IP Court handles 24,602 cases since 2019, awards 2.05b yuan compensation

A national-level intellectual property court has streamlined litigation procedures and enhanced its case management, significantly contributing to fostering technological innovation, ensuring market stability, and supporting the process of opening-up, according to China's top court.

Since the Intellectual Property Court of the Supreme People's Court was established in Jan 1, 2019, it has handled 24,602 cases, of which 23,069 have been successfully concluded.

"It has systematically addressed the inconsistency in adjudication standards for technical IP disputes and antitrust appeals nationwide, while also effectively alleviating concerns about local protectionism among parties involved," He Zhonglin, deputy chief judge of the IP court, said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a news conference, he revealed that 2,546 cases of the total handled over the past seven years involved foreign elements, with an average annual growth of 18.7 percent.

"In handling these foreign-related cases, judges have consistently upheld the principle of equal legal protection for both domestic and international IP rights holders," he said, noting that as a result, more foreign entities are choosing Chinese courts to resolve their IP disputes.

He emphasized the importance of strengthening IP protection and stated that punitive damages were awarded in 58 cases, with the total compensation amounting to 2.05 billion yuan ($295 million).

In addition, since the establishment of the IP Court, 66 cases were confirmed to have involved monopolistic practices, spanning various sectors in technology and public welfare, such as pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, e-commerce, education, construction and funeral services, he added.

The national-level IP Court was established to handle civil and administrative appeal cases related to invention patents, new varieties of plants, integrated circuits, technical secrets, computer software and monopolies.

Since the court's establishment, litigants dissatisfied with rulings made by intermediate courts at the city or prefecture level, or by other specialized IP courts, were allowed to appeal directly to the national-level IP Court instead of the provincial high courts.

The streamlined appeal process aims to prevent inconsistencies and improve the efficiency and quality of complex technical and patent hearings.