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China Trademark Law 2026 Revision: Key Changes Every Brand Owner Must Know

Introduction China has completed the most consequential rewrite of its Trademark Law in over a decade. On June 26, 2026, the 23rd Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Fourteenth National People's Congress adopted a comprehensive revision of the Trademark Law of the People's Republic of China — the fifth amendment since the law was first enacted in 1982, and the first substantive overhaul since the narrow 2019 revision. The revised law, comprising 87 articles across nine chapters (up from 73 articles in eight chapters under the outgoing law), will enter into force on January 1, 2027. Trademarks registered before that date remain valid. For brand owners, in-house counsel, and IP practitioners with China exposure, this is not a routine update. The revision touches registration standards, opposition timelines, well-known mark protection, damages calculations, and — perhaps most significantly — the treatment of bad-faith and speculative filings that have long troubled foreig...
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Patent (Amendment) Rules, 2019: Expanded Scope for Expedited Examination

The Patent (Amendment) Rules, 2019 came into effect on September 17, 2019, introducing significant changes to the framework governing expedited examination of patent applications in India.

Rule 24(C) has been amended to expand the categories of applicants eligible for expedited examination. Previously limited to a narrow set of circumstances, the Rule now recognizes ten distinct categories under which an applicant may request expedited examination:

  1. Where India has been indicated as the International Searching Authority (ISA) or elected as the International Preliminary Examining Authority (IPEA) in the corresponding PCT application;
  2. Where the applicant qualifies as a start-up;
  3. Where the applicant qualifies as a small entity;
  4. Where the applicant(s) is/are natural person(s), and at least one such applicant is a female;
  5. Where the applicant is a Government Department;
  6. Where the applicant is an institution established by a Central, Provincial, or State Act, and is owned or controlled by the Government;
  7. Where the applicant is a Government company;
  8. Where the applicant is an institution wholly or substantially financed by the Government;
  9. Where the invention pertains to a notified sector; or
  10. Where an arrangement exists with a foreign patent office and the applicant is eligible under such arrangement.

Notably, these provisions draw no distinction between Indian and foreign applicants—the expanded categories apply equally to both. The Rules also specify, wherever applicable, the requisite supporting documents for each category.

It is important to note that categories 9 and 10 will not take immediate effect. These will be operationalized in due course: category 9 through notifications identifying priority sectors as per policy requirements, and category 10 through the execution of reciprocal arrangements with foreign patent offices, enabling similar benefits to be extended to Indian applicants abroad.

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