China’s Supreme People’s Court Work Report – Number of Punitive Damages Awards Up 44%

Posted on Categories Uncategorized

On March 8, 2025, at the third session of the 14th National People’s Congress, Zhang Jun, President of the Supreme People’s Court (SPC), delivered the SPC’s annual work report. President Zhang highlighted the increase in punitive damages awarded in intellectual property cases including the 640 million RMB award in an electric vehicle trade secret case (although only the non-monetary portion of the judgement has been satisfied as the unnamed defendant is bankrupt). Punitive damages were awarded in 460 cases of malicious infringement …

Supreme People’s Court Presiding Judge Chen Wenquan Elaborates on 640 Million RMB Trade Secret Case

Posted on Categories Case, Trade Secrets

On March 7, 2025, Judge CHEN Wenquan, the Supreme People’s Court judge that presided over the case that yielded the largest intellectual property damages in China’s history, elaborated on the case.  In decision (2023)最高法知民终1590号 released June 14, 2024, the SPC applied 2X punitive damages on appeal in a dispute between two well-known (and unnamed) domestic automotive companies regarding new energy vehicle chassis technical trade secrets that were misappropriated in a personnel poaching scheme.  The plaintiff is believed to be Geely …

Premier Li Qiang Delivers China’s 2025 Work Report – Strengthen the Protection of Intellectual Property

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On March 5, 2025, Premier Li Qiang delivered the 2025 government work report on behalf of the State Council at the third session of the 14th National People’s Congress.  The work report set up economic and development tasks for 2025 providing insights on how China plans to achieve its economic goals. Excerpts relating to science, technology, and intellectual property follow.  More insight into intellectual property goals for 2025 will presumably follow in the Supreme People’s Court’s work report scheduled for …

USPTO Show Cause Order to Cancel More Than 40,000 China-Originated Trademark Registrations, Shenzhen Responds

Posted on Categories Trademarks

In a February 24, 2025 Show Cause Order against Shenzhen Seller Growth Network Technology Co., Ltd.  et al., the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) announced that about 42,000 trademark registration decisions might be vacated and the application or post-registration proceedings reopened for a new determination to be made. For an initial registration decision, the registration will be cancelled and restored to pendency under its application serial number.  The reopened proceeding is a proceeding that may be subject to …