Banner Witcoff attorney Rich Stockton reviewed recently approved changes to Chinese Patent Law for an Oct. 26 Law360 expert analysis.
The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress approved the Fourth Amendment of Chinese Patent Law on Oct. 17. Since the standing committee holds sovereign legislative power in China, the amendment is final and takes effect on June 1, 2021 barring exceptional circumstances.
In his article, Rich briefly summarizes the amendment’s major changes, particularly those affecting industrial design protection. He also offers several strategies for leveraging these changes to maximize industrial design protection in China.
“In the end, the amendment is a long-awaited improvement to the Chinese industrial design protection system from the standpoint of design patentees,” Rich wrote. “But it remains to be seen how much of an improvement it will be.”
His article, “Leveraging Amended Patent Law To Protect Design In China,” is available online to Law360 subscribers.
Posted: October 28, 2020
