On the afternoon of June 27, 2026, the inaugural session of the "Lakeside Saturday" Intellectual Property Lecture Series was officially launched at Suzhou News Tower, situated along the shores of Dushu Lake in Suzhou Industrial Park. The event was hosted by the Suzhou Municipal Administration for Market Regulation (Intellectual Property Office), organized by the China Intellectual Property Training Center (Yangtze River Delta) Practice Base, the National SME Intellectual Property Training (Suzhou) Base, and Suzhou Dushu Lake Science and Education Development Co., Ltd., and co-organized by Suzhou Industrial Park Library and the Intellectual Property Information Service Center of Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.

The founder of Goodbaby Group, Song Zhenghuan, delivered not merely a speech, but an "IP warfare manual" distilled from 37 years of hands-on experience. The session offered a glimpse into how a Chinese manufacturing enterprise has achieved a strategic transformation in intellectual property — from passive defense to active offense.

Patents as Fortresses: From the "First Patent" to "157 Global Victories"

In 1989, Song Zhenghuan filed his first patent application (No. 89202653.7) for a "four-function baby stroller," which revived a debt-ridden school-run factory. Thirty-seven years later, Goodbaby has initiated a total of 157 IP enforcement lawsuits across the four major markets of China, Japan, Europe, and the United States, winning all of them.

From 1999 to 2004, Goodbaby engaged in patent battles with Mattel, during which it developed proprietary intellectual property through independent innovation. This eventually enabled Goodbaby to counter its competitor Dorel when it acquired Cybex and Evenflo in 2014.

In 2020, competitor Wonderland suddenly filed a lawsuit, with the first-instance ruling awarding damages of USD 3.63 million and issuing a permanent injunction. Goodbaby counterattacked with three major strategies: parsing the patent claims at a "pixel level," dismantling "speculative" allegations with evidence, and maintaining a bottom-line openness to settlement negotiations. In 2023, the ruling was reversed on appeal, with damages reduced to USD 489,000 and the injunction revoked. Song Zhenghuan stated that "IP warfare is a matter of life and death, and IP decisions must be kept in one's own hands."

Even more forward-looking was the strategic layout for the "airbag car seat" — starting from 2010, Goodbaby filed patents for every possible airbag position, while simultaneously securing protections in Europe, the United States, Japan, and other key markets of its competitors. The "Pocket Stroller" was granted invention patents in 57 countries and subsequently registered as a trademark, forming a combined "three-dimensional blockade" of patents and trademarks.

Trademarks as Brands: From "OEM Exports" to "Brand Portfolio"

gb Goodbaby, Cybex, Evenflo, gb Gold, and UPPAbaby together form Goodbaby's comprehensive brand ecosystem, covering the high-end, mid-range, and mass markets. The acquisitions of Germany's Cybex and America's Evenflo in 2014 were not simple capital mergers, but rather strategic moves to integrate high-quality global brand resources through intellectual property, achieving a qualitative leap from OEM exports to brand management.

What gave the attending entrepreneurs even more food for thought was Goodbaby's strategic transition from "hardware" to "hardware plus software." Goodbaby evolved from SensorSafe technology to the Sensory Soothe intelligent system, developing audio-visual infant soothing systems such as smart car seat carry handles and smart childcare home products, while also independently developing a brand app to enhance user experience and build higher competitive barriers. In 2025, the Evenflo Sensory Soothe technology won the NAPPA (National Parenting Product Awards) Innovation Award and the U.S. Parent magazine's "Best Car Seat Innovation Award." By developing its own brand app, Goodbaby has further strengthened user experience and erected higher competitive barriers.

Standards as Voice: From "Compliant Manufacturing" to "Rule-Making"

Using the Evenflo Revolve car seat as an example, Song Zhenghuan elaborated on Goodbaby's profound insight into the "integration of patents and standards." Shortly after the Evenflo Revolve product entered the market, it quickly increased market share by 2.6 percentage points and achieved significant commercial success. However, when the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration introduced a new regulation requiring that the seat and base of a car seat must not be separable without tools, competitor Graco's patents blocked all compliant design pathways, leaving Goodbaby with almost no option but to delist the product.

The team eventually found a technological breakthrough and charted a new path to circumvent the blockade. Following this technical resolution, Goodbaby came to recognize that "the integration of patents and standards is the most effective means of competition." Subsequently, Goodbaby strengthened the alignment between standard-setting and intellectual property, positioning itself as a trusted guarantor of children's health and safety worldwide.

Through the Goodbaby story, Song Zhenghuan articulated the true essence of an IP strategy for Chinese manufacturing enterprises. The core of this story lies not in Goodbaby's success alone, but in the replicable and learnable IP methodology behind that success — patents as fortresses, trademarks as brands, and standards as voice.

For the vast number of enterprises transitioning from "Made in China" to "Created in China," this undoubtedly serves as the most practical and timely guide for action.