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...
2025 China Automotive Intellectual Property Conference Held in Wuhan
Recently, the 2025 China Automotive Intellectual Property Conference (CAIPA), themed “Artificial Intelligence Ushers in a New Era of Chinese IP, Creating a New Global Automotive Landscape,” opened in Wuhan. Experts and industry leaders from government, domestic and international automotive industry organizations, vehicle and component manufacturers, universities, research institutions, tech companies, and media gathered in Wuhan discussing hot topics, such as industry compliance for global expansion, standard essential patents, new energy vehicles, artificial intelligence, and the innovation ecosystem of the automotive industry.
At the opening ceremony, the "China Automotive Intellectual Property AI Joint Innovation Lab" was officially launched. It is reported that this laboratory is the first of its kind in China, dedicated to integrating AI technology with automotive intellectual property to establish a fully intelligent system covering the creation, protection, utilization, and management of automotive IP.
Additionally, the conference released the “2025 Report on Overseas Intellectual Property Protection for Chinese Automobiles.” (May 18, 2025, Guangming Daily)
OPPO Licenses Cellular Communication Standard Essential Patents to Volkswagen
OPPO recently announced the signing of a global patent licensing agreement with the Volkswagen Group, granting the latter access to its cellular communication standard essential patents, including 5G. Under the agreement, OPPO’s standard essential patents will be licensed for use in Volkswagen’s global product line, enhancing the user experience of connected vehicles.
As OPPO’s first bilateral patent licensing agreement with an automotive company, this collaboration marks the extension of OPPO’s standard essential technology applications from smartphones to the automotive sector.
OPPO’s 5G standard essential patents have been filed in over 40 countries and regions worldwide. Data shows that as of January 2025, OPPO ranks eighth globally in comprehensive 5G patent strength.
By March 2025, OPPO’s global patent applications exceeded 113,000, with over 62,000 patents granted. (June 5, 2025, IT Home)
Trademarks
Alien Electrolyte Water Wins CNY 5 Million in Damages for Infringement
Recently, the final judgment was issued in Guangdong for the case of “Alien” suing “Meet Alien.” The court ruled that Guangzhou Company Wei, Jiangsu Company Wei, and others, by producing and selling “Meet Alien” beverages, committed trademark infringement and unfair competition, and were ordered to pay Company Yuan CNY 5 million in damages.
In October 2020, Company Yuan launched its “Alien Electrolyte Water” series and later completed trademark registration and design patent applications. Through endorsements, program sponsorships, and other promotional efforts, the product’s sales grew rapidly, quickly gaining market traction.
In 2023, Company Yuan discovered that several defendants were producing “Meet Alien Electrolyte Water” and selling it through channels such as Moments at WeChat and industry exhibitions. In July 2023, the company sued all five defendants in the Guangzhou Intellectual Property Court.
The first-instance court found that the “Meet Alien” logo was highly similar to the “Alien” registered trademark in terms of wording, elements, and overall appearance. As competitors in the same industry, the defendants should have been aware of the fame and influence of the “Alien” brand. Their continued use of the infringing logo after receiving a cease-and-desist letter demonstrated intentional free-riding on Company Yuan’s goodwill, likely causing public confusion and thus constituting trademark infringement.
The court also determined that the packaging and trade dress of the two products were highly similar in overall design, text, colors, and patterns. Although minor differences existed in certain details and textual content, the overall visual effect was substantially similar and likely to cause confusion among consumers. Therefore, the defendant’s unauthorized use of similar packaging and trade dress constituted unfair competition.
The first-instance court ordered the defendants to immediately cease infringement, destroy the stock of infringing products. Applying the statutory maximum compensation amount under the law, the Court further awarded Company Yuan CNY 5 million in damages and CNY 40,000 for reasonable right enforcement fees.
The five defendants appealed to the Guangdong High Court. The second instance dismissed the appeal and upheld the original judgment. (May 15, 2025, Guangzhou Intellectual Property Court)
Overturned at Second Instance! Shanghai Simmons Wins against Shenzhen Simmons and Awarded CNY 5.15 Million
Recently, the Foshan Intermediate People's Court concluded the second-instance trial of a trademark infringement and unfair competition case involving the well-known mattress brand “SIMMONS.”
The court ruled that Simmons (Shenzhen) Bedding Co., Ltd. and other defendants engaged in a systematic imitation scheme, including trademark infringement, trade name imitation, and false advertising, to maliciously free-ride on the century-old brand “SIMMONS.” The second-instance court revoked the first-instance judgement of a compensation CNY 2 million and fully supported the plaintiff Shanghai Simmons Bedding Furniture Sales Co., Ltd.’s claim for CNY 5.15 million in damages.
In this case, the defendants extensively used logos identical or similar to the plaintiff’s registered trademarks, such as “SIMMONS” and “SIMMONS GROUP,” on their mattress products, promotional materials, and business premises. They also registered domain names like simmons-1870.com.cn and simmons-usa.com to promote and sell their products.
The defendants set up shell companies overseas to register related trademarks, licensed domestic affiliates to use them, and combined similar icons and founder portraits with the plaintiff’s trademarks to create a false impression of internationalization. Despite multiple crackdowns by market regulators on offline infringing stores, the defendants continued selling infringing products through e-commerce platforms and physical stores, prompting the plaintiff to file a lawsuit.
The second-instance court considered factors such as the defendants’ bad faith, duration, and scale of infringement. Based on evidence including the number of offline stores, monthly sales, pricing, and profit margins, even conservative estimates showed the defendants’ profits far exceeded the plaintiff’s claim of CNY 5.15 million. Accordingly, the court overturned the first-instance judgment and fully granted the plaintiff’s claim for damages. (May 28, 2025, Sohu)
Government Affairs
2025 “Jianwang” Campaign against Online Piracy Begins, Launched by National Copyright Administration and Other Three Departments
Recently, the National Copyright Administration of China (NCAC), the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, and the Cyberspace Administration of China jointly launched the “Jianwang” 2025 Campaign against online copyright infringement. This marks the 21st consecutive nationwide crackdown on online piracy.
The Campaign, running from May to November 2025, will focus on six key areas:
1. Copyright protection for audiovisual works: Strengthening protection for movies, TV dramas, web series, micro-short dramas, and short videos, with emphasis on combating illegal transfer, distribution, and sale of such content.
2. Copyright protection for anime and gaming: Enhancing safeguards for anime, gaming-related works, and derivatives, cracking down on unauthorized transfer and distribution of anime, production and sale of counterfeit anime IP derivatives, and game-related private servers and cheats.
3. Copyright protection for computer software: Targeting fraudulent or beyond-scope licensing for illegal profit, and promoting the use of genuine software.
4. Copyright protection for online storage and distribution: Combating direct infringement by platforms, contributory infringement through intentional provision of network services for piracy and unlawful acts that instigate, induce, or encourage users to conduct infringement acts.
5. Copyright protection for online sales: Cracking down on the online sale of counterfeit products and resource links, with increased scrutiny on new piracy distribution models involving youth rights or through covert channels.
6. Copyright protection for streaming media smart devices: Targeting disruptive technical measures on smart devices that illegally access licensed apps providing works’ resources, or directly provide pirated resources or content. Strengthening copyright oversight of Internet Protocol television, smart set-top boxes, wearable devices, and other streaming hardware and software. (May 16, 2025, National Copyright Administration)
