On April 24, 2025, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) published an article highlighting key developments in China’s intellectual property (IP) system. At the heart of these developments is China’s continued effort to strengthen the legal protection of patents, trademarks, and copyrights, and to better align domestic legislation with international standards. This shift reflects… Continue reading China’s IP Reform: Opportunities,Obligations, and Risks
Category: Patents
Partial Designs as an IP Strategy
Partial designs have been officially protected under Chinese Patent Law since 2021 – a significant development for companies seeking to safeguard individual design elements such as sole patterns, graphical user interfaces, or packaging details. Unlike traditional design patents, which protect the overall appearance of a product, partial designs allow for the targeted protection of particularly… Continue reading Partial Designs as an IP Strategy
Taiwan: Burden of Proof Regarding the State of the Art
In a recent decision (2023 Xing Zhuan Su Zi No. 16), the Intellectual Property Court of Taiwan set important standards regarding the burden of proof in assessing inventive step and the admissibility of supplementary experimental data. The case concerned Taiwanese Patent No. I682882, which describes a biodegradable composition. The patent holder faced an invalidation action… Continue reading Taiwan: Burden of Proof Regarding the State of the Art
Certification Marks Secure Trust in China
A certification mark does not serve to distinguish a company from its competitors but guarantees specific quality characteristics of goods or services. Examples include the Fairtrade seal, which ensures fair trading conditions for producers, or the TÜV mark, which confirms safety and quality testing by TÜV. The Blue Angel, which stands for environmentally friendly products,… Continue reading Certification Marks Secure Trust in China
Data as intellectual property
Data and intellectual property are closely linked in various ways. For example, data resulting from creative processes can be protected as intellectual property (data IP). On the other hand, for example, the term of protection of a patent, the number of the subclass of a trademark or the place of jurisdiction of an infringement suit… Continue reading Data as intellectual property
Intellectual property in ASEAN
Intellectual property rights are gaining importance in ASEAN countries. The ASEAN Intellectual Property Action Plan 2016-2025 provides for the strengthening of intellectual property offices, the development of regional platforms, an inclusive IP ecosystem and the promotion of asset creation. Around 75% of the plan has already been implemented. Future priorities include harmonizing intellectual property rights,… Continue reading Intellectual property in ASEAN
Special zone for IP protection
IP protection is becoming a regional competitive factor in China. The Chinese province of Hainan has now announced that it will establish a special zone for this purpose in Sanya Yazhou Bay. The aim is to establish and further explore a centralized management for IP rights. The first step of this development is the opening… Continue reading Special zone for IP protection
Hydrogen Patents in China
China continues to focus on hydrogen. This is shown by the list “Top 100 global hydrogen industry patent applications for 2022”. Companies from a total of 17 different countries are represented on the list, 32 of which are from China. When it comes to the number of patent applications, however, the ratio looks different: The… Continue reading Hydrogen Patents in China
The importance of the UPC for Chinese companies
The Unified European Patent Court (UPC) is a new international court established by the contracting EU member states. It creates an effective forum through the Unitary Patent System to enable the enforcement and challenge of patents in Europe. The court eliminates the need for litigation in different countries and increases legal certainty through harmonized jurisdiction.… Continue reading The importance of the UPC for Chinese companies
Covert Brand Purchasing as an IP Protection Strategy
One does not always have to take legal action to combat a potentially dangerous opposing brand. One option is also to buy this trademark covertly via a middleman function and thus eliminate the threat potential. The following case from practice: A German mechanical engineering company, which is very successful in China, discovered that there was… Continue reading Covert Brand Purchasing as an IP Protection Strategy
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