中化集团是宁波一家综合性的外贸出口和国内生产加工型企业集团，2010年，中化集团与以色列B.V公司因出口产品定牌加工合同发生贸易争端，以色列商人向中化集团提出索赔500万美元。

张民元律师团队接受聘请出任该争议解决的中方专项法律顾问，在接受委托之后，张民元律师带领团队深入以色列调查，并借助于国际互联网的互通资源调查出对方以色列所主张的专利权是很早在以色列曾申请过外观设计专利并且专利保护期限已经届满而进入社会公众领域的公知技术。尽管以色列商人就该项技术在美国又重新申请了美国专利，并且取得了美国的专利证书，但根据张民元律师的专业判断，以色列商人的专利是无效专利。

为了保证商业谈判的成功概率，同时确保在商业谈判中能居于主动地位，张民元律师团队与美国欧夏梁律师事务所合作在美国帮助中化集团成功申请了产品设计更新的外观设计专利，并且取得了美国专利局颁发的外观设计专利证书，在与以色列律师多次斡旋之后，当张民元律师团队出具了中化集团已申请成功的美国专利证书并且提供了以色列专利已进入社会公众领域的相关证据之后，以色列律师放弃了500万美金的索赔计划，而选择继续跟中化集团在吊床领域开展长期合作。

To coordinate and solve trade disputes in international transactions, and resolve business risks in international trade

Sinochem (Ningbo) is a comprehensive enterprise group engaged in foreign trade export and domestic production and process. In 2010, Sinochem Group had trade dispute with Israeli B.V company account for nominating brand and processing contract of export products, for which the Israeli party claimed $5 million compensation.

Lawyer Zhang’s team accepted the authorization as the special legal adviser of the Chinese party during the process of dispute resolution. After that, Lawyer Zhang led the team to do in-depth survey of Israel, and with the help of the Internet communication resources, it figured out that the patent which Israel was proposed had applied for design patent at very early time and it had been into social public area known as the prior art because the patent protection period had expired. Although the Israeli party applied for patent in the United States again and obtained the patent certificate, pursuant to Lawyer Zhang’s professional judgment, such patent was invalid.

In order to assure the success of commercial negotiation and the initiative position meanwhile, Lawyer Zhang’s team helped Sinochem Group successfully apply design patent of updating product design under the cooperation with Osha Ling LLP in the United States, and obtain the design patent certificate issued by the U.S. Patent Office as well. After many times to mediate with Israeli attorneys, when Lawyer Zhang presented the aforementioned evidence, they gave up the compensation scheme and chose to continue long-term cooperation with Sinochem Group in the field of hammock.