Ai-Leen Lim

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Chinese courts see upsurge in criminal IP litigation

By Ai-Leen Lim, Ashley Zhao | Posted on June 16, 2025

On 21 April 2025 the Supreme People’s Court released an annual report entitled “The Status of Judicial Protection of Intellectual Property Rights in Chinese Courts (2024)” (“中国法院知识产权司法保护状况(2024年)”), in both Chinese and English. This update will highlight some of the IP and trademark trends across China found in the report, including an increase in criminal cases and in cases involving...

Tags: china, damages, Litigation

China’s First AI-Generated Picture Copyright Infringement Case

By Ai-Leen Lim, Ashley Zhao | Posted on April 8, 2025

In November 2023, the Beijing Internet Court issued a first-instance judgment in China’s first “AI-generated picture copyright infringement case”, clarifying that the AI-generated picture involved in the case has the quality of “originality”, reflecting the original intellectual input of human beings, and thus should be recognised as a work and protected by copyright law. The...

Tags: AI, artificial intelligence, china, copyright

CNIPA releases detailed guidelines on trademark licences

By Ai-Leen Lim | Posted on January 27, 2025

China’s Trademark Law stipulates that, when granting others the right to use registered trademarks, the licensor must record the licence with the China Trademark Office (CTMO). On 29 October 2024 the China National Intellectual Property Association (CNIPA) released the Guidelines on Registration Procedures for Trademark Licences, to help businesses understand the relevant legal provisions and...

Tags: china, CNIPA, Guidelines, licences, registration, trademarks

CNIPA’s Regulations on Collective and Certification Trademarks: keypoints highlighted

By Ai-Leen Lim | Posted on April 17, 2024

The regulations contain 28 provisions across several critical topics Registrants of collective and certification marks must implement several acts to carry out their trademark management duties Registrants do not have the right to prohibit certain legitimate uses of geographical names contained in collective and certification marks The China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) issued the...

Tags: certification trademarks, china, CNIPA, collective trademarks, trademarks

CNIPA issues draft regulations on GIs – what you need to know

By Ai-Leen Lim | Posted on December 5, 2023

On 18 September 2023 the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) issued the “Draft Regulations on the Protection of Geographical Indication Products for Comment” (“地理标志产品保护规定(征求意见稿)”). The draft regulations are open to public comment until 2 November 2023. Background The draft regulations are part of the CNIPA’s first-ever “Five-Year Plan for the Protection and Utilisation of...

Tags: china, CNIPA, Geographical Indications, GIs

Reducing the burden – China issues rules on suspending trademark review cases

By Ai-Leen Lim, Ashley Zhao | Posted on July 13, 2023

On June 13, 2023, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) issued an Interpretation on the Rules for Suspension of Review Cases《评审案件中止情形规范》解读. The Rules will improve several aspects of trademark practice in China for brand owners as they aim to decrease repeated trademark filings and legal proceedings. The Rules detail multiple situations where a suspension...

Tags: china, review cases, suspension, trademarks

China trials fast-track examination for trademark applications

By Ai-Leen Lim, Ashley Zhao | Posted on March 9, 2022

On 14 January 2022 the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) released the Measures for Fast-track Examination of Trademark Registration Applications (for Trial Implementation). The measures became effective on the same day and apply to four specific categories of trademark applications that will be eligible for fast-track procedures. If all conditions are met and fast-track examination...

Tags: china, trademarks

China issues Opinions on Judging Trademark Violations

By Ai-Leen Lim, Ashley Zhao | Posted on January 28, 2022

The National Intellectual Property Administration of China (CNIPA) issued the Standard for Judging General Trademark Violations (Standard) on December 13, 2021. It entered into force on January 1, 2022. Background In China, the Administration for Market Regulation (AMR) at the state, provincial, municipal and county levels (including all branches) are the enforcement authority tasked with administering and...

Tags: china, Standard, Trademark, Violations

China endorses good-faith commitment when applying for well-known status

By Ai-Leen Lim | Posted on November 8, 2021

From 1 September 2021 applicants and their trademark agents or representing agency will be required to sign and seal a “Letter of Commitment to the Good Faith of the Parties Requesting the Protection of Well-Known Trademarks” (当事人请求驰名商标保护诚信承诺书). Background Well-known status for Chinese trademarks is typically requested through: the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA), either directly or...

Tags: china, trademarks, well-known

Lego’s compensation increased tenfold by appeal court

By Ai-Leen Lim | Posted on May 12, 2021

On 1 April 2020 the Guangdong Higher People’s Court announced that it had awarded Danish toymaker Lego Rmb30 million (approximately $4.58 million) in damages for trademark infringement and unfair competition against Guangdong Meizhi Zhijiao Technology Co Ltd and three other defendants. The amount was increased tenfold compared to an earlier decision by the Guangzhou Intellectual...

Tags: china, compensation, Infringement, lego, trademarks

Recent contributors

Laura Stravinskaite

Laura Stravinskaite

Senior Associate, Attorney at Law

Ai-Leen Lim

Ai-Leen Lim

Partner, Attorney at Law, Group Vice President

Ashley Zhao

Ashley Zhao

Partner, Attorney at Law, Business Area Manager

Troels Peter Rørdam

Troels Peter Rørdam

Senior Counsel, European Patent Attorney

Mikkel Roed Trier

Mikkel Roed Trier

Partner, European Patent Attorney, UPC Representative, Business Area Manager