ASWAL ASSOCIATES- Intellectual Property Law firm India

  Summary The China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) has announced comprehensive amendments to the Patent Examination Guidelines, effective January 1, 2026. The revised Guidelines introduce significant changes to inventor disclosure requirements, dual filing procedures, inventiveness assessment standards, re-examination protocols, and specialized examination criteria for artificial intelligence and bitstream-related inventions, marking a substantial modernization of China's patent examination framework. Overview of the Revised Guidelines On January 1, 2026, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) will implement substantially revised  Patent Examination Guidelines , introducing fundamental changes to patent examination procedures, substantive assessment criteria, and administrative practices. These amendments represent the most comprehensive update to China's patent examination framework in recent years, addressing emerging technolog...

  Summary The Republic of Maldives enacted its first comprehensive Trademark Act (Law No. 19/2025), establishing a modern registration regime aligned with international standards to replace the long-standing informal cautionary notice system. The Act introduces examination procedures, opposition processes, protection for well-known marks, and civil and criminal remedies, with a twelve-month implementation period before taking effect on November 11, 2026. Historic Legislative Development On November 11, 2025, the Republic of Maldives achieved a historic milestone in intellectual property law by enacting the  Trademark Act (Law No. 19/2025) , establishing the country's first comprehensive statutory framework for trademark protection. This landmark legislation represents a transformative shift from the Maldives' traditional reliance on informal cautionary notice publications to a modern, internationally aligned registration system featuring robust examination procedures, structur...

  Summary The Government of Nepal has issued mandatory compliance deadlines for trademark applicants following the destruction of physical trademark files during the September 2025 GenZ protest. Applicants with pending applications exceeding seven years must submit required documents by February 28, 2026, while applicants whose marks completed opposition periods must apply for registration certificates by May 31, 2026, failing which applications will be automatically cancelled. Background and Context On December 1, 2025, the Department of Industry, Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Government of Nepal, issued a critical notice regarding trademark registration procedures following unprecedented civil disturbances. This notice supersedes and clarifies an earlier notification dated August 19, 2025, which had been temporarily suspended by order dated September 24, 2025. The suspension was necessitated by widespread arson, vandalism, and looting that occurred nationwide on Se...