SPC Issues Guiding Opinions on Implementing the Private Economy Promotion Law
Date: 8 August 2025
On 20 May this year, the Private Economy Promotion Law officially came into effect. This law provides stronger protection for the original innovations of private economic organizations and their operators by enhancing intellectual property protection, implementing the punitive damages system for IP infringement, and mandating the legal investigation and prosecution of illegal acts such as the infringement of exclusive trademark rights, patent rights, copyrights, the misappropriation of trade secrets, and the commission of acts of misleading conduct. Building on this, the Supreme People's Court released its Guiding Opinions, which outline specific judicial measures to support the growth of the private economy. These measures are organized around key areas: ensuring fair competition through equal protection, promoting healthy development through standardized operations, safeguarding legitimate rights and interests through strict and just law enforcement, and improving the effectiveness of protection by strengthening the judicial system.
Specifically for intellectual property, the Guiding Opinions require People's Courts to boost judicial enforcement of anti-monopoly and anti-unfair competition laws to regulate market-disrupting behavior. The courts are directed to accurately distinguish between the normal exercise of IP rights and their abuse to restrict competition. The Opinions also call for increased protection of innovative achievements, including the curbing of malicious and fraudulent IP litigation, and the fair handling of high-tech IP cases to enhance judicial protection of key technological innovations. Furthermore, they mandate the study and formulation of guiding opinions on the application of punitive damages, refining adjudication rules and recognition standards to fully leverage the system's inherent value in punishing infringement, effectively remedying abuse of rights, and incentivizing innovation and creation.
Crossover patent litigation, which involves both civil and administrative proceedings, is often marked by procedural delays—where one case must await the outcome of another —
and inconsistent judicial standards. To address this, the Guiding Opinions require People's Courts to strengthen the procedural coordination and outcome alignment for these cases. They also call for the establishment of a sound collaborative mechanism with the CNIPA to accelerate administrative patent confirmation procedures related to civil patent cases, thereby promoting substantive dispute resolution. Furthermore, they emphasize intensifying efforts to coordinate and unify nationwide judicial standards for mass enforcement cases by the publication of typical cases and regulatory guidelines. Additionally, the Guiding Opinions direct courts to draft guiding opinions on the judicial protection of data property rights, the proper handling of data rights disputes, and the management of legal disputes related to artificial intelligence to promote the industry's healthy and orderly development.
Source: Supreme People’s Court of China
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/jYwyY7vDuMgY4mlVaqtqXA
最高人民法院发布《关于贯彻落实〈中华人民共和国民营经济促进法〉的指导意见》
日期：2025-08-08
今年5月20日，《民营经济促进法》正式实施，要求加强对民营经济组织及其经营者原始创新的保护，加强知识产权保护力度，实施知识产权侵权惩罚性赔偿制度，依法查处侵犯商标专用权、专利权、著作权和侵犯商业秘密、仿冒混淆等违法行为。在此基础上，最高法发布《指导意见》，围绕平等保护保障公平竞争、规范经营促推健康发展、严格公正执法保障合法权益、健全司法体制提升保障效能几个方面，提出司法保障民营经济发展壮大的具体举措。
具体到知识产权保护上，《指导意见》要求人民法院加强反垄断和反不正当竞争司法力度，规制破坏公平竞争、扰乱市场秩序等行为。准确认定知识产权正常行使行为与滥用知识产权排除、限制竞争行为的界限。加大创新成果知识产权保护力度，遏制知识产权恶意诉讼、虚假诉讼行为。依法审理涉高新技术领域知识产权案件，提升关键领域科技创新成果司法保护水平。研究制定惩罚性赔偿适用指导意见，完善裁判规则，细化认定标准，发挥知识产权惩罚性赔偿惩戒侵权行为、有效救济权利、激励创新创造的制度价值。
针对专利民行交叉情形下的“一案等一案”问题以及裁判尺度不统一问题，《指导意见》要求人民法院努力实现专利民行交叉案件审理程序衔接和结果协调；会同国知局建立健全案件审理协同机制，加快推进与专利民事案件关联的专利确权行政程序，促进实质解纷。加大力度统筹知识产权批量维权案件审理工作，通过印发典型案例、指导规范等方式统一全国批量维权案件裁判尺度。此外，《指导意见》还要求人民法院研究起草数据产权司法保护指导意见，妥善处理数据权益纠纷。依法审理涉人工智能纠纷案件，引导人工智能产业健康有序发展。
资料来源：最高人民法院 2025-08-08
新闻链接：https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/jYwyY7vDuMgY4mlVaqtqXA
CNIPA Revises Measures for Expedited Examination of Trademark Registration Applications
Date: 18 July 2025
The newly revised Examination Measures focus on optimizing the Examination Measures (Trial) issued CNIPA in 2022 as follows:
1. Expanding the applicable scope of expedited trademark examination: trademark registration applications in strategic emerging industries (commercial aerospace, low-altitude economy, deep-sea technology, etc.) and future industries (biomanufacturing, quantum technology, embodied intelligence, 6G, etc.) related to national development now constitute a new eligible category. Additionally, trademark registration applications for marks related to national or provincial key cultural heritage, modern industrial systems promoted by provincial governments, and industrial chains centered on the development of new quality productivity, will be added to the category of marks eligible for expedited examination.
2. Expanding the types of trademark eligible for expedited examination: the types of trademark eligible for expedited examination have been expanded from ‘consisting solely of text’ to ‘text, graphics, letters, numbers, or a combination of these elements.’
3. Expanding the scope of designated goods or service: the original Measures (Trial) limited the scope of designated goods or services to the specific goods or services listed in the Classification Table of Similar Goods and Services. The new Measures expand the scope to include goods and services the CNIPA publicly announces, better meeting the trademark registration needs of emerging industries, new business formats, and new models.
4. Optimizing the Examination Procedure: under the new Examination Measures, CNIPA is obligated to notify applicants within five working days if their request for expedited examination is denied. Upon notification, the application will automatically be transferred to the standard review process.
Source: CNIPA
https://www.cnipa.gov.cn/art/2025/7/18/art_569_200677.html?xxgkhide=1
国知局发布修订后的《商标注册申请快速审查办法》
日期：2025-07-18
与2022年国知局发布的《审查办法（试行）》相比，新修订的《审查办法》在以下方面作出了优化修订：
1. 扩大商标快速审查适用范围：将涉及国家发展的战略性新兴产业（商业航天、低空经济、深海科技等）和未来产业（生物制造、量子科技、具身智能、6G等）的商标注册申请作为新的一种情形，并将涉及国家或省级重要文化遗产、省级政府推动构建的现代化产业体系、围绕发展新质生产力布局的产业链等的商标注册申请纳入适用范围。
2. 增加可申请注册商标类型：将快速审查请求所限定的商标类型由“仅由文字构成”扩大至“文字、图形、字母、数字或以上要素的组合”。
3. 放宽指定商品或服务项目名称范围：原《办法（试行）》将指定商品或服务项目的范围限定为《类似商品和服务区分表》列出的标准名称，《办法》放宽至国知局公开的所有可接受商品和服务项目，更好满足新产业新业态新模式的商标注册申请需求。
4. 优化审查程序：明确国知局对不符合要求的快速审查请求具有通知义务，应在5个工作日内告知申请人，并将申请转为一般程序处理。
资料来源：国家知识产权局 2025-07-18
新闻链接：https://www.cnipa.gov.cn/art/2025/7/18/art_569_200677.html?xxgkhide=1
The French Red-soled Heels Brand Prevails in Trademark Infringement Lawsuit - Compensation RMB 10 Million
Date: 21 August 2025
The Chengdu Intermediate People's Court has rendered a significant trademark infringement judgment in favor of the French red-soled high heel brand, ordering a family of four, which operated as a unit. to pay the brand RMB 10 million (approx. US$1,400,000) in compensation.
The Plaintiff, a French Company, is famous for its red-soled high heels and obtained exclusive license to a series of red-soled high-heeled shoe pattern trademarks in China. The four Defendants produced and sold infringing products through two companies via e-commerce platforms. Trading records indicate that the infringing products generated sales revenue of RMB 28.94 million (approx. US$ 4,000,000). During the trial, the Chengdu Intermediate People's Court recognized the foreign evidence submitted by the Plaintiff, the French company, based on the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents, and affirmed its right to bring a lawsuit as a licensee. Regarding the amount of compensation, the Court held that the four Defendants had acted with obvious malice and committed serious infringement, warranting punitive damages. The Court ultimately held them jointly and severally liable for compensation of RMB 10 million (approx.US$ 1,400,000) for economic loss and RMB 180,000 (approx. US$ 25,000) for the Plaintiff’s reasonable expenses for defending its rights.
Source: IP Economy
https://www.ipeconomy.cn/casereport/9717.html?sessionid=
法国“红底高跟鞋”品牌商标侵权胜诉，获赔高达1000万元
日期：2025-08-21
克莱蒙及其合伙人公司系红底高跟鞋图案商标的专有权人，本案原告法国某公司取得上述商标的独占许可权。本案四被告为亲属关系，通过两家公司生产、电商销售使用上述商标的侵权产品。交易情况显示侵权产品销售额高达2894万元。成都中院在审理中依据《取消外国公文书认证要求的公约》认可了原告法国某公司提交的境外证据，确认了其作为被许可人提起诉讼的权利。而在认定赔偿金额时，法院认为，四被告主观恶意明显、侵权情节严重，应当适用惩罚性赔偿，最终确认四人连带赔偿1000万元经济损失及18万元的维权合理开支。
资料来源：知产财经 2025-08-21
新闻链接：https://www.ipeconomy.cn/casereport/9717.html?sessionid=
GuangDong High People's Court and Chongqing High People's Court Find Kuaishou Platform Liable for Copyright Infringement - Total Damages Reaching RMB 89.1 Million (approx. US$ 12,500,000) in the Two Cases
Date: 27 August 2025
Kuaishou is a leading User-Generated Content (UGC) short-video platform in China. Typically, it is shielded from liability for user-uploaded content under the "safe harbor" principle, provided it promptly removes infringing material upon notification from rights holders. However, two recent landmark cases involving Tencent have demonstrated the limits of this protection, resulting in significant penalties for the platform.
These two cases concern the variety show Deyun Laughter Club and the TV series Lost You Forever respectively, the copyright in both owned by Tencent. In the Deyun Laughter Club case, Tencent alleged that since the show’s first season, over 26,000 unauthorized clips had appeared on Kuaishou. It argued that the platform had not only failed to curb repeat infringements from numerous accounts but had actively amplified the pirated content's reach by creating dedicated hashtags such as #DeYunLaughterClub, substantively replacing the market for Tencent’s copyrighted content. Tencent sent a total of 2,179 takedown notices throughout the show's run, but Kuaishou's removal rate dropped significantly in the later stages, with some infringing links first reported in 2021 still accessible in 2024.
In its second-instance ruling, the Guangdong High People's Court found Kuaishou liable for both direct and contributory infringement. The Court noted that Kuaishou's own official account, Kuaishou Variety, had directly infringed Tencent's rights by posting 18 clips during the show's peak popularity. Furthermore, despite clear knowledge of the show's high profile and the obvious nature of the infringement, Kuaishou failed to act promptly in relation to 474 infringing links for over seven business days. Meanwhile, in addition to the lack of effectivel measures against repeated infringing accounts, Kuaishou even aggregated and promoted infringing content through relevant platform functions, demonstrating significant subjective fault and contributing to infringement. Concluding that Kuaishou's infringement was intentional and the circumstances serious, the Court awarded punitive damages and ordered Kuaishou to pay the full RMB 60 million (approx. US$ 8,500,000) sought by Tencent.
A similar pattern of infringement occurred in the second case involving the hit drama Lost You Forever. Kuaishou's platform was flooded with a massive volume of user-uploaded pirated content in various forms, including short clips, livestreams, and compilations. The case ultimately reached the Chongqing High People's Court on appeal. The Chongqing High People's Court held that Kuaishou's platform contained a large number of infringing videos, and that Kuaishou had failed to take necessary measures after receiving infringement notices from Tencent. Furthermore, Kuaishou had failed to promptly address livestreaming accounts that continued to infringe, despite repeated complaints, constituting contributory infringement of both the right of communication to the public on information networks and the right of broadcasting. Given Kuaishou's intentional infringement and the serious nature of the circumstances, the Court imposed double punitive damages, the economic loss and reasonable expenses totaling RMB 29.103 million (approx. US$ 4,000,000).
Source: Jiangsu Legal Daily
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/UoIN-grGqGvHy0ZPVQ8tvg
广东、重庆两地法院认定快手未就平台上侵权内容履行充分版权保护义务，合计判决快手赔偿8910万元
日期：2025-08-27
快手是中国头部用户上传内容的短视频平台。通常情况下，权利人可通过快手建立的版权投诉机制要求下架侵权链接，在避风港原则保护下，快手只要及时采取相应措施，就无须为用户上传内容承担侵权责任。然而， 最近两起案件中，法院均认定快手对侵权内容负有责任，判决快手承担高额赔偿。
本次快手所涉两案分别与《德云斗笑社》节目《长相思》电视剧有关，在“《德云斗笑社》案”中，权利人腾讯公司诉称，自《德云斗笑社》第一季开播起，快手平台用户未经授权上传超2.6万条侵权视频，大量账号被多次投诉后仍重复侵权，对腾讯公司的正版内容形成实质性替代；快手方通过创建“#德云斗笑社”话题等功能为侵权视频提供流量支持。腾讯方累计向快手方发送2179封预警函及侵权通知，但快手方后期对侵权链接的下线率大幅下降，且对重复侵权账号仅采取轻微封禁措施，甚至有2021年投诉的侵权链接2024年仍在传播。
广东高院二审认为，首先，快手方的官方账号“快手综艺”在涉案作品热播期发布18条侵权视频，直接侵害了涉案作品信息网络传播权；同时，快手公司在明知涉案作品知名度高、侵权信息明显的情况下，未及时处置474条超7个工作日未下线的侵权链接；未有效管控重复侵权账号，还通过相关平台功能聚合、推广侵权内容，主观过错明显，构成帮助侵权。基于此，广东高院认定快手侵权主观故意明显、情节严重，应适用惩罚性赔偿，最终确定全额支持腾讯方6000万元诉请。
在“《长相思》案”中，快手方的侵权形式与“《德云斗笑社》案”类似，即其平台上存在大量用户上传的侵权内容，涵盖剧集切条、直播播放、合集整理等多种形式，本案最终上诉至重庆高院。重庆高院认为，快手平台存在大量侵权视频，而快手方在接到腾讯方发出的侵权通知后，未采取必要措施，同时对屡次被投诉仍继续侵权的直播账号未及时处理，分别构成信息网络传播权和广播权的帮助侵权。鉴于快手方故意侵权，且情节严重，应适用一倍惩罚性赔偿，最终确定快手方应赔偿腾讯方经济损失及合理开支共计2910.3万元。
资料来源：江苏法治报 2025-08-27