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...
Supreme Court Transfers Patent Infringement Suit to Prevent Forum Shopping and Multiplicity of Proceedings
Summary The Supreme Court transferred a patent infringement suit from Delhi High Court to Bombay High Court, holding that the first-filed groundless threats suit should be adjudicated alongside the subsequent infringement claim to avoid duplication and multiplicity of proceedings, and clarifying that Section 106 groundless threat suits can proceed independently under the Patents Act, 1970. Background The dispute arose following the commercial launch of Atomberg Technologies' "Atomberg Intellon" water purifier in June 2025. Atomberg alleged that Eureka Forbes engaged in conduct designed to intimidate and pressure its commercial distributors by issuing threats of legal action for alleged patent infringement. In response, Atomberg initiated legal proceedings under Section 106 of the Patents Act, 1970, filing a suit for groundless threats of infringement in the Bombay High Court on July 1, 2025. Shortly thereafter, on July 7, 2025, Eureka Forbes filed a patent infringement ...