On the last day of 2025, the Intellectual Property team at Tian Yuan received four civil judgment documents from the Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China. Tian Yuan achieved a comprehensive victory in representing Beijing Peking University Pioneer Technology Corporation Ltd. (PKU PIONEER) in its lawsuits against Jiangsu Tian Lifang Environmental Technology Engineering Co., Ltd. and other entities for infringement of technical secrets related to the "Front-End Dry Fine Desulfurization Technology for Blast Furnace Gas" and disputes over patent ownership rights.

The Supreme People’s Court ruled that Tian Lifang and other companies constituted infringement and applied double punitive damages for determining their liability for infringement damages. It fully upheld PKU PIONEER’s claims for 50 million yuan in economic losses and 300,000 yuan in reasonable expenses incurred in safeguarding its rights.

Furthermore, in the three patent ownership dispute cases concerning the utility model patent for "Dry Desulfurization System for Coal Gas," the invention patent for "Dry Desulfurization Process for Coal Gas," and the utility model patent for "An Absorption Tower Structure for Blast Furnace Gas Purification," all applied for by Tian Lifang, the Supreme People’s Court issued final judgments stating that the aforementioned three patents belong to PKU PIONEER. This judgment reflects the Supreme People’s Court’s determination to severely punish trade secret infringements, demonstrates the judicial value of protecting intellectual property and encouraging innovation, and creates a favorable judicial environment for the development of new quality productive forces.

PKU PIONEER is a high-tech enterprise affiliated with the internationally renowned institution Peking University. It specializes in the research and development of pressure swing adsorption gas separation and energy-saving environmental protection technologies, the design and manufacturing of complete sets of equipment, and the production of high-efficiency adsorbents and catalysts. It independently developed the front-end dry fine desulfurization technology for blast furnace gas in China. In July 2020, PKU PIONEER and Tian Lifang engaged in technical cooperation for a blast furnace gas desulfurization project, during which Tian Lifang gained access to PKU PIONEER’s related technical secrets. Subsequently, PKU PIONEER discovered that Tian Lifang had violated the confidentiality agreement by patenting the related technology and using it in other projects, constituting suspected infringement. After being entrusted by the client, lawyers Sun Yan and Yang Xiaoli, partners at Tian Yuan, braved the risks of the pandemic to organize the team to deeply understand the case, sort out the technical secret points, collect relevant evidence, and determine the rights protection strategy. The case lasted four years, with partial losses in the first instance and appeals in the second instance. Through arduous efforts, a comprehensive victory was ultimately achieved.

The Intellectual Property team at Tian Yuan provides clients with comprehensive intellectual property services and excels in handling complex and challenging cases. In technical cases involving trade secrets and patent disputes, the team possesses rich practical experience and a solid theoretical foundation. It has previously represented companies such as Tianchen and China Telecom in handling major cases involving trade secrets and patent ownership disputes.