The Supreme People’s Court (SPC) released a summary of the Annual Report on Legal Application Issues in Intellectual Property Cases Handled by Courts Nationwide (2025) on April 21.

The report identifies 45 key issues concerning the application of law, drawn from intellectual property cases concluded by courts nationwide in 2025. 

These issues fall into nine major adjudication practice areas, namely patents, trademarks, copyright, competition, new plant varieties, integrated circuit layout designs, technology contracts, criminal adjudication and intellectual property litigation procedures and evidence. 

They span all stages of adjudication, from first instance and second instance, to retrial and petition review.

The report compiles judicial practices from the SPC and courts in 14 provincial-level regions. 

They fully reflect the progress and achievements in China’s judicial protection of intellectual property rights and is widely representative and of strong guiding significance for future judicial practices.

Annual Report of the Intellectual Property Court of the Supreme People's Court of China (2025)