China: Contracts and Commercial Law

Fashion brands like Louis Vuitton and Burberry have long sought to register their iconic repeating patterns as trademarks, but the path to legal protection is far from straightforward. This article examines the critical challenge of proving distinctiveness for pattern-based trademarks in China, where decorative designs must overcome the presumption that they are merely ornamental rather than source identifiers.

China's new Provisions on the Protection of Trade Secrets, effective June 2026, introduce significant updates for foreign investors operating in the country. The regulations address critical areas including the protection of unsuccessful research data, cross-border collaboration safeguards, and the distinction between protected trade secrets and employees' transferable skills. These developments establish a clearer framework for businesses to protect intellectual property and build technology partnerships i

China's Integrated Circuit Layout Design Protection Regulations establish a comprehensive legal framework for protecting semiconductor chip designs. The regulations define eligibility criteria...

When a standby letter of credit explicitly stipulates that it is issued under UCP600, how should Chinese courts identify its legal nature and apply the law? This article examines divergent judicial approaches...

产学研合作，是很多硬科技企业技术起步的重要途径。本文主要聚焦其中较为常见的高校合作场景：高校及其科研团队能够提供早期技术验证、实验平台和人才资源，帮助企业完成从0到1的跨越。

모안（母案）은 출원인이 처음으로 국가지식산권국（CNIPA）에 제출한 특허출원이고, 분안（分案）은 모안에서 분리되어 별도로 제출된 새로운 특허출원이며, 자안이라고도 한다.

China's foreign investment security review office has issued its first-ever prohibition of an AI sector acquisition, blocking Meta's purchase of Manus and requiring transaction reversal. This landmark case establishes new compliance boundaries for cross-border capital operations involving strategic AI technologies, demonstrating that offshore restructuring cannot circumvent substantive regulatory oversight of technology transfers.

实务中信托受益权转让较为常见，那若国有企业将其持有的信托受益权对外转让，该种情形下的信托受益权转让的流程为何呢？本文将结合《企业国有资产交易监督管理办法》及相关司法实践，对这一问题进行梳理分析。

Understanding the critical importance of trademark maintenance in China, this article examines the legal requirements and procedural steps for updating trademark registrations when business circumstances change. It details the specific documentation needed for various types of trademark modifications and highlights the potential consequences of failing to maintain accurate trademark records.