China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) in late January revealed that it addressed a total of more than 50,000 IP law enforcement cases in 2021.

In terms of legislation, the SAMR completed the revision of the Provisions on the Transfer of Suspected Criminal Cases by Administrative Law Enforcement Organs (《行政执法机关移送涉嫌犯罪案件的规定》), which regulates the procedures of the transfer of intellectual property cases. The agency issued the Opinions on Strengthening the Destruction of Infringing and Counterfeit Commodities (《关于加强侵权假冒商品销毁工作的意见》) jointly with the Supreme People’s Court and the Ministry of Public Security. It also joined the Ministry of Finance in issuing the Interim Measures for Rewards for Reporting Major Illegal Acts in the Market Sector (《市场领域重大违法行为举报奖励暂行办法》).

In terms of law enforcement, the SAMR launched a special campaign to crack down on the illegal manufacture and sale of masks and other protective products together with the Ministry of Public Security, the National Health Commission, and other government agencies. A total of 46,000 cases were investigated and handled, and 720 million yuan was fined and confiscated. On April 23, 2021, the SAMR organized 16 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) to simultaneously destroy more than 2,000 tons of infringing and counterfeit goods with a value of more than 700 million yuan, preventing the re-circulation of infringing and counterfeit goods. The agency carried out movements such as Sword Net, Kun Lun, Chun Lei, and Long Teng jointly with the Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and the General Administration of Customs.

In terms of publicity and education, the SAMR released the Report on the Developments in Intellectual Property Protection and Business Environment in China (《中国知识产权保护与营商环境新进展报告》). The agency had the international cooperation forum on combating infringement and counterfeiting during the China International Import Expo for the fourth consecutive year. It participated in multilateral and bilateral intellectual property conferences and negotiations with the US, the EU, France, Japan, etc. and held meetings with intellectual property officials from the embassies of foreign countries in China.