China’s Guangzhou IP court is open for business

According to a report from Xinhua, there will be 30 judges on the court, with 10 having been selected thus far.

The Guangzhou is the second of the three IP courts to open. The Beijing IP Court was set up in September and opened in November. The third court is located in Shanghai and is expected to open soon.

According to Beijing IP Court president Su Chi (宿迟), the court received 221 cases in its first month of operation. Of those cases, 138 were administrative matters, with 86 involving trade marks and 52 involving patents. There were also 81 civil cases, with 45 involving patents, four concerning software infringement, one trade secrets case and one dealing with well-known trade marks. The vast majority, 219 out of 221, were first instance matters.

Practitioners and rights holders are closely watching the development of the new specialised IP courts. Though China already had well-regarded IP tribunals within the Intermediate Courts, some say that the new IP courts may signal a move toward a more professional judiciary that values specialised experience.

For Managing IP’s previous analysis of the three specialised courts, click here.

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