China - Blog

Ms Pei Lyu, China IP SME Helpdesk external expert from GEN Law Firm, analyses the main changes in the amended Trademark Law. She also explains what these changes mean in practice for companies planning to register their trademark or managing their trademark portfolios in China.

This article explains the modifications to the rules concerning “same-day dual filing” applications in “The newly revised Examination Guidelines”, which took effect on January 1, 2026. The newly revised Examination Guidelines have impact on the same-day dual filing strategy.

This article highlights the most important articles for the rights holders concerning platform-responsibility and IP protection on w-commerce platforms, in the recently published  draft amendments to the E-Commerce Law. The draft amendments will undergo public consultations and are not yet final.

Recently the draft revising the Regulations on the Implementation of the Copyright Law was released. This article analyzes the 5 key areas the draft targets and the 2 important changes concerning audiovisual works and registration certificates gaining "prima facie" evidentiary status.

Recently China adopted the amended Trademark Law (to take effect Jan 2027). This article points out that the revision shows “a shift from a system-centred on registration, to one that emphasises genuine use and penalises conduct that exploits the registration framework without a commercial basis”.

Referring to the added “data clause” in China’s 2025 Anti-Unfair Competition Law, the article explores the two elements: "lawful holding" and "competitive interests" behind the "legally held data".

The amended Trademark Law will come into force on 1 January 2027. The article by Michele Ferrante, the China IP SME Helpdesk external expert, explains the main changes in the new trademark law and their impact on SMEs.

Last week, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China adopted the amendments to the Trademark Law, which will come into force in 2027. The 2026 Amendments, thus, leave EU SMEs a few months to adjust their trademark strategy in China.

In this article, Ms. April Wei, external expert at the China IP SME Helpdesk, discusses practical IP strategies that EU SMEs can adopt to survive the fast-shifting global business landscape and flourish in the China market.

The Title of a Music Album May Be Protected as a “Prior Right” Under Article 32 of the PRC Trademark Law — The “Mallarmé’s Tuesdays” Invalidation Proceedings Brought by Singer Wu Qingfeng, Represented by Lawyer Charles Feng’s Team

We've teamed up with the EU IP Project in China to bring you this piece exploring IP in the booming sports industry of China and what challenges and opportunities await EU SMEs.

In this article, Mr Paolo Beconcini, China IP SME Helpdesk external expert from Squire Patton Boggs, explains how AI helps in defining and tracking counterfeits more efficiently, with less cost and less time to transition from online to offline actions, implementing online monitoring in daily life.

The Regulation on the Protection of Trade Secrets will come into force on June 1, 2026, constituting the most significant reform of China’s trade secret protection regime since 1995. This article analyses the amendments introduced by the Regulation and explains its practical implications to EU SMEs.

China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) officially issued the Regulation on the Protection of Trade Secrets, effective June 1, 2026. This article briefs the changes the Regulation brings, including a clearer definition of trade secrets and a framework for identifying infringements.

In early March, the Two Sessions, the cornerstone of China’s policymaking, took place. Based on the 2026 Government Work Report and recent SPC and SPP reports, this article examines trends in IP protection across future industries and the smart economy.

The Anti-Unfair Competition Law protects in some trademark infringement cases. In this article, Dr Jian Xu from Gowling WLG and the external expert at China IP SME Helpdesk explains what constitutes unfair competition behaviours and how to apply the Anti-Unfair Competition Law in trademark cases.

By summarising the several developments of the trademark regulations in 2025, in the article, Mr. Paolo Beconcini, the external expert at the China IP SME Helpdesk shared his views concerning foreign trademark rights in China in 2026.

In this article, Mr Toby Mak, the external expert at China IP SME Helpdesk, shared his own observations concerning the latest 2025 Draft Amendment to the Trademark Law that was submitted to the NPC Standing Committee.

In this article, Mr. Feng refers to a bad-faith trademark registration case to analyze the application of Article 15.2 of the Trademark Law in conjunction with the specific circumstances of the invalidation case.