China’s IP Landscape Shifts: Declining Filings Amid Strengthened Enforcement and Quality Controls

Analyzing intellectual property trends in China at the outset of the nation’s new five-year plan reveals contrasting developments between filing volumes and enforcement activities. While registrations of trademarks, patents, and software copyrights have declined, administrative and judicial authorities are achieving notable progress in protecting IP rights.

Trademark registrations have nearly halved since 2021, dropping from a record 7.74 million to 4.21 million in 2025. Invention patent grants also fell by 7% in 2025, marking the first decline after four years of double-digit growth. Software copyright filings, which surpassed 10 million in 2024, have plateaued.

These trends indicate a deliberate effort by Chinese authorities to reduce the backlog of low-quality or speculative IP filings accumulated since the launch of the "National Strategy of China for the Intellectual Property." This initiative had previously encouraged widespread filing by lowering costs, expediting procedures, and rewarding volume.

Specifically, the government aims to combat trademark hoarding, patent applications lacking novelty submitted solely to obtain subsidies, and template-based software copyright registrations filed primarily for certification.

Trademark applications decreased from 9.45 million in 2020 to 6.97 million in 2024, with 2025 figures not yet officially released. The 2019 revision of China’s Trademark Law, which prohibited registrations filed in bad faith without intent to use, contributed to this decline. A draft revision now proposes a stronger requirement that trademarks reflect the applicant’s genuine "production or commercial need."

Trademark agents are also under scrutiny. A recent ruling by the Guangzhou IP Court held a trademark agent jointly liable with a client for damages caused by bad-faith filings. This case was selected by the Supreme People’s Court as an exemplary case for 2026.

On the patent front, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) has intensified efforts to curb "abnormal" utility model and design patent applications, which typically lack substantive examination. Applications lacking novelty are increasingly rejected.

Software copyright registrations, the most filed IP right in China, exceeded 10 million in 2024. In March 2026, the Copyright Protection Centre launched a campaign targeting abnormal software copyright applications.

Across trademarks, patents, and copyrights, the system is being streamlined to enhance the intrinsic quality of registered IP rights.

However, the tightening of examination standards has produced unintended consequences. Examiners, under pressure to meet quantitative key performance indicators, have raised thresholds, resulting in rejections of applications that would have previously been accepted. This shift has caught legitimate filings in the crossfire.

Trademark examiners have become more stringent in applying absolute grounds for refusal, including descriptiveness, deceptiveness, and adverse social impact, increasing the risk of legitimate marks being denied.

For patents, the CNIPA is focusing on invention patents, with a growing number rejected for lack of inventive step based on references to "common knowledge." Even granted patents are being invalidated on similar grounds. Appeals are possible but have a low success rate of around 3%.

China’s administrative enforcement operates on two separate tracks. The CNIPA and its local offices handle patent infringement disputes through administrative adjudication. Caseloads increased from 49,800 in 2021 to 72,000 in 2024. In 2025, the CNIPA concluded 9,341 adjudication cases and 62,000 mediation cases, reflecting a policy shift favoring mediation.

Trademark infringement and counterfeiting cases are investigated and penalized by local market supervision authorities under the market regulation system. These authorities handled approximately 39,400 cases in 2023, 40,400 in 2024, and 36,000 in 2025. The CNIPA is drafting new rules concerning e-commerce platform obligations in trademark infringement investigations and guidelines on assessing trademark similarity in administrative enforcement.

Administrative enforcement does not award damages—only courts can do so—but it remains the fastest method to halt infringement, especially at trade shows, on e-commerce platforms, and at Customs.

Effective enforcement strategies often combine administrative action to stop infringing activities with civil litigation to recover damages and deter repeat offenses. For seasonal or time-sensitive products, administrative enforcement is often the primary recourse.