Partner Scott Palmer was quoted in "Will Efforts To Strengthen the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights Continue in 2023?" an article in Thomson Reuters Practical Law China, regarding what to expect in the intellectual property (IP) sector in 2023.

"We expect 2023 to be a busy year of legal developments in the IP sector. We anticipate some movement on revising the implementing regulations for the Patent Law, the release and implementation of revised Patent Review and Examination Guidelines, and possible revisions to the IP provisions of the AUCL, but we are more bullish on significant developments in the trademark space. A new draft Trademark Law was circulated in mid-January and we could see another round of revisions before the end of the year as well.

This most recent draft has introduced some big changes, including enhanced tools to address bad faith filings and the introduction of a 'use in commerce' requirement for the maintenance of trademark registrations in China. With the current draft, together with the release of the Regulations on the Supervision and Management of Trademark Agents in late 2022, we also expect more oversight over trademark agencies, with increased enforcement and sanction activities targeting those entities that support trademark pirates and other bad actors."

Read the full article on Thomson Reuters Practical Law China.