Technical experts help improve efficiency of IP-related cases

Thanks to the involvement of technical experts, the Beijing Intellectual Property Court announced that it has improved the efficiency of handling technical cases over the past decade.

Data released by the court last week showed that by the end of 2024, a total of 306 experts had helped figure out technical issues in 4,360 cases, contributing to a reduction of nearly 25 percent in the duration of relevant lawsuit handling.

Under the participation of the experts, the number of technical cases concluded by the court increased to 4,524 in 2024 from 1,430 in 2016, according to the data.

Song Yushui, vice-president of the court, said that these experts participated in and provided technical opinions in complicated cases involving seven major fields, such as mechanics, chemistry, pharmaceuticals, materials and communications.

"The participation of the experts has enabled judges to gain a more precise understanding of complex, cross-disciplinary technical issues, thereby enhancing the authority and influence of the rulings," she said.

"The experts not only took part in the case hearings and evidence collection, but also helped mediate disputes and explained the rulings to litigants," she added.

Li Yanqin, from the patent department of the China National Intellectual Property Administration, revealed that she has participated in the handling of over 30 cases since she was appointed as a technical expert of the court at the beginning of this year.

In her view, the primary role of technical experts is to explain the technical aspects of a case in a straightforward and understandable manner to judges who may lack a technical background, enabling them to quickly and clearly grasp the technical issues involved.

Song praised the effort of the experts in the past 10 years, adding that the court would continue cooperating with them to make the handling of IP cases more professional and further improve judicial efficiency, so as to help the country become a strong force in the field of IP.