Stay Up to Date on the Latest News and Events from SLW
USPTO Withdraws Proposed Rulemaking on Terminal Disclaimers
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has officially decided to halt its proposed changes to terminal disclaimer practice, a decision set to be published in the Federal Register on December 4, 2024. This move has been met with relief by many in the patent community due to the significant alterations the rulemaking would […]
Guangdong High People’s Court: Design Protection Remains After Design Patent Expiration
In recent decision (2023)粤民终 4882 号 somewhat analogous to common law trade dress, China’s Guangdong High People’s Court affirmed that a design can still be protected under the Anti-Unfair Competition Law even after a corresponding design patent has expired. The Court held that the design of the Casio GA-110 series watches constitutes a product design […]
Beijing IP Court Releases White Paper on the Judicial Work of the Past Ten Years – Civil Litigation Has Dropped 31% in 2024
On November 6, 2024, China’s Beijing Intellectual Property (IP) Court released the “White Paper on the Judicial Work of Beijing Intellectual Property Court in the Past Ten Years” (北京知识产权法院十年审判工作白皮书(2014-2024)). The White Paper includes statistics on the types of cases it handles, the majority being administrative litigation against the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) to […]
CNIPA 2025 Closure Dates
China’s State Council has recently released the official holiday schedule for 2025. China is adding 2 extra days to the 2025 holidays: 1 day for Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) and 1 day for the May Day holiday. However, China will continue to have weekend “make-up” days. Patent deadlines are extended to the next working […]
China’s State Administration for Market Regulation Releases Anti-monopoly Guidelines in the Field of Standard Essential Patents
On November 8, 2024, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) released the Anti-Monopoly Guidelines for Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) (标准必要专利反垄断指引). Per Article 1 of the Guidelines, the purpose of the Guidelines is to “prevent and stop the abuse of standard essential patents to exclude or restrict competition, protect fair competition in the market, encourage […]
CNIPA Releases 2024Q3 Patent Data – Invention Patent Grants Up 17%, Utility Model Grants Continue to Decline
China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) recently released patent grant data for the third quarter of 2024. Year-to-date (YTD), invention patent grants are up by 118,658 versus 2023 Q3, an increase of almost 17%. On the other hand, utility model grants declined from 1,596,992 to 1,510,377, a drop of 86,615 utility model grants. Design patent […]