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Intellectual property in China

Intellectual property in China
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Intellectual property in China. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Computer technology remains the most frequently featured field in published patent applications worldwide. Photo: Shutterstock
Technology

China dominates global patent race with record filings

China filed nearly half of all patents worldwide in 2024, outpacing the US by more than threefold, WIPO data show.

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US-China trade war

Explainer | What are Section 337 investigations, and why is China so concerned about them?

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China manufacturing

China closes biotech gap with US as new drugs, pipelines top 30% of global total

Hong Kong economy

Editorial | Global IP treaty can help Hong Kong secure its creative edge

As the city exports more of its proprietary products and services, especially from its creative industries, IP protection is timely and necessary.

Panda dolls at the gift shop in Ocean Park on August 16, 2024. Photo: Jelly Tse
Semiconductors

Beijing E-Town Semiconductor sues Applied Materials over tech infringement

The Chinese chip equipment maker is seeking US$14 million as compensation from its US competitor.

Artificial intelligence

China rejects OpenAI’s GPT-5 trademark application

Chinese regulators last year also denied OpenAI’s efforts to register ChatGPT and GPT as trademarks on the mainland.

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Banking & finance

Pop Mart sues 7-Eleven stores in US for alleged Labubu trademark infringements

Convenience stores allegedly sell fake Labubu toys and products, hurting its business and reputation, Pop Mart says in California lawsuit.

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Customers look at Labubu dolls on display in a Pop Mart store in Las Vegas July 12, 2025. Photo: Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS
China-EU relations

WTO reverses parts of decision in EU-China intellectual property dispute

In April, WTO rejected the EU’s 2022 complaint that China had violated the global watchdog’s IP rules over patents for 3G, 4G and 5G tech.

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China exports

Labubu mania

Beijing-based Pop Mart has become the world’s most-valuable listed toy company on the back of demand for Labubu, a Nordic-like elf that has won fans around the world.

China economy

Opinion | Global hit Labubu was forged in the heat of China’s demanding market

In China’s demanding market that’s shifting towards emotionally driven spending, creative brands that succeed can look to conquer the world.

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This Labubu figurine, displayed before an auction in Beijing, on June 6, was sold for 1.08 million yuan (US$150,499), setting a record for the most expensive Labubu sold. Photo: Reuters
Banking & finance

With The Monsters, Monkey King and Ne Zha, China IP businesses brace for growth

China’s IP sales are projected to grow at an annual rate of 17.2 per cent through 2029 after reaching US$1 billion in 2024, CICC says.

A Pop Mart store in Bangkok. Photo: AFP
China exports

China’s viral Labubu toy has an unlikely fan – the ruling Communist Party

Top theoretical journal says Pop Mart’s success shows China ‘has cultivated a robust innovation ecosystem’, with ‘seeds of creativity’ sprouting everywhere.

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Banking & finance

Chinese toymaker Pop Mart launches new pop culture magazine called Playground

Pop Mart’s new magazine, Playground, explores social connections and seeks to unlock opportunities for its intellectual properties.

US-China trade war

USTR’s comments on China in latest trade barriers report

Two days before additional tariffs were announced on ‘Liberation Day’, the US trade agency released a report detailing foreign countries’ policies deemed to be trade barriers. China took up one-eighth of the volume.

A cargo ship at the port of Oakland. Photo: Reuters
US-China relations

China unveils rule to fight ‘restrictive’ measures in international IP disputes

The regulation, aimed at striking back against external ‘containment and suppression’, appears to target the US and EU – without naming them.

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China is strengthening its trade defences and countermeasures as it faces pressure to protect its growing overseas assets. Photo: AFP
Science

East China court rules that AI-generated image should have copyright protection

In the second such case in mainland China, a court orders companies to apologise and pay damages for using plaintiff’s AI-generated art.

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Diplomacy

Brazil’s Lula chides Beijing, EU, US for practices that gave China its tech edge

The Brazilian president also hinted that he may file a WTO complaint against Washington’s tariffs.

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E-commerce

Temu, Shein branch deeper into selling toys during holiday shopping season

The two popular budget-shopping platforms are looking to win a bigger slice of the global market for toys.

Both Temu and Shein are seeing increased international demand for toys. Photo: Shutterstock
Hong Kong economy

Opinion | How IP can unlock new horizons for Hong Kong’s small businesses

By embracing intellectual property, SMEs and start-ups can unleash their full potential, attract investment and expand into global markets.

Semiconductors

Chinese power chipmaker Innoscience found to have infringed rival’s patent

The US International Trade Commission rules that Innoscience infringed one of the patents of American firm Efficient Power Conversion Corp.

China economy

Opinion | China’s path to sustainable growth goes beyond economic stimulus

The path to sustained growth requires an approach that goes beyond short-term intervention and addresses underlying issues.

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Shoppers pass a Huawei store on Nanjing East Road in Shanghai, on October 2. Restoring consumer confidence and furthering a shift to an economy based more on domestic consumption were among the primary goals of Beijing’s recent stimulus measures. Photo: Bloomberg
US-China relations

US suspicion of Chinese scientists persists

Decades of scientific cooperation between the US and China have fallen into disrepair as Chinese scientists in the US are probed for ties to Beijing. Even though a 2018 Trump China Initiative to unmask espionage and intellectual property theft was scrapped in 2022, Chinese scientists continue to feel unwelcome.

Chinese Vice-Premier Deng Xiaoping applauded with US President Jimmy Carter after signing three agreements for US-China cooperation in science and technology, culture and consular affairs in January 1979. The US-China Science and Technology Agreement expired last Tuesday. Photo: AFP
Crime in Hong Kong

18 arrested in raids on Hong Kong karaoke rooms allegedly playing songs illegally

Authorities seize HK$1.1 million worth of hardware and new technology that can stream copyright-infringing songs from remote locations.

Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong and Peru conclude talks on free-trade pact, finance minister says

Deal, which would be ninth such pact Hong Kong has in place, also covers investment and intellectual property.

Hong Kong economy

Explainer | How can Hong Kong foster AI and make city an intellectual property hub?

Government asks for views on ways to boost copyright law, protect development of AI and bolster bid to be regional intellectual property trading centre.

The government is looking at ways to help make Hong Kong a hub for AI development and intellectual property trading. Photo: Reuters
Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong seeks changes to copyright law to bolster AI development

Authorities hope to modernise law to keep pace with latest AI developments as city aims to become regional IP trading centre.

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Hong Kong made its latest amendments to the Copyright Ordinance in May last year. Photo: Elson Li
Medicine

China approves Wegovy weight-loss drug made by Danish firm Novo Nordisk

The number of overweight adults in China, the world’s second most populous country, is projected to reach 540 million by 2030, according to a mainland public health study.

Belgium

Swiss philosopher sues former Chinese student over alleged plagiarism

Sinologist Iso Kern is suing Ni Liangkang over a Chinese translation of his book which he says was ‘illegally published’.

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