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

Colm Murphy says he is keen to help clients navigate cross-border IP challenges in Europe
With 2025 behind us, US practitioners sit down with Managing IP to discuss the major IP moments from the year and what to expect in 2026
Large-scale transatlantic mergers will give US entities a strong foothold at the UPC, and could spark further fragmentation of European patent practices
This year’s most-read stories covered uncertainty at the USPTO, a potential boycott of a major international IP conference, rankings releases, and a contempt of court proceeding
The parties have agreed on a court-guided settlement covering Pantech’s entire SEP portfolio, marking a global first
The introduction of Canada’s patent term adjustment has left practitioners sceptical about its value, with high fees and limited eligibility meaning SMEs could lose out
With the US privacy landscape more fragmented and active than ever and federal legislation stalled, lawyers at Sheppard Mullin explain how states are taking bold steps to define their own regimes
Viji Krishnan of Corsearch unpicks the results of a survey that reveals almost 80% of trademark practitioners believe in a hybrid AI model for trademark clearance and searches
News of Via Licensing Alliance selling its HEVC/VCC pools and a $1.5 million win for Davis Polk were also among the top talking points
The winner of a high-profile bidding war for Warner Bros Discovery may gain a strategic advantage far greater than mere subscriber growth - IP licensing leverage
Gift this article