Administrative complaints to local IP offices are the fastest and cheapest first strike against infringement. 向地方知识产权局行政投诉，是对侵权最快、成本最低的第一击。 The 2027 Trademark Law extends cross-class well-known-mark protection to unregistered famous marks. 2027年《商标法》将驰名商标跨类保护扩展至未注册的驰名商标。 Punitive damages of one to five times apply for intentional and … Enforcing Your Trademark in China: From Administrative Complaints to Well-Known Mark ProtectionRead more
知识产权 / IP & Trademark
China’s fully revised Trademark Law (effective 1 January 2027): what foreign brand owners should do now
China’s Trademark Law has been fully revised for the first time since 1983, adopted on 26 June 2026 (Presidential Order No. 77) and effective 1 January 2027. 中国《商标法》自1983年施行以来首次全面修订，于2026年6月26日修订通过（主席令第七十七号），自2027年1月1日起施行。 The statute grows from 8 chapters / 73 articles to 9 chapters … China’s fully revised Trademark Law (effective 1 January 2027): what foreign brand owners should do nowRead more
Customs Recordal & Border IP Protection in China: how foreign rights holders stop fakes at the border
China Customs protects five types of IP at the border — trademarks, patents, copyright, Olympic marks, and World Expo marks — and a recordal with GACC is the prerequisite for Customs to act on its own initiative (ex-officio). 中国海关在边境保护五类知识产权——商标权、专利权、著作权、奥林匹克标志与世界博览会标志；而向海关总署备案，是海关能够依职权主动查扣侵权货物的前提。 Recordal … Customs Recordal & Border IP Protection in China: how foreign rights holders stop fakes at the borderRead more
Administrative IP Protection in China: The Fast Track Foreign Firms Often Overlook
Alongside courts, China runs a powerful administrative IP-protection track — administrative adjudication (行政裁决) and administrative enforcement — that is often faster and cheaper than litigation for foreign rights-holders. 除法院外，中国还运行强大的知识产权行政保护通道——行政裁决与行政执法——对外资权利人而言往往比诉讼更快、更省。 The reference document is CNIPA’s 2026 IP Administrative Protection Work Plan … Administrative IP Protection in China: The Fast Track Foreign Firms Often OverlookRead more
Patent protection & IP enforcement
China recognises three patent types: invention (20-year term, substantive examination), utility model (10-year term, fast no-substantive-exam), and design (15-year term since the 2020 amendment). 中国承认三类专利：发明专利（20 年、实质审查）、实用新型（10 年、快速且不经实质审查）、外观设计（2020 年修正后延至 15 年）。 Foreign applicants without a domicile or business office in China … Patent protection & IP enforcementRead more
Patent Open Licensing and Administrative Adjudication: Faster IP Enforcement for Foreign Firms in China (2026)
China’s 2020 Patent Law reform introduced an *open licensing* system: a patentee may declare a patent openly licensable at a published royalty, and any party can obtain a licence simply by paying and notifying. 中国 2020 年专利法修订引入了*开放许可*制度：专利权人可声明以公布的费率开放许可，任何主体付费并通知即可获得实施许可。 The CNIPA’s 2024 … Patent Open Licensing and Administrative Adjudication: Faster IP Enforcement for Foreign Firms in China (2026)Read more
China’s Prioritized Patent Examination Measures from 1 September 2026: A Guide for Foreign Applicants
CNIPA Order No. 85, the new Measures for the Administration of Prioritized Patent Examination, was promulgated on 28 July 2026 and takes effect on 1 September 2026, repealing the 2017 Measures (Order No. 76). 国家知识产权局令第八十五号《专利优先审查管理办法》于2026年7月28日公布、自2026年9月1日起施行，同时废止2017年6月27日公布的旧办法（局令第76号）。 The Measures contain 24 articles … China’s Prioritized Patent Examination Measures from 1 September 2026: A Guide for Foreign ApplicantsRead more
Protecting industrial designs in China via the Hague Agreement
China acceded to the Hague Agreement (1999 Act) on 5 February 2022 and it took effect on 5 May 2022, giving foreign and Chinese applicants one filing route to protect an industrial design in China and dozens of other jurisdictions. … Protecting industrial designs in China via the Hague AgreementRead more