On September 7, 2025, China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) released the Typical Anti-Unfair Competition Cases of the People’s Courts in 2025 (2025年人民法院反不正当竞争典型案例目录). The SPC releases typical cases to ensure that different Chinese courts apply the same laws and principles in a consistent and predictable manner despite China’s legal system not being based on common law. These Typical Cases were released in conjunction with the 2025 China Fair Competition Policy Publicity Week running from September 8 to September 12 and cover …
Category: Trade Secrets
Beijing E-Town (Yitang) Sues Applied Materials for Trade Secret Theft Requesting 99.99 Million RMB
On August 14, 2025, Beijing E-Town Semiconductor Technology Co., Ltd. (北京屹唐半导体科技股份有限公司) announced in a filing with the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) that the Beijing Intellectual Property Court has accepted its complaint against Applied Materials (AMAT) for trade secret infringement and appropriating patent application rights. E-Town is requesting damages of 99.99 million RMB. E-Town alleges that AMAT hired two of its subsidiary’s employees and then filed a patent application disclosing its trade secrets with the Chinese National Intellectual Property Administration.
China’s Supreme People’s Court Limits Non-Competes to be Consistent with Employee Access to Trade Secrets
On August 1, 2025, China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) released the Interpretation of the Supreme People’s Court on the Application of Law in the Trial of Labor Dispute Cases (II)(最高人民法院关于审理劳动争议案件适用法律问题的解释(二)). The Interpretation states that if an employee is not aware of or exposed to the employer’s trade secrets and confidential matters related to intellectual property, even if an employer and employee have agreed upon a non-compete clause, the non-compete clause will not take effect and will not be binding on …
China’s Ministry of Public Security Announces the Issuance of “Opinions on Combating Intellectual Property Crimes in Accordance with the Law to Serve High-Quality Development”
On July 16, 2025, China’s Ministry of Public Security (PSB) announced the release of the “Opinions on Combatting Intellectual Property Crimes in Accordance with the Law to Serve High-Quality Development” (关于依法打击知识产权犯罪服务高质量发展的意见) although no copy appears to be publicly available. Simultaneously, the PSB also released “Five Typical Cases of Public Security Organs Combatting Intellectual Property Crimes in Accordance with the Law to Serve High-Quality Development” (公安机关依法打击知识产权犯罪服务高质量发展的5起典型案例) including an economic espionage case involving an unnamed foreign country.