On June 15, 2026, China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) warned in a Public Notice Regarding “Intellectual Property Agency” and “Patent Agency” Enterprises That Have Not Obtained a Patent Agency Practice License (关于对未取得专利代理机构执业许可证的“知识产权代理”“专利代理”企业的公示) that there were over 14 thousand companies with names that include patent agency or intellectual property agency in their names despite not having a patent agency license. CNIPA has been continuously cracking down on fraud and other issues in the patent agency industry and announced in 2025 …
China’s Supreme People’s Court Releases 2026 Typical Cases of Technical Fact-Finding in Plant Variety Cases
On June 9, 2026, China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) released the Typical Cases of Technical Fact-Finding in Plant Variety Cases (植物新品种案件技术事实查明典型案例) (the “Typical Cases”) alongside the Guidelines for Ascertaining Technical Facts in Cases Involving New Plant Varieties. In the Chinese judicial system, typical cases (典型案例) are cases selected and published by the Supreme People’s Court or other courts to illustrate the application of legal standards to particular fact patterns; while they do not carry the binding precedential force of common …
China’s Supreme People’s Court Issues Guidelines for Ascertaining Technical Facts in Cases Involving New Plant Varieties
On June 9, 2026, China’s Supreme People’s Court issued the Guidelines for Ascertaining Technical Facts in Cases Involving New Plant Varieties (人民法院审理植物新品种案件技术事实查明工作指引) (the “Guidelines”). The Guidelines represent the first dedicated instrument governing the ascertainment of technical facts in plant variety rights litigation in China, and were promulgated pursuant to the Civil Procedure Law of the People’s Republic of China, the Seed Law of the People’s Republic of China, and the Regulations on the Protection of New Plant Varieties, among other …
China’s National Intellectual Property Administration Publishes 2026 Plan for Building a Strong Intellectual Property Nation
On May 16, 2026, China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) published the 2026 Plan for Building a Strong Intellectual Property Nation (2026年知识产权强国建设推进计划). The Plan is an annual implementation document released by the Office of the Inter-Ministerial Joint Conference on Building a Strong Intellectual Property Nation. It operationalizes the longer-term Outline for Building a Strong Intellectual Property Nation (2021–2035) by setting out the specific intellectual property tasks to be undertaken across Chinese government ministries, agencies, and judicial bodies during the 2026 …