On the July 21, 2025, the World Trade Organization (WTO) released an Award of the Article 25 of the DSU Arbitrator reversing the European Union’s (EU) loss that challenged China’s Anti-Suit Injunctions (ASIs) for Standard Essential Patents (SEPs). In August 2020, China’s Supreme People’s Court held that Chinese courts can prohibit patent holders from going to a non-Chinese court to enforce their patents by putting in place an “anti-suit injunction”. The Supreme People’s Court also held that violation of the …
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 Releases Revised Measures for the Expedited Examination of Trademark Registration Applications
On July 18, 2025, China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) released the revised Measures for the Expedited Examination of Trademark Registration Applications (商标注册申请快速审查办法). The Measures provide for completing examination within 20 working days of approval of a request for expedited examination. Unfortunately, due to the requirement of a recommendation from the central or local government or local IP office, foreigners are unlikely to be able to use this program.
China’s Ministry of Public Security Announces the Issuance of “Opinions on Combating Intellectual Property Crimes in Accordance with the Law to Serve High-Quality Development”
On July 16, 2025, China’s Ministry of Public Security (PSB) announced the release of the “Opinions on Combatting Intellectual Property Crimes in Accordance with the Law to Serve High-Quality Development” (关于依法打击知识产权犯罪服务高质量发展的意见) although no copy appears to be publicly available. Simultaneously, the PSB also released “Five Typical Cases of Public Security Organs Combatting Intellectual Property Crimes in Accordance with the Law to Serve High-Quality Development” (公安机关依法打击知识产权犯罪服务高质量发展的5起典型案例) including an economic espionage case involving an unnamed foreign country.
2024 Annual China Filing Statistics Released: Utility Model Grants Continue to Drop While Utility Model Applications Continue to Increase
According to recently released annual statistical data from China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), there were 1,828,054 invention patent applications filed in 2024; 3,184,652 utility model applications filed in 2024; and 819,213 industrial design applications filed in 2024. The number of invention patent applications and grants have both climbed annually at a regular pace but grants faced a steep drop in the first half of 2025. Annual utility model applications have grown regularly also, except for a small drop in …