Supreme People’s Court Work Report: 494,000 Intellectual Property Cases Concluded in 2024

Date: 15 March 2025

Zhang Jun, President of the SPC, delivered the Work Report of the SPC at the 14th National People's Congress. In 2024, a total of 494,000 intellectual property cases were concluded, representing a year-on-year growth of 0.9%. Over the six years since the establishment of the IPC of SPC, nearly 20,000 technical intellectual property appeal cases were concluded. The number and proportion of cases involving strategic emerging industries have been rising year by year, reaching 1,233 cases in 2024, accounting for 32.3%. Punitive damages were applied in 460 cases involving serious malicious infringement, representing a year-on-year growth of 44.2%.

In addition, the Work Report emphasized the need to properly adjudicate disputes involving artificial intelligence in accordance with the law to support the lawful application of artificial intelligence; and to punish acts of infringement involving artificial intelligence technology.

Source: The State Council of the People's Republic of China

https://www.gov.cn/yaowen/liebiao/202503/content_7013680.htm

最高人民法院工作报告：2024年审结知识产权案件49.4万件

日期：2025-03-15

最高人民法院院长张军在十四届全国人大会议上作最高人民法院工作报告，2024年全年共审结知识产权案件49.4万件，同比增长0.9%；最高人民法院知识产权法庭成立6年来审结结技术类知识产权上诉案件近2万件，其中涉战略性新兴产业案件数量和占比逐年攀升，2024年达1233件，占32.3%；对恶意侵权情节严重的460起案件适用惩罚性赔偿，同比增长44.2%。

此外，工作报告还强调要依法妥善审理涉人工智能纠纷案件，支持人工智能依法应用，惩治利用人工智能技术侵权行为。

资料来源：中国政府网  2025-03-15

新闻链接：https://www.gov.cn/yaowen/liebiao/202503/content_7013680.htm

SPC Publishes the Fifth Batch of Typical Cases of Judicial Protection of Intellectual Property Rights in the Seed Industry

Date: 20 March 2025

The typical cases released this time are 15 civil, administrative, and criminal IP cases in the seed industry. Specifically, they include twelve civil PVR infringement and agreement dispute cases, one administrative case regarding variety rights authorization, one unfair competition civil case, and one criminal case involving trade secrets. The plant varieties involved encompass major food crops such as wheat, rice, and corn, as well as fruit and flower varieties such as apples, roses, and rosa chinensis.

The published cases reflect the following judicial orientations upheld by the People's Courts in handling intellectual property protection cases in the seed industry:

• Adherence to stringent protection measures to effectively safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of innovators and breeders. For example, in the case of infringement of the ‘Gangyou 188’ rice variety, it was determined that the transfer of a reviewed variety in a lawful form cannot automatically counter the infringement claim of the variety right holder, and the infringer still has to bear the liability for damages. In the case of infringement of the ‘Tianshan Xiangyun’ rose variety, it was clarified that the exhaustion of rights principle does not apply to the further propagation of sold propagating materials, and the compensation request of the right holder was fully supported.
• Innovative judicial approaches provide new solutions for addressing challenges in calculating compensation amounts. For example, in the cases of infringement of the ‘Gangyou 188’ rice and ‘Xianyu 508’ corn varieties, in the absence of direct evidence regarding the quantity of infringing seeds, a method favorable to the variety right holder was adopted in calculating damages. The compensation was determined by referring to the seed filing quantities on the Big Data Platform for China’s Seed Industry. This approach provides new ideas for solving the problem of calculating compensation amounts.
• The effective utilization of diversified dispute resolution mechanisms to facilitate settlements, including settlements that involve entering into licensing agreements between parties. For example, in the cases of infringement of rose varieties such as ‘LexteeWs’ and the dispute over the contract for growing “Hand - torn Pineapple,” the courts hearing the cases intensified their mediation efforts to encourage the parties involved to turn ‘infringement acts’ into ‘legal licensing’.
• Strengthened criminal sanctions to rigorously combat criminal infringing activities in the seed industry, including trade secret infringements. For example, in the case of the crime of infringing trade secrets involving the ‘Quanyou 822’ rice variety, it was determined that the activities of Deng Moujin and three others constituted the crime of infringing trade secrets. They were respectively sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment ranging from ten to fourteen months, and fines ranging from RMB 20,000 to RMB 200,000 were also imposed. This case demonstrates a strong crackdown on criminal activities in the seed industry.

Source: SPC

https://www.court.gov.cn/zixun/xiangqing/459651.html

最高人民法院发布第五批人民法院种业知识产权司法保护典型案例

日期：2025-03-20

本次发布的典型案例共15件，涉及种业知识产权保护中民事、行政和刑事三大类案件，其中民事侵权及合同案例12件、品种权授权行政案例1件、不正当竞争案件1件，以及涉商业秘密刑事案例1件。所涉植物品种涵盖小麦、水稻、玉米等主要粮食作物及苹果、月季、玫瑰等水果和花卉品种。

本次发布的案例反映出人民法院在种业知识产权保护案件方面坚持以下几个司法导向：

• 坚持严格保护，切实维护创新主体和育种家合法权益。例如在“冈优188”水稻品种侵权案中，认定以合法形式受让审定品种不能当然对抗品种权人的侵权索赔，侵权人仍需承担损害赔偿责任。在“天山祥云”月季品种侵权案中，明确权利用尽原则不适用于对已售繁殖材料的再繁殖行为，全额支持权利人的上诉赔偿请求。
• 创新司法举措，为解决赔偿数额计算难题提供新思路。例如在“冈优188”水稻、“先玉508”玉米等品种侵权案中，在缺少有关侵权种子数量直接证据的情况下，选择对品种权人有利的计算方式，参考中国种业大数据平台种子备案数量确定损害赔偿，为解决赔偿数额计算难题提供了新思路。
• 善用多元解纷，努力促成双方当事人达成调解或授权合作。例如在“莱克思蒂（LEXTEEWS）”等玫瑰品种侵权案和涉“手撕凤梨”种植合同纠纷案中，审理法院加大调解工作力度，促使各方当事人化“侵权实施”为“合法许可”。
• 强化刑事制裁，严打包括侵害商业秘密在内的种业领域犯罪行为。例如在涉“荃优822”水稻品种侵犯商业秘密罪案中，认定邓某进等四人构成侵犯商业秘密罪，分别判处有期徒刑一年二个月至十个月不等，并处罚金二十万元到二万元不等，严厉打击种业领域犯罪行为。

资料来源：最高人民法院  2025-03-20

新闻链接：https://www.court.gov.cn/zixun/xiangqing/459651.html

State Council Issues Regulations on Handling Foreign-Related Intellectual Property Disputes

Date: 19 March 2025

The Regulations, comprising 18 articles, will take effect on 1 May 2025. They focus on four key areas: enhancing services, strengthening corporate capacity building, regulating overseas investigation and evidence collection, and countering unfair treatment.

Enhancing Services: the Regulations mandate that the State Council’s intellectual property administrative departments, along with relevant departments such as those in charge of commerce and judicial administration, shall strengthen foreign-related IP information query services and early warning work, conduct analysis and research of typical cases and improve institutions and working procedures for guiding the handling of foreign-related intellectual property disputes.

Strengthening Corporate Capacity Building: the Regulations support enterprises to establish mutual assistance funds for the protection of foreign-related intellectual property rights, encourage insurance institutions to carry out insurance business related to foreign-related intellectual property rights in accordance with market-oriented principles, and reduce the cost of enterprise rights protection.

Regulating Overseas Investigation and Evidence Collection: the Regulations stipulate that if evidence or related materials need to be provided to overseas parties, they shall comply with laws and administrative regulations on safeguarding state secrets, data security, personal information protection, technology export management, and judicial assistance, etc.

Countering Unfair Treatment: the Regulations stipulate that if foreign entities use IP disputes as an excuse to contain and suppress China, adopt discriminatory restrictive measures against Chinese citizens and organizations, or interfere in China's internal affairs, relevant departments of the State Council may, in accordance with laws such as the Foreign Relations Law and the Anti Foreign Sanctions Law, include the organizations and individuals directly or indirectly involved in formulating, deciding, and implementing discriminatory restrictive measures in, a countermeasures list, and impose on them corresponding countermeasures and restrictive measures.

Source: The State Council of the People’s Republic of China

https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/202503/content_7014486.htm

国务院发布《国务院关于涉外知识产权纠纷处理的规定》

日期：2025-03-19

《规定》共18条，自2025年5月1日施行，主要内容包括加强服务、加强企业能力建设、规制境外调查取证与反制不公平待遇四方面。

在加强服务方面，《规定》明确国务院知识产权管理部门以及商务、司法行政等有关部门，加强国外知识产权信息查询服务和预警，开展典型案例分析研究，健全涉外知识产权纠纷处理指导工作机构和工作规程；在加强企业能力建设方面，《规定》支持企业设立涉外知识产权保护维权互助基金，鼓励保险机构按照市场化原则开展涉外知识产权相关保险业务，降低企业维权成本； 在境外调查取证方面，《规定》明确需要向境外提供证据或者相关材料的，应当遵守保守国家秘密、数据安全、个人信息保护、技术出口管理、司法协助等法律、行政法规规定；在反制不公平待遇方面，《规定》指出，外国国家以知识产权纠纷为借口对中国进行遏制、打压，对中国公民、组织采取歧视性限制措施，干涉中国内政的，国务院有关部门可以依照《中华人民共和国对外关系法》、《中华人民共和国反外国制裁法》等法律将直接或者间接参与制定、决定、实施歧视性限制措施的组织、个人列入反制清单，采取相应反制和限制措施。

资料来源：国务院  2025-03-19

新闻链接：https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/202503/content_7014486.htm

CNIPA Rejects Applications for Squatting ‘DEEPSEEK’ and Related Trademarks

Date: 25 February 2025

DeepSeek, developed and released by Hangzhou DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence Basic Technology Research Co., Ltd., has attracted widespread attention worldwide. Certain enterprises and individuals have submitted trademark registration applications to CNIPA for the registration of trademarks that include the name ‘DEEPSEEK’ and its officially logo.

Some trademark agencies were suspected of providing unlawful services to facilitate the filing of these applications, demonstrating a clear intent of ‘riding on hot topics’ and seeking unjust benefits. CNIPA has resolutely cracked down on such malicious registration, rejecting 63 trademark applications, including the ‘DEEPSEEK’ application No. 82848449.

The CNIPA pointed out that it will continue to maintain a high-pressure crack down on malicious trademark registration, and will handle acts that violate the principle of good faith, malicious trademark registration, and intend to seek unjust benefits, in accordance with the law. CNIPA will resolutely maintain the order of trademark registration and continue to create a good business environment.

Source: CNIPA

https://www.cnipa.gov.cn/art/2025/2/25/art_53_197649.html

国知局依法驳回抢注“DEEPSEEK”等相关商标注册的申请

日期：2025-02-25

杭州深度求索人工智能基础技术研究有限公司研发的DeepSeek人工智能大模型在全球范围内引发了广泛关注。个别企业和自然人以社会公众普遍知悉的人工智能大模型名称

“DEEPSEEK”或“”图形，向国家知识产权局商标局提交了商标注册申请，个别代理机构涉嫌提供不法服务，具有明显“蹭热点”、谋取不当利益的意图。国家知识产权局坚决打击此类恶意申请行为，依法对第82848449号“DEEPSEEK”等63件商标注册申请予以驳回。

国知局指出，将一如既往地保持打击商标恶意注册行为的高压态势，对违反诚实信用原则、恶意申请商标注册、意图牟取不当利益的行为依法处理，坚决维护商标注册秩序，持续营造良好营商环境。

资料来源：国家知识产权局

新闻链接：https://www.cnipa.gov.cn/art/2025/2/25/art_53_197649.html