Posts Tagged: "China National Intellectual Property Administration"

Chinese Patent Office Plans to Crack Down on Abnormal Patent Applications

The China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) released a draft of new measures that would downgrade the ratings of Chinese patent agencies that approve abnormal or fraudulent patents. CNIPA released the draft on October 8, which expands on a trial started in January 2022 in four provinces. The draft sets out to “crack down on illegal and untrustworthy acts” carried out by Chinese patent agencies and promote a healthier development of Chinese intellectual property.

CNIPA Cracks Down on ‘Clout-Chasing’ Trademark Applications

On February 14, 2022, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) issued a notice regarding “clout-chasing” trademark applications or registrations (the “Notice”). The Notice stated that CNIPA, on an ex officio basis, had refused or invalidated over 400 applications related to “???” (Bing Dwen Dwen, official mascot of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics) and “???” (Eileen Gu, a skier who won three medals in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics). Similar bad-faith trademark applications have not been uncommon throughout CNIPA’s history. In fact, clout-chasing, a specific type of bad-faith trademark application, has become much more prevalent in recent years. In response, CNIPA has issued a number of notices refusing such malicious trademark applications, especially since the April 2019 amendment of the Chinese Trademark Law.

China’s NMPA and CNIPA Propose Draft Measures on Patent Linkage for Public Comment: Implications for the Future of Innovative and Generic Drugs

The National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), in conjunction with the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), recently solicited public comments on the draft of “Measures For the Implementation of Early Resolution Mechanisms for Drug Patent Disputes (Trial)” (“Draft Measures”). The purpose of the Draft Measures is to establish an early resolution mechanism for drug patent disputes. The deadline for submission of comments is October 25, 2020.

Utility Model Examination in China is Quietly Changing

In recognition of China’s increasing importance in the global IP landscape, patent applications in China by U.S.-based applicants have steadily increased in recent years. Data compiled by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in its World Intellectual Property Indicators 2017 and 2018 reports show the number of regular patent applications in China filed by U.S.-based applicants increasing by about 14% from 2016 to 2017. Over the same period, the number of U.S. utility patent applications filed by U.S.-based applicants fell by about 0.5%. Whatever the story is behind these numbers, U.S.-based applicants are clearly interested in obtaining patent protection in China, and China is courting that interest. Most U.S.-based applicants will naturally gravitate toward protecting their inventions using China’s so-called “invention” patent. This is China’s counterpart to a U.S. utility patent. But China also has the world’s most active utility model system. In many cases, a U.S. patent application could be filed as either a utility model application or an invention application in China. In recent years, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) has been quietly updating its utility model system by increasing the degree to which utility model applications are substantively examined.