In light of recently released Chinese patent statistics showing at least eight to 10 months to first office action and an average of 22.7 months to final disposition from the date of filing,[1] applicants may wish to accelerate examination of their patent applications. However, unlike the multitudes of routes for accelerating patent prosecution in the United States, China has two main programs to accelerate patent prosecution: the Patent Prosecution Highway[2] and prioritized examination.[3] Both programs are free to participate in …
Category: Patents
Latest Decision by Supreme People’s Court Of China Confirms Validity of “Little i Robot” Patent in Blow to Apple
On June 29, 2020, the Supreme People’s Court of China made a final decision in favor of the “Little i Robot” patent (Patent No. ZL200410053749.9) owned by Shanghai Xiaoi Robot Technology Ltd. (上海智臻智能网络科技公司) (“Xiaoi”). The Supreme People’s Court reversed the invalidity decision of the Beijing High Court, and maintained the validity decision of the Beijing First Intermediate Court. Apple Computer Trading Shanghai Ltd. (“Apple”) had been challenging the validity of the patent in response to a lawsuit filed by Xiaoi …
China 2020 H1 Patent Data Indicates China Likely to Remain Top International Filer in 2020
In follow up to a press conference on July 9, 2020, the China National Intellectual Property Administration released detailed patent data for the first half of 2020. In 2019, China displaced the U.S. as top Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) user and looks likely to remain the top user in 2020. For the first half of 2020, China, as receiving office (RO) for the PCT, received 29,548 international PCT applications. Annualized, this would be 59,096 PCT applications for the full year. …
China Releases Patent Filing Data for First Half of 2020 Showing Full Recovery from Coronavirus-Induced Drop
In a press conference on July 9, 2020, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) released high-level patent filing data for the first half of 2020. Highlights included 683 thousand invention patents filed, 217 thousand invention patents grants, and 29 thousand Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications were filed. The number of Chinese invention patent applications now slightly exceed 2019 year on year (649,129 invention patent applications were filed in H1 2019) showing full recovery from the prior drop in filings …