Supreme People’s Court: China’s IP cases record 24.5% annual rise

Zhou Qiang, President of China’s Supreme People's Court, delivered on On October 21 a report on the judicial work of the people's courts on intellectual property rights at the 31st meeting of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress.


According to the report, the number of intellectual property cases in China is rising rapidly. The number of IP cases accepted by trial courts across the country increased from 101,000 in 2013 to 467,000 in 2020, with an average annual increase of 24.5%. The number is 12.8 percentage points higher than the average annual increase in the total number of cases accepted by courts across the country. Cybercrime cases figured prominently in the family of infringement cases. It indicates that the demand for intellectual property protection has noticeably grown when China’s economy and society are developing effectively.


"The number of novel cases involving crucial internet technologies, genetic technologies, information and communications, integrated circuits, artificial intelligence, or the platform economy is increasing. It is becoming more difficult to investigate the facts concerning complex technologies and apply laws. The judicial system is being constantly challenged when it comes to the determination of the scope of rights and the cognizance of offenses in the protection of IP rights." Zhou Qiang said.