From the USPTO: The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently updated the China Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) toolkit to reflect the recent changes made to China’s intellectual property (IP)-related laws and government structure. Originally published in October 2019, the toolkit provides general guidance for businesses and practitioners in better understanding the basics of the IP landscape in China. Published in May 2021, the updated China IPR toolkit highlights the differences between the U.S. and Chinese IP rights legal systems. The USPTO is one …
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Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) Released its Annual Special 301 Report Maintaining China on the Priority Watchlist
On April 30, 2021, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) released its annual Special 301 Report on the adequacy and effectiveness of U.S. trading partners’ protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights. The USTR maintained China on the priority watch list of countries, along with eight other countries, which “indicates that particular problems exist in that country with respect to intellectual property protection, enforcement, or market access for U.S. persons relying on intellectual property. ” In general, …
China to Establish Fourth Intellectual Property Court at Hainan Free Trade Port
On December 26, 2020, China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) approved the formation of an Intellectual Property Court at the Hainan Free Trade Port per the “Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on the Establishment of the Hainan Free Trade Port Intellectual Property Court” (全国人民代表大会常务委员会关于设立海南自由贸易港知识产权法院的决定). This will be China’s fourth intellectual property court. The decision goes into effect January 1, 2021.
Chinese Patent Application Filings Jump Almost 33% in November 2020 Month-on-Month
According to statistics released December 18, 2020, November 2020 Chinese invention patent applications filings jumped 32.7% versus October 2020. Similarly, utility model patent applications filings were up 28%. The number of cumulative invention patent applications filings in 2020 already exceed last year’s total filings and will make up for last year’s 9% drop in filings.