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On December 31, 2025, China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) and Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) released the Opinions on Further Strengthening Intellectual Property Protection in the Photovoltaic Industry (国家知识产权局 工业和信息化部关于进一步加强光伏产业知识产权保护工作的意见). The Opinions specify 11 key tasks:
- promote high-quality patent filing;
- improve the efficiency of patent pre-examination and examination;
- strengthen Intellectual Property risk monitoring and early warning;
- strengthen the efficient handling of administrative adjudication of disputes;
- strengthen collaborative protection of Intellectual Property Rights;
- strengthen the regulation of intellectual property infringement in bidding;
- guiding the development of diversified dispute resolution;
- promote the efficient transformation and application of intellectual property rights;
- strengthen overseas Intellectual Property risk response;
- enhance enterprises’ intellectual property capabilities; and
- strengthen trademark and brand building and protection.
A translation follows. The original text is available here (Chinese only).
CNIPA Document No. 41 of 2025
Intellectual Property Offices and Industry and Information Technology Departments of all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government, and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps:
In order to thoroughly implement the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, give full play to the value function of intellectual property protection and innovation incentive, effectively solve the problem of “involution” competition, continuously create a fair and orderly market environment, and promote the healthy development of the photovoltaic industry, the following opinions are hereby proposed.
I. General Requirements
Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and fully implementing the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress and its subsequent plenary sessions, and in accordance with the arrangements of the Central Economic Work Conference, we will focus on key links and areas of the photovoltaic industry chain, strengthen intellectual property protection, enhance risk response, create a favorable atmosphere throughout the industry that respects intellectual property rights and innovation, stimulate the role of intellectual property rights in promoting the construction of a modern photovoltaic industry system, and serve the construction of a manufacturing powerhouse and an intellectual property powerhouse.
We will adhere to a combination of an effective market and a proactive government, strengthen policy guidance, reinforce the market position of enterprises, and create a favorable intellectual property environment. We will adhere to a combination of innovation incentives and quality improvement, further stimulating the innovation initiative and intellectual property creation enthusiasm of photovoltaic enterprises, and accelerating the filing of high-quality intellectual property rights. We will adhere to a combination of strict protection and efficient utilization, improve the seamless protection framework, and establish a standardized and orderly market-oriented patent operation mechanism.
By 2027 , intellectual property rights will have significantly contributed to the healthy development of the photovoltaic industry. China’s photovoltaic industry will have a richer reserve of intellectual property rights, and will have cultivated and deployed a number of high-value patents with competitive advantages; the protection of intellectual property rights will be continuously strengthened, the level of intellectual property transformation and utilization will continue to improve, and the ability to cope with intellectual property risks will steadily increase.
II. Key Tasks
(I) Promoting High-Quality Patent Filing. Enterprises are encouraged to increase R&D investment, accelerate technological advancements in TOPCon batteries, back-contact batteries, and heterojunction batteries, and strengthen the filing of high-value patents. Enterprises are guided to proactively secure foundational patents for cutting-edge technologies such as perovskite and tandem batteries. Enhance guidance on enterprise patent filing, guide enterprises to increase innovation in inverters, key raw materials, equipment, and system components, and to conduct patent mining and cultivation in upstream and downstream links such as photovoltaic-energy storage integration, intelligent management systems, and integrated operation and maintenance. Strengthen intellectual property filing requirements in relevant photovoltaic industry projects, emphasizing quality orientation and align patent achievements with the research objectives.
(II) Improve the efficiency of patent pre-examination and examination. Leverage the role of national-level intellectual property protection centers to provide professional and efficient patent pre-examination services for photovoltaic enterprises. Further streamline the “green channel” for priority patent examination, accelerate the implementation of the on-demand examination system, and utilize examination models such as delayed examination and centralized examination to help photovoltaic enterprises improve the quality and efficiency of their patent application filing. Support qualified enterprises in developing filing strategies tailored to local conditions for diversified international markets, and fully utilize the Patent Prosecution Highway ( PPH ) channel to conduct overseas patent filings.
(III) Strengthen Intellectual Property Risk Monitoring and Early Warning. Promote the establishment of a full-chain intellectual property infringement risk monitoring mechanism from upstream photovoltaic raw material preparation to photovoltaic module production. Strengthen the monitoring of intellectual property risks, intellectual property litigation, transfer of core technology patents to foreign entities, and public opinion, and establish and improve an intellectual property risk notification mechanism. Build a photovoltaic industry intellectual property database to provide enterprises with information on intellectual property laws, regulations, institutional environment, and practical guidance in major countries and regions, and regularly publish photovoltaic intellectual property development and risk early warning reports.
(IV) Strengthen the efficient handling of administrative adjudication of disputes. Guide the intellectual property management departments and industry and information technology departments of provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) with concentrated photovoltaic industries to establish specialized mechanisms for resolving photovoltaic patent disputes, and handle administrative adjudication cases of patent infringement disputes efficiently and in accordance with laws and regulations. Promote the establishment of a cross-regional joint trial mechanism for administrative adjudication of photovoltaic patent infringement disputes. Improve the technical investigator system, strengthen the construction of the intellectual property appraisal system, and increase technical support for handling administrative adjudication cases in the photovoltaic field. Strengthen the efficient coordination between administrative adjudication of patent infringement disputes and related administrative procedures for confirming rights, expedite the trial of related cases, and improve the efficiency of rights protection.
(V) Strengthen Collaborative Protection of Intellectual Property Rights. An information-sharing mechanism will be established, with intellectual property management departments regularly sending copies of administrative adjudication case information to the industry and information technology authorities, state-owned assets supervision and management departments, and customs authorities to effectively regulate intentional and repeated intellectual property infringement in the photovoltaic field. The industry and information technology authorities will strictly implement the requirements of the photovoltaic manufacturing industry standards, and strengthen the dynamic management of the list of enterprises meeting the standards based on comprehensive evaluations of core patents and administrative rulings on intellectual property infringement. Customs protection of intellectual property rights will be strengthened, and the requirements of the “Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Customs Protection of Intellectual Property Rights” will be strictly implemented to legally prohibit the import and export of photovoltaic products that infringe intellectual property rights.
(VI) Strengthening the regulation of intellectual property infringement in bidding. Central enterprises and state-owned enterprises should play an exemplary role and resolutely eliminate the manufacture, sale, and use of goods that infringe intellectual property rights. They are encouraged to explicitly require bidding companies to commit in their bidding documents that their products do not infringe intellectual property rights. The administrative rulings or effective judicial judgments of intellectual property infringement disputes will be used as an important basis for the procurement and bidding process of central and state-owned enterprises.
(VII) Guiding the Development of Diversified Dispute Resolution. Fully leverage the “centralized” litigation-mediation linkage mechanism to proactively resolve intellectual property disputes in the photovoltaic industry. Encourage regions with the necessary conditions to conduct intellectual property mediation work in the photovoltaic industry through organizations such as intellectual property protection centers. Support industry associations and other social organizations in actively participating in the mediation of intellectual property disputes involving photovoltaic enterprises. Encourage qualified arbitration organizations to strengthen the development of professional arbitration teams for intellectual property in the photovoltaic industry. Give full play to the role of industry organizations and issue self-regulatory initiatives for respecting intellectual property rights in the photovoltaic industry.
(VIII) Promote the efficient transformation and application of intellectual property rights. Relying on the existing technology transfer system of universities and research institutions, accelerate the matching of supply and demand and industrial application of patents in the photovoltaic field. Give full play to the role of enterprises, industry associations, and research institutions in the photovoltaic field, build an industry intellectual property operation center, and establish patent pools in accordance with the principles of marketization, balance of interests, openness, and non-discrimination to promote the efficient transformation and collaborative application of intellectual property rights in the industrial chain.
(IX) Strengthening Overseas Intellectual Property Risk Response. Improve the overseas intellectual property rights protection assistance mechanism for the photovoltaic industry. Strengthen intellectual property risk prevention for photovoltaic enterprises in international exhibitions, product exports, and overseas investments. Give full play to the role of the photovoltaic industry sub-center for guiding overseas intellectual property dispute response, guiding photovoltaic enterprises to strengthen communication and exchange of overseas intellectual property information and improve their ability to respond to overseas intellectual property disputes. Make good use of high-value patent reserves to collaboratively respond to overseas intellectual property litigation. Support enterprises in establishing a photovoltaic industry overseas rights protection mutual assistance fund to help reduce the cost of responding to intellectual property risks.
(X) Enhance enterprises’ intellectual property capabilities. Guide photovoltaic enterprises to establish intellectual property compliance management systems. Strengthen specialized training for photovoltaic enterprises on intellectual property protection. Support research institutions and intellectual property protection centers to regularly conduct training for intellectual property management personnel of photovoltaic enterprises, and accelerate the cultivation of a group of high-level, multi-skilled talents to support the transformation, application, and risk response of intellectual property in the photovoltaic industry. Give full play to the role of public intellectual property service institutions and strengthen public service support for photovoltaic enterprises’ core technology breakthroughs. Promote exchanges and cooperation with high-level photovoltaic industry associations in countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative and other countries (regions), and contribute Chinese strength to the development of the global photovoltaic industry.
(XI) Strengthen trademark and brand building and protection. Guide photovoltaic enterprises to improve their brand management capabilities and enhance their ability to create, utilize, and protect trademarks and brands. Encourage photovoltaic enterprises to actively cultivate a positive image for Chinese brands and build internationally influential well-known brands. Increase trademark protection efforts and severely crack down on counterfeiting well-known trademarks and brands and malicious trademark registration applications. Guide photovoltaic enterprises to monitor overseas trademark use, reduce the risk of overseas trademark and domain name squatting, and promptly and properly handle overseas intellectual property disputes.
III. Work Safeguards
Intellectual property management departments and industry and information technology authorities will establish a coordination and consultation system for the development of intellectual property rights in the photovoltaic industry, strengthen overall guidance, and form a regular communication mechanism. They will actively explore models of central-local government collaboration and regional cooperation. Support for public service platforms in the photovoltaic sector will be increased, and photovoltaic enterprises with outstanding innovation, R&D, and intellectual property management and utilization capabilities will receive support in project applications and credit management. High-quality overseas service resources will be gathered, and industry associations will be organized to establish specialized think tanks covering experts in intellectual property, industry, law, and public services. Publicity efforts for intellectual property protection in the photovoltaic sector will be strengthened, innovative publicity methods will be adopted, outstanding cases will be collected and promoted, and a positive social atmosphere that respects intellectual property rights and values innovation will be fostered.
