On 27 November 2020, the CNIPA published the 1st draft of the revisions to the Implementation Rules of the Law (the draft Rules). Again, a a co-chair of the IP Practice in China committee of the AIPLA, comments on this 1st draft has been submitted on behalf of the AIPLA.

On 20 May 2025, the CNIPA announced that from 1 October 2025, all electronic patent filings have to be done in XML format, including any subsequently filed amendments.

I do not wish to define size of droplets and argue whether COVID-19 is airborne. Frankly I do not give a damn.

China introduced requirements for foreign-filing licences for inventions in 2010 (when the third revision of the Patent Law came into force).

In the May issue, we reported how Jaguar Land Rover had recovered substantial damages – all they had claimed – in unfair competition proceedings.

First pre-trial injunction granted for a drug patent in China: Astellas Pharma v Zhejiang Hisun Pharmaceutical.

The Chinese State Intellectual Property Office has significantly revised its examination guidelines with respect to inventions relating to business methods and software, submission of post-filing data...

Toby Mak explains that in China, exhaustion of rights extends far; but did not extend to the defendant claiming to be a Victoria's Secret distributor or agent in China.

Draft stipulations under discussion on appeals against the Chinese Patent O' ice's Patent Re-examination Board's decisions.

On 1 February 2020, the CNIPA brought its revisions on examining computer-related inventions ("New AIRelated Revisions") into effect.

The Hong Kong patent system is essentially a re-registration patent system. Although Hong Kong is not a favourable forum for patent litigation, having a patent granted in Hong Kong could provide the patentee with substantial commercial advantages.

These guidelines were announced by the SAMR on 30 June 2023, with a deadline to comment on 29 July 2023 (yes, less than one month, the draft is not long though) at the link below:

It was a strange coincident that when I visited the CNIPA last week at the CNIPA/American Bar Association Liaison Council China delegation 2023.

IPO has revised its patent examination guidelines, and these became effective on 1 April 2017.

The proposed revisions to strengthen the Chinese Patent (and designs) Law (December 2015) are significant and provide an interesting checklist of issues in relation to patents and design law worldwide.

Disputes over standards essential patents are increasingly being exposed in the courts, as can be seen from the CJEU decisions (such as Huawei v ZTE) and in the UK in relation to the Unwired Planet litigation, ...

The Chinese Patent Examination Guidelines have been revised with yet another set of major amendments in two years.

Thanks to the heads-up from Aaron Wininger of Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner, P.A. , the China State Administration for Market Regulation SAMR announced on 25 April 2025 another draft trade secret protection provision at the link below:

Security interests over patents must be registered with the Chinese State Intellectual Property Office

In addition to difficulties in producing evidence acceptable to authorities, including a Chinese court, and low damages awards it is not unheard of that the infringers in China simply run away, then open a new company ...