Celesq® Presenters

Fred Rocafort leads Harris Sliwoski’s intellectual property practice and is the coordinator of the firm’s international team. He is dedicated to helping businesses from around the world and across industries protect their brands as they grow. Many of Fred’s clients operate in spaces that constitute new frontiers for IP law, such as cannabis, psychedelics, and Web3. Prior to joining Harris Sliwoski, Fred worked in China for more than a decade, in both government and private sector roles. He is a regular commentator on brand protection matters and serves as an expert witness on IP-related cases. 

Fred began his career overseas as a U.S. consular officer in Guangzhou, where he advocated for fairer treatment of American companies and citizens in China and for stronger intellectual property rights 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, helping foreign companies navigate the Chinese legal environment. 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, and helping secure their R&D and manufacturing facilities in Greater China, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. 

In addition to his IP work, Fred advises clients doing business overseas on corporate matters, leveraging his proficiency in Spanish and Chinese.  On any given day, Fred will guide clients as they set up an S. de R.L. in Mexico, explore opportunities in Thailand’s budding cannabis market, vet potential business partners in Brazil, negotiate manufacturing agreements with suppliers in Colombia, and take down infringing listings from e-commerce sites in China. 

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.