You paid for the molds. You developed the product. Now the factory is selling it to your competitors — or worse, listing it directly on Alibaba. This is not just a business betrayal. It's legally actionable in China.
Mold theft and design misappropriation are among the most financially devastating forms of China factory abuse. The factory holds the physical assets — your molds, tooling, samples — while simultaneously selling products to your competitors or directly to end customers. Every day this continues, you lose market share.
Our intellectual property recovery guide explains the legal frameworks available to protect your IP rights in China.
Many importers believe nothing can be done without a Chinese patent or trademark. This is wrong. Multiple Chinese legal frameworks protect your IP — including contract law, trade secret law, and unfair competition provisions — even without formal registration in China.
Chinese factories facing IP claims sometimes destroy molds or "lose" tooling before legal proceedings begin. Emergency property preservation orders can be obtained in as little as 3–5 days to prevent this. Every day of delay increases the risk of irreversible loss.
Factory using your paid-for molds to produce and sell to third parties
Product design or appearance being replicated and sold without permission
Formulas, processes, specs disclosed or used in breach of confidentiality
Factory applying your brand or similar marks without authorization
U.S. consumer goods brand discovered their Chinese manufacturer was producing their patented device and selling it through Alibaba under a different brand. We obtained an emergency production halt order, compelled mold return, and recovered $310,000 in damages and lost royalties. Manufacturer's Alibaba store was delisted.
We identify exactly what IP rights you have (contractual, statutory, or registered) and design the strongest enforcement strategy — whether through civil litigation, administrative action, criminal complaint, or combination.
We immediately apply for a property preservation order to freeze molds/tooling and prevent destruction. In clear cases, we can also apply for a preliminary injunction stopping production and sales within days.
We file IP takedown notices on Chinese e-commerce platforms (Alibaba, 1688, Pinduoduo) to remove unauthorized listings while legal proceedings are underway.
We file for full damages — including lost profits, reasonable royalties, and in willful infringement cases, statutory damages up to 3× the actual loss. Chinese IP courts are now significantly more favorable to rights holders.
We enforce return of your physical tooling and transfer of monetary damages to your international account.
Tell us what you designed, what you paid for, and what the factory is doing with it now. We'll assess your legal position and the fastest way to stop them within 24 hours.