On April 10, 2024 China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) issued the Annual Work Guidelines for Promoting High-Quality Development of Intellectual Property Rights (2024) (推动知识产权高质量发展年度工作指引(2024)). Per CNIPA, the Guidelines were formulated to “further improve intellectual property work in 2024 and accelerate the promotion of high-quality development of intellectual property.” The main objectives of the Guidelines include improving the quality of patent applications; increase patent conversion; improve patent enforcement including guidance for overseas intellectual property disputes; improve provincial and local government …
Author: Aaron Wininger
Aaron Wininger is a Principal and Director of the China Intellectual Property at Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner.
3.5-Year Prison Sentence for Counterfeiting Maotai, the National Drink of China
On April 8, 2024 the Shanghai Hongkou District People’s Court announced the sentencing of three defendants for the crime of of selling goods with counterfeit registered trademarks, specifically, Maotai, a brand of baijiu, the national liquor of China. As of January 2022, the police had seized more than 200 bottles of the counterfeit Maotai with a total value of over 500,000 RMB at two stores.
China’s National Intellectual Property Administration Releases 2024 Budget
On March 26, 2024, China’s National Intellectual Property Administration released its 2024 budget (国家知识产权局2024年部门预算). Highlights includes 5.76 billion RMB (~$700 million USD) for patent acceptance and approval; CNIPA expects to examine over 2.026 million patent applications with an examination period of less than 16 months; and total new applications (including invention and utility model applications) is expected to be equal or greater than 4.79 million applications.
China’s Supreme People’s Court Releases Summary of IP Judgements for 2023
On February 23, 2024 China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) released the Supreme People’s Court Summary of Intellectual Property Court Judgments (2023) (最高人民法院知识产权法庭裁判要旨摘要(2023)). Per the SPC, the summary was formed “to highlight the judicial concepts, trial ideas, and adjudicative methods of the Intellectual Property Tribunal of the Supreme People’s Court in technical intellectual property rights and monopoly cases.” The Tribunal selected 96 cases from the 4,562 cases concluded in 2023, and summarized 104 key points as follows.