On May 11, 2023, China’s National Intellectual Property Administration released the Report on National Intellectual Property Agency Industry Development Status (2022) (全国知识产权代理行业发展状况（2022年)). In 2022, 645 new patent agencies were established in China, and 5 foreign patent agencies were approved to establish resident representative offices. By the end of 2022, there were 4,520 patent agencies (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan), 63,311 patent attorneys, 31,347 practicing patent attorneys, and 4,405 litigation representatives. The number of applicants for the 2022 patent attorney …
Author: Aaron Wininger
Aaron Wininger is a Principal and Director of the China Intellectual Property at Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner.
China’s National Intellectual Property Administration Revokes Licenses of 5 Patent Firms for Filing Over 30,000 Abnormal Patent Applications
On May 8, 2023, China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) announced that it revoked the licenses of 5 patent firms that collectively filed 30,780 abnormal (irregular) patent applications. This follow’s CNIPA’s announcement in March 2023 of sanctions against 7 firms that collectively filed over 20,000 abnormal applications, although there was only one license revocation in that earlier round. The continuing crackdown on abnormal applications as well as the crackdown on firms that file abnormal applications may have been the cause …
China Releases Typical Cases of China Customs Intellectual Property Protection in 2022
On April 25, 2023, the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China released the Typical Cases of China Customs Intellectual Property Protection in 2022 (2022年中国海关知识产权保护典型案例). The cases cover sportswear, toothpaste, automotive parts, watches, electronics and other products. As can be seen from the following cases, Customs will seize not only imported goods but also goods for export. As China is the “factory to the world” and a large source of counterfeits, seizing goods for export at the …
Shenzhen, China Offers 80,000 RMB Award for New Patent Attorneys
Recently, the Shenzhen Administration for Market Regulation issued the “Shenzhen 2023 Application Guidelines for Special Fund Approval System Projects in the Intellectual Property Field” (深圳市市场监督管理局关于开展深圳市2023年知识产权领域专项资金核准制项目申报工作的通知). Per the Guidelines, Shenzhen is offering 80,000 RMB to patent firms for each of their patent attorneys that passed the patent bar and law bar in 2022. Other jurisdictions have also been proposing or offering rewards for patent agents and attorneys including a district in nearby Guangzhou that had earlier proposed providing a 2.5 Million …