Top court nurtures growth of seed sector

The Intellectual Property Court of the Supreme People's Court, China's top court, has played a key role in revitalizing the seed industry by efficiently handling related intellectual property cases in recent years, helping to foster a sound legal environment for industrial development.

The court made the remarks on Monday ahead of World Food Day, observed annually on Oct 16. It likened seeds to the "chips" of agriculture, highlighting the importance of achieving self-reliance and strengthening the seed industry through judicial means.

Established on Jan 1, 2019, in Beijing, the national-level IP Court marked a major step in strengthening protection of intellectual property rights. The court, a division of the top court, handles appeals involving patents and other complex technology-related cases nationwide.

Its establishment enables litigants dissatisfied with rulings made by intermediate courts at the city or prefecture level, or by specialized IP tribunals, to appeal directly to the top court, bypassing provincial high courts. The reform aims to unify trial standards in IP disputes, improve the quality of case handling, and create a more supportive legal environment for innovators.

According to data from the top court, between January 2019 and December 2024, courts nationwide accepted 3,100 first-instance civil cases and 604 second-instance cases related to new plant variety rights.

In 2024 alone, 887 first-instance disputes and 164 second-instance cases were filed — 5.5 times and 4.6 times, respectively, the annual average recorded between 2017 and 2018, before the IP Court was established.

While continuously standardizing litigation procedures, the court has also focused on improving judicial efficiency, said Zhu Li, deputy chief judge of the IP Court.

He said a guidebook on handling disputes over infringements of new plant variety rights is being drafted, which "will help further clarify the technical issues involved in such cases and ensure they are adjudicated more efficiently."