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

China regulates generative AI

In April 2023, China published a discussion draft of the “Regulations for the Administration of Generative Artificial Intelligence Services.” The aim of the document is to ensure content security, compliant operation, and protection of user rights when using generative AI. The regulations emphasize the legality and ethical obligations of generative AI services. During the content… Continue reading China regulates generative AI

China’s Twenty Data Measures Promotes Data Governance

China’s data production reached 6.6 Zettabytes (ZB) in 2021, accounting for 9.9% of total global data production. This puts China second only to the United States (16 ZB). In order to further enhance digital productivity, the Opinions on Building a Basic Data System to Better Fulfill the Role of Data Elements (Twenty Data Measures) were… Continue reading China’s Twenty Data Measures Promotes Data Governance

Beijing relies on data-driven growth

The Chinese Government has issued guidelines for the development of the data security sector. The goal is to increase the use of data for economic growth and improve control over data access and storage. The ultimate goal is to economically harness the potential of the vast amounts of data generated by the digital economy while… Continue reading Beijing relies on data-driven growth

Cybersecurity Law: Fines Significantly Increased

The Cybersecurity Law (CSL), China’s first fundamental law to comprehensively regulate cybersecurity issues, is about to undergo its first revision. A key feature of the proposed amendments is a significant increase in penalties for network operators and critical infrastructure operators that fail to comply with relevant cybersecurity protection obligations. For example, the fine range for… Continue reading Cybersecurity Law: Fines Significantly Increased

Security, Science and Technology

Political speeches and documents are known to provide valid clues to future developments in the PRC. Analysts therefore try to extract priorities and orientations from the phraseology, word choice, and frequency of terms related to the 20th Party Congress. In doing so, they also take into account minor changes in phrases that have appeared at… Continue reading Security, Science and Technology

Beijing unveils two-year Metaverse plan

China is now taking the Metaverse for a big leap. The project is based on the Beijing Urban Sub-Center Metaverse Innovation and Development Action Plan (2022- 2024), which was published in August 2022. The Chinese capital’s innovation plan stipulates that all urban districts should increasingly promote industries and companies that have a connection to the… Continue reading Beijing unveils two-year Metaverse plan

Lack of Confidentiality Review: CNIPA Declares Patent Invalid

In May 2022, for the first time in Chinese history, a Chinese patent was fully invalidated by the CNIPA examination board (Decision 55586) because the patentee failed to apply for a confidentiality examination before filing the first foreign application. According to Article 20.1 of the Chinese Patent Law, any invention made in or partly made… Continue reading Lack of Confidentiality Review: CNIPA Declares Patent Invalid

Politics of the Common Good: What Companies Need to Watch Out For

A policy change is underway in China that is causing foreign companies to strategically reevaluate how they do business. The goal of the new policy is to strengthen the common good through more intensive control of markets. The relevant document is the Opinions on Accelerating the Construction of a Single National Market of China of… Continue reading Politics of the Common Good: What Companies Need to Watch Out For

Important Data in Industry and Information Technology

The Data Security Law (DSL) requires companies to categorize their data as “general data,” “important data,” and “core data.” Which data falls into these categories varies from industry to industry. The definition of important data for the automotive industry has received the most attention so far, and also for the financial industry a detailed explanation… Continue reading Important Data in Industry and Information Technology