Last October, China’s top legislature, i.e. the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, approved China’s new patent law, which will come into force on 1 June 2021. This is the fourth time that China’s patent law has undergone significant changes. The new law has the potential to strengthen IP protection and encourage globally harmonized practices. Some notable changes include: (i) invention patent term adjustment and extension; (ii) increased term for design protection; and (iii) portion claiming in industrial design protection (i.e. claiming only certain features of an article for protection).

Read Jennifer Marles and Jayde Wood’s article to learn more about China’s new patent law.