On April 1, 2021, China State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) released the 2021 legislative work plan (国家市场监督管理总局2021年立法工作计划), with 8 of the 61 matters related to intellectual property law. The 8 cover patent, trademark and trade secret matters including laws and administrative regulations and departmental rules.
The 8 IP-related legislative items include Regulations on the Protection of Trade Secrets; Rules for the Implementation of the Patent Law of the People’s Republic of China; Measures for the Protection of Official Signs; Measures for the Administration of Trademark Agencies; Several Provisions Regarding the Regulation of Patent Application Behavior; Several Provisions Regarding Unfair Competition Acts That Prohibit Counterfeiting Unique Names, Packaging, and Decorations of Well-Known Commodities; Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Product Anti-counterfeiting; Regulations on the identification and protection of well-known trademarks; and Measures for the Registration and Administration of Collective Trademarks and Certification Trademarks.
While no specific dates were specified, the above-mentioned Rules are expected to be released by June 1, 2021 when the newly amended patent law comes into force. CNIPA has already released draft implementation rules for the amended Patent Law (专利法实施细则修改建议(征求意见稿)) for comment in November 2020.
The above-mentioned Provisions presumably relate to irregular applications (e.g., fraudulent patent applications), which the CNIPA has been cracking down on. CNIPA already released “Measures Regarding the Regulation of Patent Applications” (关于规范申请专利行为的办法) in March this year. (Note, these Provisions may refer to the already released Measures and no further provisions will be released.)
The full list of legislative matters follows:
Laws and administrative regulations
Serial number |
project name |
Drafting unit |
1 |
Product Quality Law of the People’s Republic of China |
Quality Supervision Department Quality Development Agency |
2 |
Provisions on Administrative Penalties for Illegal Pricing |
Price Supervision and Competition Bureau |
3 |
Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on the Administration of Industrial Product Licenses |
Quality Supervision Department |
4 |
Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Certification and Accreditation |
Certification Supervision Department Accredited Testing Department |
5 |
Regulations for the Implementation of the Drug Administration Law of the People’s Republic of China |
Drug Administration |
6 |
Rules for the Implementation of the Patent Law of the People’s Republic of China |
CNIPA |
Departmental rules
Category I legislative items |
||
Serial number |
project name |
Drafting unit |
1 |
Measures for the Administration of Authorized Registration of Foreign-invested Enterprises |
Registry |
2 |
Implementation Measures for the Administration of Enterprise Name Registration |
Registry |
3 |
Interim Measures for the Settlement of Enterprise Name Disputes |
Registry |
4 |
Interim Provisions on the Publicity of Administrative Punishment Information on Market Supervision and Administration |
Credit Supervision Department |
5 |
Regulations on clearly marking prices and prohibiting price fraud |
Price Supervision and Competition Bureau |
6 |
Regulations on the Protection of Trade Secrets |
Price Supervision and Competition Bureau |
7 |
Several Provisions on Prohibiting Unfair Competition on the Internet |
Price Supervision and Competition Bureau |
8 |
Measures for the Supervision and Treatment of Contract Illegal Acts |
Network Supervisor |
9 |
Interim Measures for the Supervision and Administration of the Quality and Safety of Food-Related Products |
Quality Supervision Department |
10 |
Measures for the Supervision, Inspection and Administration of Food Production and Operation |
Food Production Division |
11 |
Measures for the Administration of Food Business Licenses |
Food Management Department |
12 |
Measures for the Administration of Product Formula Registration of Infant Formula Milk Powder |
Special Food Division |
13 |
Measures for the Administration of Safety Supervision and Inspection of Special Equipment |
Special Equipment Bureau |
14 |
Special equipment accident report and investigation and handling regulations |
Special Equipment Bureau |
15 |
Measurement and Calibration Management Measures |
Metrology Department |
16 |
Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Quantitative Packaging Commodities Measurement |
Metrology Department |
17 |
Measures for the Administration of New Products of Measuring Instruments |
Metrology Department |
18 |
Measures for the Administration of Measurement Comparison |
Metrology Department |
19 |
National Standards Management Measures |
Standard Technology Division |
20 |
Agricultural Standardization Management Measures |
Standard Technology Division |
21 |
Enterprise Standardization Management Measures |
Standard Innovation Division |
22 |
Industry Standard Management Measures |
Standard Innovation Division |
23 |
Certification and certification training, consulting personnel management measures |
Certification Supervision Department |
24 |
Organic Product Certification Management Measures |
Certification Supervision Department |
Drug Administration, Intellectual Property Office |
||
25 |
Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Drug Sales |
Drug Administration |
26 |
Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Online Drug Sales |
Drug Administration |
27 |
Measures for the Supervision and Administration of the Production and Operation of Cosmetics |
Drug Administration |
28 |
Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Toothpaste |
Drug Administration |
29 |
Medical device adverse event monitoring and re-evaluation management measures |
Drug Administration |
30 |
Measures for the Administration of Medical Device Registration |
Drug Administration |
31 |
Measures for the Administration of the Registration of In Vitro Diagnostic Reagents |
Drug Administration |
32 |
Measures for the Supervision and Administration of the Production of Medical Devices |
Drug Administration |
33 |
Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Medical Device Operation |
Drug Administration |
34 |
Measures for the Protection of Official Signs |
CNIPA |
35 |
Measures for the Administration of Trademark Agencies |
CNIPA |
36 |
Several Provisions Regarding the Regulation of Patent Application Behavior |
CNIPA |
Category II Legislative Items |
||
Serial number |
project name |
Drafting unit |
37 |
Measures for the Determination of Illegal Income in Cases of Administrative Penalty for Market Supervision and Administration |
Regulations Department |
38 |
Detailed Rules for the Implementation of the Regulations on the Registration and Administration of Commercial Subjects |
Registry |
39 |
Interim Measures for the Spot Check of Enterprise Public Information |
Credit Supervision Department |
40 |
Interim Measures for the Management of the List of Abnormal Business Operations |
Credit Supervision Department |
41 |
Interim Measures for Annual Reports of Individual Industrial and Commercial Households |
Credit Supervision Department |
42 |
Interim Measures for the Publicity of Annual Reports of Farmers’ Professional Cooperatives |
Credit Supervision Department |
43 |
Interim Measures for the Administration of the List of Seriously Illegal and Untrustworthy Enterprises |
Credit Supervision Department |
44 |
Several Provisions Regarding Unfair Competition Acts That Prohibit Counterfeiting Unique Names, Packaging, and Decorations of Well-Known Commodities |
Price Supervision and Competition Bureau |
45 |
Interim Measures for the Administration of Internet Advertising |
Advertising Supervision Department |
46 |
Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Product Anti-counterfeiting |
Quality Development Agency |
47 |
Measures for Mandatory Reporting, Investigation and Handling of Product Quality and Safety Incidents |
Quality Development Agency |
48 |
Measures for the Quality Supervision and Administration of Fiber Products |
Quality Supervision Department |
49 |
Measures for the Implementation of the Regulations on the Administration of Industrial Product Licenses |
Quality Supervision Department |
50 |
Measures for the Supervision and Administration of the Quality and Safety of Edible Agricultural Products Market Sales |
Food Management Department |
51 |
Measures for the Administration of the Registration of Formula Foods for Special Medical Purposes |
Special Food Division |
52 |
Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Special Equipment Operators |
Special Equipment Bureau |
53 |
Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Statutory Metrology Inspection Institutions |
Metrology Department |
54 |
Management Measures for Professional Metering Stations |
Metrology Department |
55 |
National Metrological Verification Regulations Management Measures |
Metrology Department |
56 |
Adopt international standard management methods |
Standard Innovation Division |
57 |
Measures for the Administration of Article Coding and Marking |
Standard Innovation Division |
58 |
Mandatory Product Certification Institutions and Laboratory Management Measures |
Certification Supervision Department |
Drug Administration, Intellectual Property Office |
||
59 |
Measures for the Supervision and Administration of the Quality of the Use of Medical Devices |
Drug Administration |
60 |
Regulations on the identification and protection of well-known trademarks |
CNIPA |
61 |
Measures for the Registration and Administration of Collective Trademarks and Certification Trademarks |
CNIPA |