On 1 December 2022, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) held a regular online press conference, during which CNIPA’s spokesperson introduced the main elements and highlights of the revision of the Detailed Rules for the Implementation of the Patent Law (hereinafter referred to as the Detailed Rules). At the end of 2022, the draft of the Detailed Rules was further revised based on public opinions previously received, and was submitted to competent departments for review. The revision mainly targets the following four aspects:
- Optimising the patent examination system to improve the quality and efficiency of patent examination;
- Strengthening patent protection, and especially the protection of the legitimate rights and interests of the patentees;
- Integrating the general requirements of “streamlining government functions, delegating power, and improving government services”, so as to stimulate a broader utilisation of patents;
- Adding a new special chapter on international registration of industrial designs,in line with the Hague Agreement concerning the International Deposit of Industrial Designs. In particular, the newly-added chapter sets specific rules for China’s applications for international registration of industrial designs, which has been allowed via CNIPA since 5 May 2022.
CNIPA is committed to speeding up the process of amending the Detailed Rules in support of Patent Law, so as to contribute to the high-quality development of the patent industry.
