On October 14, 2026, China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) released five Typical Cases of Plant Variety Protection by People’s Courts, timed to coincide with National Food Security Publicity Week (2026年全国粮食安全宣传周人民法院植物新品种保护典型案例). Typical cases are not binding precedent, but are curated and published by the SPC to illustrate how it wants a given area of law approached, signaling substantive and procedural standards to lower courts, litigants, and the public.
Author: Aaron Wininger
Aaron Wininger is a Principal and Director of the China Intellectual Property at Schwegman Lundberg & Woessner.
CNIPA and Customs Jointly Issue Opinion on Strengthening Coordinated IP Protection
China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) and the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) jointly issued the “Opinion on Strengthening Coordinated Intellectual Property Protection” (国家知识产权局 海关总署关于强化知识产权协同保护的意见) on October 14, 2026. The specific mechanisms described indicate a structured effort to reduce inconsistency between administrative infringement determinations and customs border-enforcement decisions.
China Issues Opinion on Developing New Quality Productive Forces: Improve the Punitive Damages System & Launch AI Early Warning and Emergency Response Systems
The Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council have issued the Opinions on Developing New Quality Productive Forces (关于发展新质生产力的意见) on October 9, 2026. The opinion describes developing new quality productive forces as an inherent requirement of high-quality development, the government’s stated objective for economic development, and as a focus for achieving it. According to an official of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the opinion converts statements Xi Jinping has made on the concept since July …
China’s Implementing Rules for the Revised Integrated Circuit Layout Design Regulations Set Procedures for Originality Declarations, Third-Party Revocation, and Infringement Dispute Handling
On September 30, 2026, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) published the revised Implementing Rules of the Regulations on the Protection of Layout Designs of Integrated Circuits (集成电路布图设计保护条例实施细则) as CNIPA Order No. 86. The Implementing Rules take effect on October 30, 2026, and replace the Implementing Rules issued in 2001. The Implementing Rules set content requirements for the declaration of originality, procedures for revocation requests filed by third parties, procedures for CNIPA’s administrative handling of infringement disputes, and more. …