Why Hardware Founders
Choose Us Before
Going Deeper in China
Not just legal drafting. Not blind supplier introductions. Not abstract IP advice.
We help overseas hardware founders control the China-side position —product files, supplier path, IP, tooling, disclosure, and factory-side relationships— before supplier outreach goes too far.
From Foxconn Manufacturing Exposure to China Supplier Control
Peter Lin spent five years at Foxconn, widely known as the world's largest OEM manufacturer. That experience gave him direct exposure to how products move from drawings and components into factory-side production reality.
He later built a China IP, NNN, contract, and supplier-control practice in Shenzhen, focused on overseas founders who need to work with Chinese suppliers without giving up more control than they should.
That creates a manufacturing-side lens, not just a legal lens. Many lawyers do not understand factory-side risk. Many sourcing people do not understand IP, NNN, tooling, or contract structure. ChinaIPGateway sits between these worlds.
Why This Matters Before Supplier Outreach
Founders who reach out to Chinese suppliers without the right position established often share more than they should, approach the wrong factory type, or create IP and tooling exposure that is hard to undo.
What we assess before supplier outreach:
- Which supplier type fits the product stage and the relationship you need
- What product files should not be sent yet — and why
- Whether tooling ownership, PO terms, IP assignment, or contract-party issues already exist
- Whether to pause, protect first, or proceed with written controls
- Where supplier search makes sense — after the review, not before
A Rare Combination: Manufacturing Context, China IP, and Supplier-Control Judgment
Most practitioners have one piece. We sit at the intersection of all three.
Know IP — but not manufacturing reality or factory-side risk.
Can find factories — but do not understand NNN structure, IP assignment, or contract-party exposure.
Handle filings — but do not understand tooling IP dynamics or supplier-control risk.
China IP Gateway
Manufacturing context + China IP and NNN + Supplier-control judgment
When the same person has five years at Foxconn and has built a China IP and supplier-control practice in Shenzhen, the advice accounts for how production actually works — not just how contracts are written.
Meet Peter Lin
Every client works directly with Peter — not a junior associate, not through an admin layer. This is a founder-led practice, and the direct engagement is part of how it works.
Peter spent five years at Foxconn, widely known as the world's largest OEM manufacturer, before building a China IP, NNN, contract, and supplier-control practice in Shenzhen. His work covers IP protection, supplier-facing contracts, and product-side risk — where most lawyers and most sourcing agents do not overlap.
He is Shenzhen-based and China-side. His judgment comes from being inside the manufacturing environment — not consulting on it from the outside.
- Five years at Foxconn — the world's largest OEM manufacturer
- China IP, NNN, contract, and supplier-control practice built in Shenzhen
- Direct client communication — no admin layer, no junior routing
- Covers IP, tooling, product files, disclosure controls, factory-side relationships
Founder-Led, With China-Side Professional Support
Every client still works directly with Peter Lin for strategy, communication, and supplier-control judgment. Where a matter requires China-side legal input, ChinaIPGateway can coordinate support from trusted counsel, including You Xiaoming / 尤小明, while keeping the working structure and client communication clear.
Need to review our working structure? See Verify Us →
Talk to Us Before Supplier Outreach Goes Too Far
The right controls, established early, cost a fraction of what it takes to undo a bad supplier relationship. We review your position and tell you directly where the exposure is — and what to do about it before you proceed.