Marking the conclusion of a long legal battle, the Beijing Higher People’s Court recently affirmed an August 24, 2023 decision by the Beijing IP Court against Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts Professor Ye Yongqing. The Beijing IP Court ruled that Ye infringed the copyright of Silvain in his paintings and ordered Ye to pay Silvain 5 million RMB, publish an apology and cease infringement. That apology was published in China’s Legal Daily on January 23, 2025. The Beijing IP Court found that …
Category: Copyright
Beijing IP Court Releases 2024 Annual Cases
On April 30, 2025, the Beijing IP Court (BIPC) released their list of 2024 annual cases including 7 IP-related cases and 1 antitrust case. The Court explained that the cases “cover the four major intellectual property trial areas of patents, trademarks, copyrights, and competition and monopoly, involving innovative achievements in emerging industries in key areas such as medicine, communications, seed industry, platform economy and data. These cases reflect five major characteristics: increasing efforts to protect industrial innovation in key areas, …
China’s Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate Release Typical Cases of Criminal IP Enforcement for 2024
On April 24, 2025, China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP) released the Typical Cases of Criminal IP Enforcement for 2024 (知识产权刑事保护典型案例). This batch was released to show how the newly-issued Interpretation of the Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate on Several Issues Concerning the Application of Law in Handling Criminal Cases of Infringement of Intellectual Property Rights applies in criminal cases. This batch involves several foreign IP owners including Lego and Universal Studios. …
China’s Supreme People’s Court and Supreme People’s Procuratorate Issue Interpretation on Several Issues Concerning the Application of Law in Handling Criminal Cases of Intellectual Property Infringement
On April 24, 2025, China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) and Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP) jointly issued the Interpretation on Several Issues Concerning the Application of Law in Handling Criminal Cases of Intellectual Property Infringement (关于办理侵犯知识产权刑事案件适用法律若干问题的解释). The Interpretation clarifies trademark crimes, patent counterfeiting, copyright crimes, trade secret misappropriation, and common issues arising in IP crimes (e.g., heavier or reduced sentences). The Interpretation is effective as of April 26, 2025.