On April 22, 2023, China Supreme Peoples Court (SPC) released the Summary of the Annual Report of the Supreme People’s Court on Intellectual Property Cases (2022) (最高人民法院知识产权案件年度报告（2022）摘要). This annual report explains 43 legal application issues from the intellectual property cases concluded by the Supreme People’s Court in 2022 including patent cases, trademark cases, copyright cases, unfair competition cases, new plant variety cases, integrated circuit layout design cases, monopoly cases, technical contract cases, and litigation procedures.
Category: Patents
China’s Supreme People’s Court Releases the Top 10 Intellectual Property Cases in Chinese Courts in 2022
On April 20, 2023, China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) released the Top 10 Intellectual Property Cases in Chinese Courts in 2022 (2022年中国法院10大知识产权案件). The cases include the first patent linkage case, trademark infringement, unfair competition in search engine optimization, criminal counterfeiting of registered trademarks, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and others. The list of cases along with an explanation of each as provided by the SPC follow.
China to Grade Patent Agencies Nationwide Starting May 1, 2023
China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) released the Administrative Measures for Credit Evaluation of Patent Agencies (Trial) (专利代理信用评价管理办法(试行)) on April 11, 2023 and effective May 1, 2023. The Measures follow up on the trial implementation in a few provinces and the Draft Measures issued on October 8, 2022. Low grades will lead to increased inspections and other penalties.
China’s National Intellectual Property Administration to Continue Cracking Down on IP Agency Misbehavior in “Blue Sky” Rectification Campaign
On April 10, 2023, China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) issued the Notice of the State Intellectual Property Office on Further Carrying Out the “Blue Sky” Special Rectification Action of the Intellectual Property Agency Industry (国家知识产权局关于进一步深入开展知识产权代理行业“蓝天”专项整治行动的通知). The Notice states that CNIPA will continue its Blue Sky rectification program by cracking down on both trademark and patent agencies that violate laws and regulations. Similar Notices were issued in January 2022 and March 2021. Under the Blue Sky campaign CNIPA has been …