examiners, or litigation experts with over a decade of expertise. The company prioritizes patent quality by implementing rigorous review processes during the drafting stage and conducting quality checks by its Quality Management Department. Issues identified during drafting or quality control are addressed through specialized training to continuously enhance the skills and capabilities of its agents.
Disclaimer: This article is directly translated from Chinese using AI tools. If there are any inaccuracies, your understanding is greatly appreciated!
