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CNIPA: Invention Patent Grants Exceed 1 Million in 2024, Utility Model Patent Grants Continue Downward Trend
On January 17, 2025, China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) released statistics for the 2024 calendar year. Year-on-year, invention patent grants were up about 13.5% to 1,044,777 grants. Utility model patent grants were down about 4% to 2,009,657 grants. Note that utility model patent grants were already down over 25% in 2023. Design patent grants […]
Reminder: Extended CNIPA Closure for Lunar New Year 2025
The China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) will be closed January 28, 2025 to February 4, 2025 for the Lunar New Year (Spring Festival). Note, to compensate, CNIPA will be open on January 26 (Sunday) and February 8 (Saturday). Patent deadlines are postponed to the next following non-weekend workday. Other closure dates for 2025 Chinese holidays […]
China’s National Intellectual Property Administration Launches Belt and Road Patent Accelerated Examination Pilot Program
On January 17, 2025, China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) released the “Guidelines for the Belt and Road Accelerated Examination Pilot Program” (“一带一路”专利加快审查试点项目指南), effective January 20, 2025. The Belt and Road initiative is a global infrastructure program launched by China to invest in land and sea corridors to connect China to the world. The Pilot […]
CNIPA Press Conference: Over 1 Million Invention Patents Granted in 2024
On January 15, 2025, the China State Council Information Office held a press conference with China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) detailing statistics of 2024. Per Hu Wenhui, deputy director of the CNIPA, in 2024, a total of 1.045 million invention patents were authorized, a year-on-year increase of 13.5%. 67,000 patent reexaminations and invalidation cases […]
China’s National Intellectual Property Administration Issues Guidelines for Patent Applications for AI-Related Inventions
On December 31, 2024, China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) issued the Guidelines for Patent Applications for AI-Related Inventions (Trial Implementation) (人工智能相关发明专利申请指引(试行)). The Guidelines follow up on CNIPA’s draft for comments issued December 6, 2024 in which only a week for comments were provided. The short comment period implied CNIPA did not actually want comments […]
USTR Removes WeChat From List of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy, Adds Douyin
On January 8, 2025, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) released the 2024 Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy. Of note, the USTR removed Weixin (WeChat), a social media ‘super-app’ from the Review. Nonetheless, “China continues to be the number one source of counterfeit products in the world. Counterfeit and […]