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Intellectual property in China

Intellectual property in China
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Intellectual property in China. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
The Molly Tea logo that attracted Louis Vuitton’s ire. Photo: Weibo/Molly Tea
China consumption

Court orders Chinese tea chain to pay Louis Vuitton US$1.5m in trademark row

Shenzhen-based Molly Tea says it plans to appeal against the ruling.

Hong Kong economy

Opinion | Hong Kong is the best anchor for Chinese firms seeking global waters

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Pop Mart

China’s Pop Mart eyes expansion at home and abroad for its Pop Land theme park

Artificial intelligence

ByteDance adds watermarking, IP checks to Seedance 2.0 ahead of global launch

TikTok parent ByteDance says guardrails will protect Seedance 2.0 as it expands globally despite intense scrutiny from Hollywood.

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Video-generation model Seedance 2.0 is displayed at the Zhongguancun Exhibition Center in Beijing on March 25.Photo: Xinhua
China consumption

Chinese bubble tea chain Mixue straps in for theme park project

World’s largest food-service chain is looking to monetise its Snow King mascot and give a boost to hometown economy.

US-China tech war

US ruling on Insta360 infringing GoPro patent has no impact on current offerings

The ruling does not affect Insta360’s current offerings as the ban on camera design infringement only affects legacy models.

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Pop Mart

Pop Mart’s Merodi Hong Kong debut highlights challenges of sustaining IP success

Toymaker’s latest character launch draws tepid demand, raising questions about the company’s reliance on Labubu’s success.

The Merodi After School series features a mischievous little girl with the magical ability to talk to animals. Photo: Handout
Artificial intelligence

China’s tech giants pursue AI, semiconductor talent in US amid fierce rivalry

ByteDance, Baidu, Alibaba Cloud and MiniMax are among the firms now actively recruiting fresh talent in the US.

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Technology

China dominates global patent race with record filings

China filed nearly half of all patents worldwide in 2024, outpacing the US by more than threefold, WIPO data show.

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US-China trade war

Explainer | What are Section 337 investigations, and why is China so concerned about them?

The US intellectual property probes are a potent tool that can lead to total bans on certain products. Many of them target Chinese firms.

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Section 337 investigations are one of several tools used by the United States to target alleged unfair trading practices by Chinese companies. Photo: Shutterstock
China manufacturing

China closes biotech gap with US as new drugs, pipelines top 30% of global total

Beijing has ramped up support for the bioeconomy with a five-year plan aimed at making the country a global leader by 2035.

Operating microscope and the flag of China. Photo: Shutterstock
Hong Kong economy

Editorial | Global IP treaty can help Hong Kong secure its creative edge

As the city exports more of its proprietary products and services, especially from its creative industries, IP protection is timely and necessary.

Semiconductors

Beijing E-Town Semiconductor sues Applied Materials over tech infringement

The Chinese chip equipment maker is seeking US$14 million as compensation from its US competitor.

Artificial intelligence

China rejects OpenAI’s GPT-5 trademark application

Chinese regulators last year also denied OpenAI’s efforts to register ChatGPT and GPT as trademarks on the mainland.

GPT-5 is OpenAI’s new flagship artificial intelligence model. Photo: Shutterstock
Banking & finance

Pop Mart sues 7-Eleven stores in US for alleged Labubu trademark infringements

Convenience stores allegedly sell fake Labubu toys and products, hurting its business and reputation, Pop Mart says in California lawsuit.

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Customers look at Labubu dolls on display in a Pop Mart store in Las Vegas July 12, 2025. Photo: Las Vegas Review-Journal/TNS
China-EU relations

WTO reverses parts of decision in EU-China intellectual property dispute

In April, WTO rejected the EU’s 2022 complaint that China had violated the global watchdog’s IP rules over patents for 3G, 4G and 5G tech.

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China exports

Labubu mania

Beijing-based Pop Mart has become the world’s most-valuable listed toy company on the back of demand for Labubu, a Nordic-like elf that has won fans around the world.

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China economy

Opinion | Global hit Labubu was forged in the heat of China’s demanding market

In China’s demanding market that’s shifting towards emotionally driven spending, creative brands that succeed can look to conquer the world.

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This Labubu figurine, displayed before an auction in Beijing, on June 6, was sold for 1.08 million yuan (US$150,499), setting a record for the most expensive Labubu sold. Photo: Reuters
Banking & finance

With The Monsters, Monkey King and Ne Zha, China IP businesses brace for growth

China’s IP sales are projected to grow at an annual rate of 17.2 per cent through 2029 after reaching US$1 billion in 2024, CICC says.

China exports

China’s viral Labubu toy has an unlikely fan – the ruling Communist Party

Top theoretical journal says Pop Mart’s success shows China ‘has cultivated a robust innovation ecosystem’, with ‘seeds of creativity’ sprouting everywhere.

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Banking & finance

Chinese toymaker Pop Mart launches new pop culture magazine called Playground

Pop Mart’s new magazine, Playground, explores social connections and seeks to unlock opportunities for its intellectual properties.

Pop Mart’s new Playground magazine. Photo: Handout
US-China trade war

USTR’s comments on China in latest trade barriers report

Two days before additional tariffs were announced on ‘Liberation Day’, the US trade agency released a report detailing foreign countries’ policies deemed to be trade barriers. China took up one-eighth of the volume.

A cargo ship at the port of Oakland. Photo: Reuters
US-China relations

China unveils rule to fight ‘restrictive’ measures in international IP disputes

The regulation, aimed at striking back against external ‘containment and suppression’, appears to target the US and EU – without naming them.

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Science

East China court rules that AI-generated image should have copyright protection

In the second such case in mainland China, a court orders companies to apologise and pay damages for using plaintiff’s AI-generated art.

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Diplomacy

Brazil’s Lula chides Beijing, EU, US for practices that gave China its tech edge

The Brazilian president also hinted that he may file a WTO complaint against Washington’s tariffs.

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Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during the opening ceremony of the 99th National Meeting of the Construction Industry at National Confederation of Industry headquarters, in Brasilia in November. Photo: EPA-EFE
E-commerce

Temu, Shein branch deeper into selling toys during holiday shopping season

The two popular budget-shopping platforms are looking to win a bigger slice of the global market for toys.

Both Temu and Shein are seeing increased international demand for toys. Photo: Shutterstock
Hong Kong economy

Opinion | How IP can unlock new horizons for Hong Kong’s small businesses

By embracing intellectual property, SMEs and start-ups can unleash their full potential, attract investment and expand into global markets.

Semiconductors

Chinese power chipmaker Innoscience found to have infringed rival’s patent

The US International Trade Commission rules that Innoscience infringed one of the patents of American firm Efficient Power Conversion Corp.

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