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

News of White & Case asking its London staff to work from the office four days a week and a loss for Canva at the Delhi High Court were also among the top talking points
With boutiques offering an attractive alternative to larger firms, former Gilbert’s partner Nisha Anand says her new firm will be built on tech-smart practitioners, flexible fees, and specialised expertise
IP specialists Jonathan Moss and Jessie Bowhill, who worked on cases concerning bitcoin, Ed Sheeran, and the Getty v Stability AI dispute, received the KC nod
Hannah Brown, an active AIPPI member, argues that DEI commitments must be backed up with actions, not just words
A ruling in the Kodak v Fujifilm dispute and a win for Google were among the major recent developments
Nick Aries and Elizabeth Louca at Bird & Bird unpick the legal questions raised by a very public social media spat concerning the ‘Brooklyn Beckham’ trademark
Michael Conway, who joined Birketts after nearly two decades at an IP boutique, says he was intrigued by the challenge of joining a general practice firm
The private-equity-backed firm said hires from DLA Piper and Eversheds Sutherland will help it become the IP partner of choice for innovative businesses
The acquisition is expected to help Clorox bolster its position in the health and hygiene consumer products market
AIPPI, which has faced boycott threats over the 2027 World Congress, says it has a long-standing commitment to engagement and geographic rotation
Gift this article