- 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 *Measures for Mediating Open-Licensing Disputes* (Order No. 590) give patentees and licensees a fast, specialised channel to resolve royalty and term disputes.
国家知识产权局 2024 年《专利开放许可实施纠纷调解工作办法（试行）》（第590号）为专利权人与被许可人提供了快速、专门的渠道，解决使用费与期限等纠纷。- During the open-licensing period, the patentee’s annual fees are reduced or waived, lowering the cost of keeping patents alive while broadening their commercial use.
开放许可实施期间，专利权人年费相应减免，在降低维持成本的同时拓宽了专利的商业运用。- For infringement, administrative adjudication by the IP office remains a fast alternative to court: it can order cessation and determine damages, with decisions enforceable through the courts.
就侵权而言，知识产权局的行政裁决仍是法院之外的快速选项：可责令停止侵权并确定赔偿，决定经法院强制执行。- Foreign firms should weigh open licensing as a monetisation and defensiveness tool, and use administrative adjudication where speed and lower cost matter.
外资企业应把开放许可视为变现与防御工具，并在重视速度与低成本时运用行政裁决。- Documentation is decisive: a registered open-licensing declaration and a clear licence record are what make the system work in practice.
文档至关重要：已登记的开放许可声明与清晰的许可记录，是制度实际运转的关键。
Patent Open Licensing and Administrative Adjudication: Faster IP Enforcement for Foreign Firms in China (2026) | 专利开放许可与行政裁决：外资企业在中国更快的知识产权维权（2026）
Why this matters now
China is the world’s largest patent filing jurisdiction, and for foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) the question is no longer just “how do I get a patent” but “how do I use it and enforce it efficiently”. Two instruments have matured since the 2020 Patent Law amendment: open licensing, which turns a granted patent into a standardised, low-friction licence, and administrative adjudication of infringement, which offers a faster, cheaper route to relief than litigation.
This article explains both, how they work in practice, and what FIEs should consider. It pairs with our patent and IP-enforcement coverage.
Open licensing: the basics
Under Articles 50–52 of the Patent Law (as amended in 2020), a patentee may voluntarily declare, in writing to the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), a willingness to licence any unit or individual, stating the royalty payment method and standard. CNIPA announces the declaration. Any party wishing to use the patent notifies the patentee in writing and pays the published royalty — and obtains a licence. During the open-licensing period, the patentee’s annual fees are correspondingly reduced or waived.
Open licensing cannot be exclusive or sole; the patentee may still grant ordinary licences by negotiation, but not exclusive or sole rights over the open-licensed patent.
Resolving open-licensing disputes
Because open licensing is standardised, most disputes are about the royalty standard and payment method, the effective date, and the licence term. CNIPA’s 2024 *Measures for Mediating Open-Licensing Disputes (Trial)* (Order No. 590) provide a dedicated mediation channel:
- A party applies in writing; CNIPA decides on acceptance within five working days.
- Mediation is completed within 30 working days (extendable by mutual consent).
- Outcomes are recorded in a mediation agreement that takes effect upon signing.
The measures implement the Patent Law’s instruction that open-licensing disputes may be mediated by the patent administration or taken to court.
Administrative adjudication of infringement
For patent infringement, the IP office (CNIPA locally, or the municipal IP administration) can, at a party’s request, adjudicate: if infringement is found, it may order cessation and mediate damages. Decisions are administratively enforceable, and persistent non-compliance can be referred to the courts for enforcement. This route is typically faster and less costly than a full court action, though parties retain the right to litigate.
The dual track — administrative and judicial — is the backbone of China’s “double-track” IP protection system, reinforced by the 2024 *Implementation Plan for Building an IP Protection System*.
What FIEs should consider
- Monetisation: patents that are licensed little but maintained expensively are candidates for open licensing — the fee reduction offsets the cost, and licensing broadens commercial value.
- Defensiveness: a broad open-licensing declaration can pre-empt royalty disputes and demonstrate good-faith licensing.
- Speed: for clear infringement, administrative adjudication can stop the conduct quickly while a damages figure is worked out.
- Evidence: keep the registered declaration, licence records, and correspondence; they are the operating proof the system relies on.
Practical steps
- Assess your portfolio for patents suited to open licensing (stable, broadly useful, low maintenance value otherwise).
- Register the declaration with CNIPA and publish the royalty terms clearly.
- For infringement, choose administrative adjudication where speed matters and court where precedent or higher damages are the priority.
- Integrate open licensing and enforcement into the China IP strategy rather than treating them as isolated events.
Common pitfalls to avoid
Two mistakes recur. First, treating open licensing as a one-click revenue tap: a declaration must state a clear, published royalty, and the patent must be in good standing — an expired or invalidated patent cannot be licensed this way, and an annual-fee lapse forfeits the fee reduction. Second, assuming administrative adjudication replaces litigation: it is fast for cessation orders, but damages quantified through the IP office are often modest, and a court action may still be needed for full recovery. A further point: open licensing does not bar the patentee from enforcing against infringers who never took a licence — the declarant retains full infringement remedies. FIEs should calendar renewal deadlines and keep the declaration, licence notices, and any mediation records in one file so the system works as designed.
Related reading
- Patent protection and administrative enforcement in China.
- Customs IP protection for foreign brands.
- The Hague Agreement and industrial-design protection.
专利开放许可与行政裁决：外资企业在中国更快的知识产权维权（2026）/ Patent Open Licensing and Administrative Adjudication: Faster IP Enforcement for Foreign Firms in China (2026)
为何重要
中国是全球最大的专利受理国，对 ded 外商投资企业而言，问题已不只是”如何获得专利”，而是”如何高效运用与维权”。自 2020 年专利法修订以来，两项工具日趋成熟：开放许可将已授权专利转为标准化、低摩擦的许可；侵权行政裁决提供比诉讼更快、更省的救济路径。
本文说明二者及其实践运作，以及外资企业应考虑的事项，与本站专利与知识产权执法专题相互呼应。
开放许可：基础
依 2020 年修订后《专利法》第五十至五十二条，专利权人可书面自愿向国家知识产权局声明愿意许可任何单位或个人实施其专利，并明确许可使用费支付方式与标准，由国知局公告。任何有意愿实施的单位或个人书面通知专利权人并依公告支付使用费后，即获得实施许可。开放许可实施期间，专利权人年费相应减免。
开放许可不得为独占或排他许可；专利权人仍可与被许可人协商给予普通许可，但不得就该专利给予独占或排他许可。
开放许可纠纷的化解
开放许可标准化后，多数纠纷集中于使用费标准与支付方式、生效时间、许可期限。国家知识产权局 2024 年《专利开放许可实施纠纷调解工作办法（试行）》（第590号）提供了专门调解渠道：
- 当事人书面申请；国知局于 5 个工作日内决定是否受理。
- 调解自受理之日起 30 个工作日内完成（经双方同意可延长）。
- 达成协议的，制作调解协议书，自签字盖章之日起生效。
该办法落实了专利法关于开放许可纠纷可由专利行政部门调解或向人民法院起诉的规定。
侵权行政裁决
就专利侵权，知识产权部门（地方知识产权局或市知识产权主管部门）可依请求作出行政裁决：认定侵权成立的，可责令立即停止侵权并组织赔偿调解。裁决具行政执行力，拒不履行的可提请法院强制执行。该路径通常快于、廉于完整诉讼，但当事人仍保留诉权。
行政与司法并行的”双轨制”是中国知识产权保护体系的骨架，并由 2024 年《知识产权保护体系建设工程实施方案》进一步强化。
外资企业应考虑的事项
- 变现：少有许可却维持昂贵的专利，是开放许可的候选——年费减免抵销成本，许可拓宽商业价值。
- 防御：广泛的开放许可声明可预先化解费率争议，并展示善意许可。
- 速度：对明显侵权，行政裁决可快速制止行为，同时核算赔偿数额。
- 证据：保留登记声明、许可记录与往来函件，它们是制度运转所依赖的操作凭证。
实务步骤
- 评估组合中适合开放许可的专利（稳定、通用、原本维持价值低）。
- 向国知局登记声明并清晰公告费率条款。
- 侵权时，在重视速度时选行政裁决，在追求先例或更高赔偿时选法院。
- 将开放许可与维权纳入中国知识产权战略，而非孤立事件。
应避免的常见误区
两类错误反复出现。其一，把开放许可当作一键增收：声明须载明清晰、公开的费率，且专利须维持有效——过期或被宣告无效的专利无法以此方式许可，年费断缴也将丧失减免。其二，误以为行政裁决可替代诉讼：其对责令停止侵权快捷，但经知识产权部门核定的赔偿往往有限，全额追偿仍可能需诉至法院。另一点：开放许可不妨碍专利权人对从未取得许可的侵权者维权——声明人保留完整的侵权救济。外资企业应将年费续展截止日纳入日历，并将声明、许可通知与任何调解记录归于一档，使制度按设计运转。
延伸阅读
- 中国的专利保护与行政执法。
- 针对外资品牌的海关知识产权保护。
- 海牙协定与工业品外观设计保护。
Sources
- 国家知识产权局：第590号公告《专利开放许可实施纠纷调解工作办法（试行）》— https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/202407/content_6963549.htm
- 国家知识产权局：《中华人民共和国专利法》修改决定（2020），开放许可制度（第五十条至第五十二条）— https://www.cnipa.gov.cn/art/2020/10/18/art_53_153525.html
- 国家知识产权局：《专利开放许可实施纠纷调解工作办法（试行）》解读 — https://www.cnipa.gov.cn/art/2024/7/15/art_66_193750.html