Recently, our firm won the second instance of an administrative lawsuit on invalidation declaration of a patent for invention, successfully having the patent fully invalidated by th...
Recently, our firm won the first instance of an administrative litigation case for invalidation of an invention patent, in which it is ruled that the invention patent should be comp...
Baidu Tops in China AI Patent Applications for 7 Years with 27,000+ Globally Published Applications Cumulatively
Recently, Baidu released the Baidu AI Innovation and Patent Whitepaper 2025 and the Action Plan 2.0 version for AI Intellectual Property+, aiming to explore new prospects for patents empowering large model applications, accelerate the industrialization of AI patents, and promote high-quality industry development.
In recent years, with the rapid development of large model technology, Baidu’s AI patent applications and grants have continued to rise. By the end of 2024, Baidu had over 27,000 published AI patent applications across 29 countries and regions, including 22,000 patent applications and 12,000 grants in China, ranking first domestically for seven consecutive years.
Baidu’s Chief Technology Officer stated that the company has long focused on AI technology, with patent portfolios covering the full stack from chips and deep learning frameworks to foundational models and upper-layer applications. Among these, Baidu ranks first globally in deep learning patent applications, second globally and first in China for large model patent applications and first globally in high-level autonomous driving patent families. (April 23, 2025, China Daily)
Statistics
China Computer Software Copyright Registrations Hits Record High in 2024
National Copyright Administration recently released the 2024 National Computer Software Copyright Registration Analysis Report, showing that 2.827 million computer software copyrights were registered, an increase of 330,000 (13% year on year) from the previous year, setting a new historical record.
In 2024, software related to speech recognition, natural language processing, and intelligent analysis grew by over 30%, significantly higher than the overall growth rate. In emerging industries such as biopharmaceuticals, low-altitude economy, IoT, and humanoid robots, the software growth exceeded 40%, indicating that cutting-edge technologies are accelerating the rapid development of related industries and injecting new momentum into economic growth.
Additionally, software in key industries like manufacturing also witnesses particularly notable growth. In 2024, software registrations in eight sectors—manufacturing, education, healthcare, finance, transportation, information security, power, and e-commerce—increased by 77,000, raising their total share from 30% to 32% than previous year. Manufacturing stood out with the highest proportion at 8.0%. (April 21, 2025, CCTV.com)
China Supreme People’s Court Releases Intellectual Property Protection by Chinese Court in 2024
Recently, the Supreme People’s Court held a press conference to introduce developments and achievements in IP judicial protection and released the Intellectual Property Protection by Chinese Court in 2024. Jian LI, head of the SPC’s Third Civil Division, stated that efforts will intensify to strengthen judicial protection for key technologies, critical fields, and emerging industries such as big data, AI, high-end chips, and biotechnology, providing robust support for new quality productive forces.
Statistics also shows that in 2024, Chinese courts accepted nearly 530,000 new IP cases (including 479,900 first-instance cases) and concluded over 540,000 (including 494,100 first-instance cases), with the number of concluded cases and on-time conclusion rates steadily rising, reflecting continuous improvements in trial quality and efficiency. (April 23, 2025, SPC Intellectual Property Tribunal)
China Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP) released the White Paper on Intellectual Property Procuratorial Work (2024)
According to the white paper, prosecutors across the country accepted and reviewed cases involving the arrest of 13,486 individuals for IPR-related offenses in 2024 and handled prosecution cases involving 33,805 individuals on related charges, increased by 5.9% and 10.2%, respectively.
The white paper also shows that IP crime cases are relatively concentrated in specific categories. Cases of trademark infringement crimes accepted for prosecution review accounted for 81% of the total, with an average annual increase of 18.8% from 2020 to 2024, while copyright infringement crimes saw an average annual growth of 43.5% during the same period. Joint crimes emerged as a notable characteristic, constituting approximately 80% of trademark, copyright, and trade secret infringement cases. (April 24, 2025, Guangming Daily)
Intellectual Property Protection in China 2024 White Paper Officially Released
The Intellectual Property (IP) Protection in China 2024 White Paper was officially released by CNIPA recently. The White Paper outlines the progress and achievements of China’s IP protection in 2024 from five aspects: protection effectiveness, institutional construction, examination, grant and registration, cultural development, and international cooperation.
In terms of protection effectiveness, courts across the nation have newly accepted 450,000 first-instance civil cases related to intellectual property rights. Procuratorial organs have accepted 7,646 arrest review cases involving intellectual property infringement. Public security organs have filed and investigated 37,000 criminal cases of intellectual property infringement and the production and sale of counterfeiting and substandard goods. Market supervision departments have investigated and handled 43,900 cases involving illegal activities in the fields of trademarks and patents. The intellectual property administrations handled 72,000 administrative cases of patent infringement disputes.
In terms of institutional construction, approximately 20 intellectual property laws, regulations, and rules were formulated or revised throughout the year, 2 relevant judicial interpretations were formulated, over 20 normative documents and policy documents related to intellectual property protection were issued, and 11 local regulations were introduced.
In terms of examination, grant and registration, as of the end of 2024, the number of valid invention patents in China reached 5.689 million, a year-on-year increase of 14.0%; the number of valid registered trademarks in China reached 49.777 million, a year-on-year increase of 7.9%; the annual copyright registrations totaled 10.6306 million, a year-on-year increase of 19.13%; and a cumulative total of 2,544 geographical indication products were approved. In 2024, 14,839 applications for new plant variety rights in agriculture were accepted, a year-on-year increase of 3.93%; 1,338 applications for new plant variety rights in forestry and grassland were accepted; and 29,541 applications for customs protection recordation of intellectual property rights were filed.
In terms of cultural development, China comprehensively demonstrated the achievements of intellectual property protection through various channels, including hosting large-scale events such as the National Intellectual Property Publicity Week, holding frequent press conferences, fully utilizing platforms for international exchange and cooperation, releasing series of reports and typical cases on intellectual property, and strengthening education and training.
In terms of international cooperation, 2024 AIPPI World Congress opens in Hangzhou, China and President Xi Jingping sent congratulatory letter; The third Belt and Road High-Level Conference on Intellectual Property was held to further deepen exchanges and cooperation with international organizations such as the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and intellectual property agencies in various countries and regions, while continuously enhancing judicial cooperation and joint law enforcement with relevant countries (regions). (April 26, 2025, CNIPA)
The General Administration of Customs of China Releases the 2024 Report on
Intellectual Property Protection and Law Enforcement by National Customs
The General Administration of Customs of China recently released the 2024 Report on Intellectual Property Protection and Law Enforcement by National Customs. Data shows that in 2024, Chinese customs authorities implemented intellectual property protection measures 53,200 times, detaining 41,600 batches of goods suspected of infringement (totaling 81.6051 million items). Rights holders from 58 countries and regions utilized customs enforcement to safeguard their rights.
2024 marked the 30th anniversary of China’s implementation of customs IP protection. Customs detained 41,300 batches of goods suspected of trademark infringement (99.5% of total batches) and 76.3901 million items (93.57% of total volume). Enforcement outcomes for patent and copyright protections continued to strengthen, with 249,000 items suspected of patent infringement detained (a 71.33% year-on-year increase) and 4.9959 million items suspected of copyright infringement seized (a 393.61% surge compared to 2023).
Apparel, footwear, electronics, appliances, leather goods, and luggage remained the top three categories of detained goods by batch count. Export channels continued to dominate enforcement efforts, accounting for 41,200 batches (99.17%) and 80.3337 million items (98.41%) of detained goods. In contrast, import-related detentions fell to 345 batches (a 34.16% decline) and 1.3015 million items (a 26.52% decrease), reflecting improved import control mechanisms.
Emerging sectors saw notable progress. With the rapid evolution of internet-driven business models, regulatory enforcement in sectors such as market procurement and cross-border e-commerce has demonstrated sustained growth for multiple consecutive years. Enforcement in cross-border e-commerce channels resulted in the detention of 25,300 batches (40% of the annual total) and 20.2738 million items, making it the most active enforcement channel by batch volume. (Source: General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China, April 27, 2025)
Government Affairs
The Supreme People’s Court and Supreme People’s Procuratorate Clarify Threshold for "Serious Circumstances" in Trade Secret Infringement Crimes
The Supreme People’s Court (SPC) and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP) recently issued a judicial interpretation that clarifies standards for conviction and sentencing in trade secret infringement cases.
The interpretation, addressing several issues concerning the application of law in criminal cases of intellectual property infringement, specifies the threshold for “serious circumstances” in trade secret infringement crimes. It defines the standard as causing losses or illegal gains of “more than 300,000 yuan.” For repeat infringers who have received criminal penalties or administrative sanctions for trade secret infringement within two years, the threshold is lowered to “more than 100,000 yuan.”
The interpretation clarifies that the determination of loss amounts should distinguish between the varying degrees of social harm caused by different acts. For cases involving the obtaining trade secrets through theft or other improper means, with severe social harm, losses can be calculated based on the reasonable licensing fee of the trade secret, without requiring actual use of the trade secret.
Regarding the determination of illegal gains, the interpretation states that the value of property or other financial benefits obtained through disclosing or permitting others to use trade secrets may be directly recognized as illegal gains. Profits obtained from using trade secrets may also be deemed illegal gains, calculated by multiplying the sales volume of infringing products by the reasonable profit per infringing product. (May 3, 2025, xinhuanet.com)
