Chinese Patent Office Closure Dates – 2022

Posted on Categories Holiday, Patents

China’s State Council has released the official holiday schedule for 2022.  The China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) will be closed on official holidays but open on the weekend workdays indicated below. Patent deadlines are postponed to the next following non-weekend workday. 1. New Year’s Day: January 1st to 3rd, 2022 – CNIPA will be closed for a total of 3 days. 2. Spring Festival (Chinese New Year): January 31st to February 6th, the holiday is extended for a total …

China Releases 14th Five-Year Plan Notice on Intellectual Property – China to More than Double Number of Foreign Patents by 2025

Posted on Categories Copyright, Patents

Update: Per Toby Mak, the new measure of satisfaction with first instance civil IP judgements may alternatively be understood as compliance with first instance civil IP judgements instead of percentage of cases not appealed. On October 28, 2021, China’s State Council Released the 14th Five-Year Plan Notice of the National Intellectual Property Protection and Utilization Plan (“十四五”国家知识产权保护和运用规划).  The IP Plan lists main goals to be accomplished by 2025 with numerical indicators for some of the goals including increasing almost doubling …

China Issues Draft Administrative Measures Allowing Foreign Patent Agencies to Open Representative Offices

Posted on Categories New Law, Rule or Implementing Regulation, Patents

On October 26, 2021, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) issued the Administrative Measures for the Establishment of Permanent Representative Offices in China by Foreign Patent Agencies (Draft for Comment) (外国专利代理机构在华设立常驻代表机构管理办法(征求意见稿)).  The draft Measures will allow foreign patent agencies to open up representative offices in China (as distinct from foreign law firms, which are already allowed to open up representative offices).  However, unlike trademark agencies opened by many foreign firms, patent representative offices will not be allowed to prosecute …

Zhejiang, China Fines Hangzhou Patent Firm for Not Withdrawing 164 Abnormal Patent Applications and Suspicion of Filing 1,192 Abnormal Applications in Total

Posted on Categories Patents

In a decision dated October 21, 2021, the Zhejiang Provincial Market Supervision and Administration Bureau  fined a Hangzhou, China patent firm 20,000 RMB for not withdrawing abnormal (irregular) patent applications in decision no. 浙市监处罚〔2021〕3号.  The China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) has defined abnormal applications in the Measures Regarding the Regulation of Patent Applications (关于规范申请专利行为的办法) and includes filing multiple same patent applications among other actions.