In a patent landscape report released July 3, 2024, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) stated that “China is at the forefront of global patenting activity in GenAI. China was responsible for more than 38,000 patent family publications between 2014 and 2023, based on the inventor addresses published on patents. Since 2017, China has published more patent families in this field every year than all other countries combined.” The U.S. is second with around 6,300 patent families between 2014 and …
Category: Patents
China Extends Patent Prosecution Highway Pilot Programs with Egypt and Iceland
On June 28, 2024, China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) announced it reached an agreement with the Icelandic Intellectual Property Office and the Egyptian Patent Office on the extension of the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot projects. Both PPH pilot projects will be extended for another five years from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2029.
China’s Supreme People’s Court Releases Two Recent Patent-Related Typical Anti-Monopoly Cases
On June 24, 2024, China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) released five recent typical anti-monopoly cases, two of which relate to patents. The SPC stated that the cases were released so that Courts can “correctly apply the revised Anti-Monopoly Law and accurately understand the new judicial interpretation of anti-monopoly civil litigation issued today, fairly and efficiently hear monopoly cases, ensure the correct implementation of the Anti-Monopoly Law, and maintain fair competition in the market.”
China’s Supreme People’s Court: Drug Patent Reverse Payment Agreements May Violate the Anti-Monopoly Law
On June 24, 2024, China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) released the “Interpretation of the Supreme People’s Court on Several Issues Concerning the Application of Law in the Trial of Civil Disputes over Monopoly” (最高人民法院关于审理垄断民事纠纷案件适用法律若干问题的解释). As it relates specifically to patents, the Interpretation states that drug patent reverse payment agreements may violate the Anti-Monopoly Law. Reverse payments involve a drug patent holder paying an alleged infringer or potential infringer, usually a generic manufacturer, to stop the alleged or potential infringement so …