On April 1, 2026, the National Intellectual Property Administration released the “2025 China Patent Survey Report”, which was based on the patent survey and data analysis in 2025. The survey paid special attention to the following items: patent transfer and commercialization; patent creation, protection, and overseas intellectual property activities; patent activities in cutting-edge areas of new-quality productivity, including strategic emerging industries, green technologies, and the digital economy. In addition, a special analysis focusing on private enterprises was conducted. The survey covered 27 provinces (including autonomous regions and municipalities), and its subjects were patent holders—enterprises possessing valid patents as of the end of 2024—as well as their valid patents.

Introduction In 2018, under the strong leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CCP) with Xi Jinping as the leadership’s core and guided by the underlying precepts of Chinese socialism for the new era, the People’s Courts have applied the principles and implemented instructions decided at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (“Party Congress”)，...

Introduction General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that innovation is the primary force propelling development, that protecting intellectual property rights (IPRs) protects innovation, and that the rule of law for intellectual property (IP) protection should be strengthened. In September 2021, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council released The Outli...

Introduction 2019 was the 70thyear of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The same year saw theunfolding of the People’s Courts’ Fifth Five-Year Reform Programme (2019–2023).Guided by General-Secretary Xi Jinping’s thought on Chinese socialism for thenew era, the courts implemented the decisions and essential values of the 19thNational Congress of the Communist Party of China (“Part...

Introduction In the Report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, it was emphasized that pursuing high-quality development is one of the essential requirements of the Chinese path to modernization; it was clearly defined that innovation will remain at the heart of China’s modernization drive; and special deployment was made to strengthen the legal protection of intellect...

The Apple-Facebook different outcome is not a result of inconsistency or “double standard”; rather, it is a result of applying the most fitting sets of laws — under the Chinese system — to the facts in each case. Although the two cases involve similar facts, the attorneys in each case have relied on different sets of law as their primary arguments and this strategy difference has had a crucial impact on the final outcome.