Keeping up with China

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Keeping up with China

From design patent protection for graphic user interfaces to the evolution of transitional phrases in patents to the continual challenge of trade mark squatters, the wide range of topics covered in this year’s China IP Focus reflects the rapid pace of change in the world’s largest market

The China IP Focus, available for free download here, also contains the profiles of the most influential people in IP in China from our annual Top 50 feature.

The new Trademark Law, which comes into effect on May 1, is of particular interest. Gang Hu, Fang Wang and Jing Qui of CCPIT discuss the main changes in the law, and Weifeng Li of Panawell & Partners looks at how the new law changes the protection and limitations of well-known marks. Meanwhile, Anne Mae Koo of Vivien Chan & Co talks about how the updated law tries to tackle the longstanding problem of trade mark squatters and Wei Dong of PC & Associates examines how the new law helps rights owners seeking damages.

The new Trademark Law is not the only topic of interest for IP practitioners. Shenjun Chen of Shanghai Patent & Trademark Office discusses strategies for defending against patent infringement claims, an especially timely topic as international rights holders increasingly find themselves in the role of defendant in patent suits. Nannan Lin and Qi Wang of Deqi Intellectual Property Law give an update on how an invention’s country of completion affects the confidentiality examination requirements under the Patent Law, while Freder Shen and Jenny Li of Kangxin explain changes in the conduct of preliminary examinations.

Enforcement is a challenge for rights holders everywhere, but this is especially true in China. Johnson Jiang Li and Rongxin Li of China Patent Agent (HK) look at whether rights holders should choose judicial or administrative avenues for enforcement, while Spring Chang of Chang Tsi & Partners look at the rapid growth of IP filings and what this means for IP protection.

These are just some of the topics in this year’s China’s IP Focus. If you have any comments on how to make future editions more useful, we would love to hear from you.

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

As concerns around the little-known litigation tool increase, practitioners say they are educating their clients on how it can be most effective
Kilburn & Strode and Mewburn Ellis are just two firms that have invested heavily in office space – a sign that the legal industry is serious about in-person working
In major recent developments, Dyson snagged another win against Hong Kong-based competitor Dreame and a new AI-powered UPC platform was launched
Mohit and Sidhant Goel decided not to pursue an interim injunction application so that their client, Communications Components Antenna, could benefit from a fast-track trial
Anita Cade, head of Ashurst’s IP and media team in Australia, discusses why law firms that can pull together capability across different practice areas and jurisdictions stand to gain
INTA’s CEO says London-based firms have registered fewer delegates compared to past meetings in San Diego and Atlanta, and questions the 'ethics' of trying to participate without registering
Lobbies and interest groups are among the interveners in a major dispute over whether courts can set patent pool rates
Benoit Geurts and Coreena Brinck will help the firm ‘accelerate its innovation agenda’, according to its managing partner
News of a trademark row over Taylor Swift’s ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ and Nokia’s expansion of its IoT licensing programme were also among the top talking points
IP attorneys share how the Cox v Sony ruling impacts their counselling strategies, and if the case could influence how courts may assess liability for AI platforms
Gift this article