On 28 January 2026, the Intellectual Property Court of China’s Supreme People’s Court published its 2025 annual report, offering detailed insight into litigation trends involving both domestic and foreign rights-holders. The report highlights a continued rise in cases with overseas elements, with 449 new matters involving foreign parties or litigants from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, representing almost 17 per cent of all new filings. The court concluded 492 such cases during the year, marking a year-on-year increase of 15.8 per cent and underlining the growing role of China’s top IP court in resolving cross-border disputes.

Technology-related intellectual property and antitrust disputes remained a central focus of the court’s workload. In 2025, a total of 4,679 cases were handled, including new filings, concluded matters and pending cases. While new filings rose modestly compared to 2024, the number of cases concluded increased significantly, reflecting improved efficiency. Since its establishment in 2019, the court has accepted more than 24,000 cases and concluded the vast majority of them, demonstrating its importance in shaping consistent judicial standards in complex IP matters. Patent disputes dominated both civil and administrative second-instance proceedings, particularly those relating to patent validity and rejection decisions.

The report also points to a sharp increase in the use of punitive damages, signalling a tougher stance against serious IP infringement. In 2025, punitive damages were applied in 30 cases, with total awards exceeding RMB 1.13 billion, and a growing number of cases involving damages above RMB 10 million. Most foreign litigants originated from the European Union and the United States, followed by Japan and South Korea, reflecting sustained international engagement with China’s IP enforcement system. These developments reinforce the message that China continues to strengthen judicial protection for intellectual property, particularly in high-value and technology-driven disputes.

If you have any inquiries regarding intellectual property matters in Greater China, please contact us at mail@so-ipr.com.