The US-China trade agreement 2020 was signed on 15 January
2020.1 It will drastically change the IP laws in China,
as it adopts the US IP practice in China in an unprecedented
manner. There are many positive changes in this Agreement that are
long awaited, and can now be introduced without further discussion.
On the other hand, this Agreement also introduces some
controversial measures from US practice.
Toby Mak (Overseas Member) discusses the changes. Several
aspects will be of interest to UK businesses if they are followed
through effectively, in particular the reduction in a requirement
for notarized evidence (at least for US businesses), and dropping
requirements for effectively mandatory technology transfer when
investing in China. The discussion is also interesting in the
context of the UK negotiating a trade agreement with the US. Many
of the changes are already consistent with UK and EU practice, but
the Agreement highlights the US concerns about
