Per several news sources, China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) held a special symposium on June 27, 2024 to introduce the work of the Intellectual Property Tribunal of the Supreme People’s Court in serving and safeguarding scientific and technological innovation and helping to develop new productivity. Per the symposium, “China is the country with the most patent cases in the world and is increasingly becoming a preferred place for international intellectual property litigation.” Some statistics from the symposium follow:
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.
June 2024 CNIPA Press Conference: China has 34,000 Practicing Patent Agents
On June 25, 2024, China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) held a press conference mainly focusing on intellectual property personnel statistics. Some data points from the press conference include: there are 76,000 people that are qualified to practice patent law and 34,000 of them are active practicing patent agents (compared to 51,807 active U.S. patent practitioners); there are 860,000 intellectual property personnel overall in China; and CNIPA has 18,000 patent and trademark examiners. In contrast, the USPTO has over 8,500 …
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.”