In order to implement the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on strengthening intellectual property protection, improve the quality of patents in all respects, ensure the realization of the legislative purpose of the Patent Law to encourage real innovation activities, and abide by the principles of honesty and trustworthiness, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CAIPA) has made an announcement of the Measures on Regulating Patent Application.This announcement shall enter into force from the date of promulgation.

Hereby Noticed.

China National Intellectual Property Administration

March 11, 2021 

The Measures on Regulating Patent Application

Article 1  In order to crack down on all kinds of abnormal patent applications that violate the legislative purpose of the patent law and the principles of honesty and trustworthiness, we formulate these measures on the basis of implementing regulations, patent commissioning regulations, and other relevant laws and regulations. Those abnormal patent applications shall be strictly checked and handled in accordance with these measures.

Article 2  The term "abnormal patent application" mentioned in these Measures refers to the behaviors of any unit or individual that are not for protecting innovation and based on real invention and creation activities. These abnormal patent applications behaviors, including filling all kinds of patent applications, commissioning patent application and transferring patent application rights or patent rights alone or jointly, all seek for illegitimate interests and fictitious innovation and service performance.

The "abnormal patent application" behaviors mentioned in these measures are as follows:

（1） Submitting multiple patent applications with obvious the same invention and creation at the same time or successively , or filling in several applications that are virtually formed by features or elements from different inventions;

（2） The submitted patent application has the problems of making up, forging or altering the content of invention and creation, experimental data or technical effect, or plagiarizing, simply replacing, and piecing together the existing technology or design;

（3） The invention and creation submitted for patent application is obviously inconsistent with the actual research and development ability and resources condition of the applicant and inventor;

（4） The invention and creation contents of multiple submitted patent applications are mainly generated randomly through computer programs or other technologies;

（5） The invention of patent application is the one obviously inconsistent with the convention of technological improvement and design to avoid patent examination.Or the invention and creation degrades, piled up, and unnecessarily reduced the protection scope without actual protection value, having no contents worth searching and examining.  

（6） In order to evade the regulatory measures to crack down on the  abnormal patent application,submit several patent applications that virtually associated with specific units, individuals or addresses separately, successively or in different places;

（7） Buying or selling the patent application right or patent right not for implementing patented technology and design or other legitimate purposes, or falsely changing the inventor or designer;

（8） Patent agencies, patent agents, or other institutions and individuals act, induce, instigate, and help others, or conspire with them to implement all kinds of abnormal patent applications;

（9） Other abnormal patent applications and related actions that violate the principle of honesty and trustworthiness and disrupt the normal patent working order.;

Article 3  when the China National Intellectual Property Administration finds or learns from the report, and makes a preliminary confirmation that there is an abnormal patent application during the process of patent application acceptance, preliminary examination, substantive examination and reexamination or at the international stage of international applications, it may form a panel of examination or authorize examiners to start the special examination procedures in accordance with these measures.It can take batch and centralized processing, and inform applicants to immediately stop relevant actions, and voluntarily withdraw relevant patent applications and requests for legal formalities within the specified time limit. Or they can state their viewpoints.

If the applicant is not agree with the preliminary confirmation of the abnormal patent application, he should state his viewpoints within the specified time limit and submit sufficient supporting evidence. If the applicant makes no response within the time limit without good cause, their relevant patent application shall be deemed to be withdrawn, and their request for going through relevant legal formality shall be deemed not to be submitted.

If the China National Intellectual Property Administration still considers the application belongs to abnormal patent application behavior mentioned in the measures after the applicant's statement, it may reject the relevant patent application in accordance with the law, or refuse the request for going through relevant legal formalities.

If the applicant is not agree with the above decisions of the China National Intellectual Property Administration, he may apply for administrative reconsideration, reexamination or bring up administrative litigation in accordance with the law.

Article 4  The China National Intellectual Property Administration may not reduce the patent fee for those confirmed abnormal patent application in the light of circumstances; For the patent has already been reduce the fee, a supplementary fee is required to make up the reduced part.

For applicants that are persistent offenders, the CNIPA shall not reduce the patent fee of theirapplications in five years since the date of confirmation of the abnormal patent application.

Article 5  The China National Association of Patent Agents shall take self-regulatory measures for patent agencies agents that have abnormal patent application acts mentioned in paragraph 2(8) of Article 2 of the measures. For serious cases such as persistent offenders, the CNIPA or the Department in charge of patent work shall punish them in accordance with the laws and regulations.

For other institutions or individuals that have above-mentioned acts, the department in charge of patent works shall punish them in accordance with the relevant provisions on investigating and treating unqualified patent agents. Those who violate other laws and regulations shall be transferred to the relevant departments for treating according to law.

Article 6  The Department in charge of patent work and patent agency shall report to the CNIPA in time when they finds or learns from the report the clues of abnormal patent application behavior.

The administrative department for patent work shall implement relevant measures in accordance with relevant policy documents for the units and individuals that are confirmed to have abnormal patent application behavior.

Article 7  If the unit or individual having the acts mentioned in article 2 are suspected of constituting a crime in accordance with the Criminal law of the People's Republic of China they shall be transferred to the relevant agencies for criminal liability in accordance with law.

Article 8  These measures shall come into force as of the date of promulgation.