Based on data recently released by China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), invention patent grants and utility model patent grants have continued their downward trend with cumulative drops of 16.56% and 25.92% in the first three quarters of 2025 year-on-year. In the first nine months or 2025, invention patent grants dropped to 682,120 grants, a decrease of 135,360 grants. Utility model patent grants dropped to 1,118,935, a decrease of 391,442 grants.
4.5-Year Prison Sentence for Chinese E-Commerce Platform Operator Hosting Merchants Selling Counterfeit Goods
On October 13, 2025, the Shanghai Putuo Primary People’s Court announced a criminal verdict against Xiao XX Yu Company and 5 people for operating e-commerce platform Xiao XX Yu that knowingly sold goods with counterfeit registered trademarks having a sales volume of 10.8 million RMB. The company was fined 3 million RMB and the company management were sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment ranging from 1 year, 11 months to 4 years, 6 months and were also fined.
China’s Supreme People’s Court Strips Internet Courts of Jurisdiction Over AI Copyright Cases
On October 10, 2025, China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) released the Provisions of the Supreme People’s Court on the Jurisdiction of Internet Courts (最高人民法院关于互联网法院案件管辖的规定) effective November 1, 2025. The 2025 Provisions amend the 2018 Provisions by removing Internet Courts’ jurisdiction over five types of cases including “copyright or neighboring rights disputes involving works first published online,” and “disputes arising from infringement of copyright or neighboring rights in works published or disseminated online.” The SPC explained that this will ensure “new, …
All-China Patent Attorneys Association Bans Members From Using AI to Generate Patent Application Documents and Engaging in Price Wars
On September 22, 2025, the All-China Patent Attorneys Association (ACPAA) released the revised Code of Professional Ethics and Practice Discipline for Patent Agents (专利代理职业道德与执业纪律规范) “to further improve the professional quality of patent agents, standardize the practice of patent agents, and ensure the high-quality development of the patent agency industry” in China. Two key changes include prohibitions against using artificial intelligence to directly generate patent application documents and maliciously lowering the price of patent agency services. Earlier this year, Nanjing banned …