China’s National Intellectual Property Administration Revokes Licenses of 5 Patent Firms for Filing Over 30,000 Abnormal Patent Applications

Posted on Categories Patents

On May 8, 2023, China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) announced that it revoked the licenses of 5 patent firms that collectively filed 30,780 abnormal (irregular) patent applications.  This follow’s CNIPA’s announcement in March 2023 of sanctions against 7 firms that collectively filed over 20,000 abnormal applications, although there was only one license revocation in that earlier round.   The continuing crackdown on abnormal applications as well as the crackdown on firms that file abnormal applications may have been the cause …

China Releases Typical Cases of China Customs Intellectual Property Protection in 2022

Posted on Categories Case, Patents, Trademarks

On April 25, 2023, the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China released the Typical Cases of China Customs Intellectual Property Protection in 2022 (2022年中国海关知识产权保护典型案例). The cases cover sportswear, toothpaste, automotive parts, watches, electronics and other products.  As can be seen from the following cases, Customs will seize not only imported goods but also goods for export.  As China is the “factory to the world” and a large source of counterfeits, seizing goods for export at the …

Shenzhen, China Offers 80,000 RMB Award for New Patent Attorneys

Posted on Categories New Law, Rule or Implementing Regulation

Recently, the Shenzhen Administration for Market Regulation issued the “Shenzhen 2023 Application Guidelines for Special Fund Approval System Projects in the Intellectual Property Field” (深圳市市场监督管理局关于开展深圳市2023年知识产权领域专项资金核准制项目申报工作的通知).  Per the Guidelines, Shenzhen is offering 80,000 RMB to patent firms for each of their patent attorneys that passed the patent bar and law bar in 2022.  Other jurisdictions have also been proposing or offering rewards for patent agents and attorneys including a district in nearby Guangzhou that had earlier proposed providing a 2.5 Million …

China’s National Intellectual Property Administration Releases Top 10 Patent Reexamination Invalidation Cases of 2022

Posted on Categories Patents

On April 25, 2023, Liu Ming, Deputy Director of the Reexamination and Invalidation Trial Department of China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), announced the “Top Ten Patent Reexamination and Invalidation Cases in 2022” (2022年度专利复审无效十大案件).  The top ten patent reexamination and invalidation cases in 2022 include 8 invalidation cases of invention patents, 1 invalidation case of a utility model patent and 1 invalidation case of a design patent. The cases involves artificial intelligence, standard essential patents, genetic engineering drugs, traditional Chinese …