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China IP Brief | Dispatches from the Frontiers of IP Law in China
Welcome to the inaugural issue of China IP Brief, our periodic dispatch bringing you the latest changes and developments in intellectual property law in China.
Look for China IP Brief in your inbox with deeper dives into developments in China IP law impacting how companies develop, register, maintain and protect their IP rights in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), as well as links to other news, Loeb & Loeb alerts and upcoming events.
In this issue, the Loeb China IP team outlines practical insights into the much-awaited draft amendment to the PRC Trademark Law. The proposed changes range from enhanced penalties for bad faith filings to new civil liability rules for malicious litigation. The draft also streamlines procedures, shortens the opposition period, reintroduces ex officio cancellation powers and unifies rules for suspending cases. If enacted—likely by the end of 2026—it will represent the most significant update to China’s Trademark Law since 2019.
In our second article, we explain the changes to the China National Intellectual Property Administration’s (CNIPA) delivery protocols for official documents in cancellation, opposition and invalidation cases that the CNIPA has implemented since October 2025 and the impact these changes will have on proprietors from mainland China and their China-based agents. Foreign proprietors remain largely unaffected, but uncertainties remain for legacy filings involving multiple agents.
Our Event Spotlight features a recent visit to our Beijing office and the Loeb & Loeb IP Agency by a leadership delegation from the China Trademark Association (CTA). The delegation’s visit featured discussions on recent trademark developments and briefings on key CTA resources, including industry-specific committees and collective advocacy opportunities.
In This Issue:
- China’s National People’s Congress Issues Draft Amendment to PRC Trademark Law
- New Document Delivery Protocols for Trademark Documents in the People’s Republic of China
- Event Spotlight: China Trademark Association Leadership Delegation Visits Loeb China IP Agency
- In Case You Missed It
China’s National People’s Congress Issues Draft Amendment to PRC Trademark Law
The National People’s Congress published a much-awaited draft amendment to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Trademark Law in December 2025, nearly three years after the controversial January 2023 initial draft amendments from the China National Intellectual Property Administration.
Read more here.
New Document Delivery Protocols for Trademark Documents in the People’s Republic of China
The China National Intellectual Property Administration announced—and then clarified—changes to its delivery protocols for official documents in the Q&A section of its official website, stating it will no longer send copies of official notices to respond in cancellation, opposition and invalidation proceedings to the trademark agencies of record but exclusively to the trademark proprietor.
Read more here.
Event Spotlight: China Trademark Association Leadership Delegation Visits Loeb China IP Agency
Representatives from Loeb & Loeb LLP’s Beijing office and the Loeb Intellectual Property (IP) Agency, including Partner Scott J. Palmer, Counsel Sue Zhong and Beijing-based associates and senior paralegals, welcomed President Ma Fu and a delegation from the China Trademark Association (CTA) for an in-depth exchange on cross-border IP services and industry collaboration. The CTA is a quasi-government organization tasked with supporting the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) with the regulation and oversight of Chinese trademark agencies and the training of agents in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The CTA also serves as the voice of the professional trademark community in the PRC on advocacy regarding trademark law and practice. The discussion underscored Loeb’s global resources, its PRC-based IP resources and our extensive experience in supporting clients with efficient, high-quality IP solutions, as well as the CTA’s commitment to fostering the integration of international best practices within China’s IP service sector.
Key industry initiatives were also presented, including the CTA’s trademark talent pool to elevate professional standards and the upcoming 4th Fast-Moving Consumer Goods Intellectual Property Services Conference. Loeb will host a panel of IP counsels from leading international and Chinese companies and influential IP professors and experts to focus on examination and prosecution issues, particularly the CNIPA’s inconsistent standards for rejecting trademarks on absolute grounds. The CTA reaffirmed its dedication to supporting IP agencies such as the LIPA and advancing the development of a diverse, globally engaged IP industry in China.
In Case You Missed It
Highlights from Our Asia Practice
In 2025, Asia’s economic landscape continued to reflect both opportunity and transformation, with evolving global trade relationships, continued investment in emerging technologies and regulatory developments across key jurisdictions shaping the region’s business environment. Loeb & Loeb’s Asia practice continued to provide strategic counsel to clients operating across the region. Lawyers in the firm’s Hong Kong and Beijing offices advised on a wide range of matters, including capital markets transactions, corporate and commercial finance matters, intellectual property protection and enforcement, litigation and dispute resolution, and regulatory and compliance issues, helping clients navigate evolving market conditions and pursue opportunities throughout Asia.
11 Loeb Lawyers Honored in 2026 Edition of World Trademark Review 1000
The firm has been recognized in the 2026 edition of the World Trademark Review 1000 – The World's Leading Trademark Professionals, and 11 Loeb lawyers were designated as notable trademark lawyers in their respective fields and jurisdictions, including two from our Beijing office and the Loeb Intellectual Property Agency: Partner Scott Palmer (China and SARS: Foreign—Trademark Prosecution and Strategy; Trademark Enforcement and Litigation) and Counsel Sue Zhong (China and SARS: Foreign—Trademark Prosecution and Strategy)
Loeb & Loeb Named in 2026 Chambers Greater China and Legal 500 China and Hong Kong
The firm and two of the firm’s lawyers have been honored for excellence in the 2026 editions of Chambers Greater China, The Legal 500 China and The Legal 500 Hong Kong.
Loeb Wins “Intellectual Property Foreign Firms: Law Firm at the Year” at Legal 500 China Awards 2025
The firm has been named “Intellectual Property: Foreign Firms Law Firm of the Year” at The Legal 500 China Awards 2025. The annual awards recognize the leading global and People’s Republic of China firms, lawyers and in-house teams driving growth and innovation in China’s dynamic legal market.
China’s Al-Labeling Measures and Mandatory National Standards Take Effect Sept. 1, 2025
On March 14, 2025, the Cyberspace Administration of China, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, and the National Radio and Television Administration jointly unveiled “Measures for Labeling of AI-Generated Synthetic Content.” To elaborate on the labeling methods, the National Technical Committee 260 on Cybersecurity of Standardization Administration of China and the State Administration for Market Regulation finalized “Cybersecurity Technology—Labeling Method for Content Generated By Artificial Intelligence.”