China’s National Intellectual Property Administration Issues 2021 Annual Report: Invention Patent Application Filings Reached 1.586 Million!

Posted on Categories Patents, Trademarks

On June 1, 2022, China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) released its 2021 Annual Report (2021年度报告).  Highlights of the report include invention patent applications have increased 5.9% year-on-year to 1.586 million; utility model patent application filings decreased 2.5% to 2.852 million; design applications increased 4.6% to 806,000. China’s invention authorization rate was 55% in 2021.

Shijiazhuang Market Supervision Bureau Fines Trademark Agency 50,000 RMB for Attempting to Trademark Olympic Gold Medalist’s Social Media Account

Posted on Categories Case, Trademarks

On May 18, 2022, the Shijiazhuang Yuhua District Market Supervision Administration issued an Administrative Penalty Decision against a Shijiazhuang trademark agency for attempting to trademark the name of Eileen Gu’s Douyin account (TikTok’s sister app in China). Eileen Gu won three medals in the Beijing Winter Olympics earlier this year and has become extremely popular in China.

Beijing IP Court Dismisses First Trademark Case Under New Supreme People’s Court Jurisdictional Rules

Posted on Categories Case

On May 23, 2022, the Beijing Intellectual Property (IP) Court announced for the first time that it had dismissed a trademark case for lack of jurisdiction under the Supreme People’s Court’s new “Several Provisions of the Supreme People’s Court on Jurisdiction of Civil and Administrative Cases of Intellectual Property Rights of First Instance” released April 21, 2022.  The proper Court for trademark infringement cases are basic People’s Courts and not the specialized IP Court.  The Beijing IP Court, however, retains …

China’s National Intellectual Property Administration Approves Establishment of First 3 Foreign Patent Agencies in China

Posted on Categories Uncategorized

On May 20, 2022, China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) released the “Notice of the State Intellectual Property Office on Approving the Establishment of Permanent Representative Offices in China by 3 Foreign Patent Agencies including Levy Intellectual Property Company of France” (国家知识产权局关于批准法国利维知识产权公司等3家外国专利代理机构在中国境内设立常驻代表机构的通知).  CNIPA authorized 2 French firms and 1 American firm per the Administrative Measures for the Establishment of Resident Representative Offices in China by Foreign Patent Agencies and other relevant rules.