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ARTICLE · 13 SEPTEMBER 2021

Joint Patent Infringement And Validity Hearings In China

Gowling WLG
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China has a bifurcated patent system but joint infringement and validity hearings have been held. What does this mean for IP litigants in China?

ChinaIntellectual Property

China has a bifurcated patent system but joint infringement and validity hearings have been held. What does this mean for IP litigants in China?

In July 2021, in Guangdong Province (Foshan City), a joint hearing took place to determine patent validity and patent infringement. This was the first time such a joint hearing had been held in Guangdong Province: Does it signal a fundamental change in China's bifurcated patent system? And is it bad news for plaintiffs, good news for defendants? Or too early to tell?

The joint hearing in a single venue took place on 14 July 2021: The Foshan Intellectual Property Protection Centre1 (FIPPC) had organised a joint on-line hearing of the Patent Re-examination Board (PRB) of the China National IP Administration (CNIPA) (responsible for determining patent validity), and the Guangzhou Intellectual Property Court (Guangzhou IP Court) (responsible for determining infringement) at a single sitting.

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