Frederic Rocafort, Attorney
Fred is a former diplomat who joined Harris Bricken after more than a decade of international legal experience, primarily in China, Vietnam, and Thailand. His wide range of experience includes starting and operating his own business in Asia, working as an in-house counsel for a Hong Kong-based multinational, as well as many years as a State Department official, providing a client-centric perspective to his legal work. Fred co-hosts Harris Bricken’s weekly Global Law and Business podcast, which covers legal and economic developments in locales around the world to decipher global trends in law and business with the help of international guests. In addition, Fred is a regular contributor to the award-winning China Law Blog and the award-winning Canna Law Blog.
Fred began his career overseas as a U.S. vice-consul in Guangzhou, China, adjudicating thousands of visa applications and advocating for fairer treatment of American companies and citizens in China and for stronger anti-counterfeiting enforcement. After entering the private sector, Fred worked at a Shanghai law firm as a foreign legal advisor and later joined one of the oldest American law firms in China. He also led the legal team at a Hong Kong-based brand protection consultancy, spending most of his time out in the field, protecting clients against counterfeiters and fraudsters from Binh Duong to Buenos Aires.
Fred is an ardent supporter of FC Barcelona—and would be even in the absence of Catalan forebears who immigrated to Puerto Rico in the mid-1800s. An avid explorer of Hong Kong’s countryside, he now spends much of his free time discovering the Pacific Northwest’s natural charms.
More About Frederic
Speaking Engagements
Co-Host of Harris Bricken’s Global Law and Business Podcast.
Doing Business in the U.S. Market, Chamber of Commerce of Madrid, Madrid, Spain, November 2, 2021.
UMass Law International Law Virtual Career Conference, October 8, 2021.
Reconfiguring Global Supply Chain Footprint, East West Associates webinar, June 24, 2021.
Padrón Nacional de Usarios de Telefonía Móvil, American Chamber of Commerce Mexico, May 26, 2021.
Evolución económica de Taiwán, Universidad Anáhuac, March 18, 2021.
Protecting and enforcing intellectual property rights in Southeast Asia: what small businesses need to know, United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), March 4, 2021.
Counseling Your First Cannabis Client: Marijuana vs. Hemp, State vs. Feds, and Other Key Issues, Washington State Bar Association, February 2, 2021.
China Roundtable: IP Monetization and Trade, Technoeconomic’s 3rd Annual Symposium, September 28, 2020.
Navigating PPE Purchases from China, HB Conferences Webinar, April 23, 2020.
Guest Lecturer, Comparative IPR Law, California Western School of Law, March 5, 2020.
The New Era of Doing Business in the US, Madrid Chamber of Commerce, Madrid, Spain, November 7, 2019.
Protección de la propiedad intelectual: Diferentes perspectivas, Universidad Anáhuac, May 7, 2020.
The Fight Against Counterfeiting: Views from the Frontlines, Florida State University, March 1, 2018.
Effects of COVID-19 on Doing Business with China, WTC Utah Webinar, March 19, 2020.
Important Tips for Protecting your IP from China, GlobalAuto Industry Audio Interview, October 7, 2019.
Media Appearances
Regular contributor to the award-winning China Law Blog and the award-winning Canna Law Blog.
China’s Housing Market Is on Course to Crash, The Dispatch, October 14, 2021.
China Deploys Aircraft Near Taiwan, The Dispatch, October 5, 2021.
China’s pricey ultimatum, World News, July 29, 2021.
Cointreau, Mars Wrigley File Trademark Suits Against Cannabis/CBD Companies, Media Post, July 29, 2021.
How China Uses Forced Labor in Xinjiang, NTD, May 18, 2021.
USPTO Refusal To Register Cannabis TMs Hurts Public, Law360, May 3, 2021.
“The Morning Dispatch: China Provokes Taiwan With Airspace Incursion“, The Dispatch, April 12, 2021.
China Continues to Crack Down on Hong Kong and Uyghurs. Should the U.S. Boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing? The Dispatch, March 12, 2021.
China awaits a new US ambassador as names circulate in Washington, South China Morning Post. February 24, 2021.
U.S. Military Posturing Across the Globe, The Dispatch, December 23, 2020.
The Last Vaccine Hurdle, The Dispatch, December 4, 2020.
Wilbur Ross Remained on Chinese Joint Venture Board While Running U.S.-China Trade War, Foreign Policy, October 29, 2020.
‘‘You Work Like Animals’: Inside China’s Vast Prison Labor System, Epoch Times, September 2, 2020.
Xinjiang’s sprawling conglomerate may be biggest ever to face US sanctions, South China Morning Post, August 24, 2020.
‘It’s So Much Worse Than Anyone Expected.’ Why Hong Kong’s National Security Law Is Having Such a Chilling Effect, Time, July 23, 2020.
Security law, US sanctions complicate operations for HK fund firms, Ignites Asia, July 21, 2020.
China’s Crackdown on Hong Kong Is About Intimidation, The Dispatch, July 3, 2020.
Hong Kong’s National Security Law Has Left Lawyers Uneasy, Law360, June 9, 2020.
Sanctions, new tariffs? What it means for US to certify Hong Kong as not autonomous from China, The Straits Times, May 28, 2020.
Publications
USPTO Refusal To Register Cannabis TMs Hurts Public, Law360, May 3, 2021.
Memberships
International Trademark Association
Asociación Interamericana de la Propiedad Intelectual
Executive Board, International Practice Section, Washington State Bar Association
International Law Section, The Florida Bar
Practice Areas
Education
- University of Notre Dame Law School (J.D.)
- The Chinese University of Hong Kong (L.L.M., Chinese Business Law)
- University of Michigan (B.A.)
- London School of Economics (General Course)
Bar & Court Admissions
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Washington State
- U.S. District Court
- Southern District of Florida
Languages
- Spanish (Fluent)
- Chinese (Intermediate)
