The State Council has issued the “15th Five-Year Plan” for IP protection and utilisation (Guofa [2026] No. 30), setting the 2026–2030 IP agenda for foreign-rights holders in China.国务院印发《知识产权保护和运用”十五五”规划》（国发〔2026〕30号），为在华外国权利持有人确立2026—2030年知识产权议程。 A headline indicator targets the copyright industry’s value-added reaching 7.53% of GDP … China’s 15th Five-Year IP Plan and What It Means for Copyright and Foreign Rights HoldersRead more
Patent
Enforcing Your Trademark in China: From Administrative Complaints to Well-Known Mark Protection
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
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