The European Commission requested consultations with China at the World Trade Organization (WTO) today, arguing that "China has empowered its courts to set binding worldwide royalty rates for EU standard essential patents, without the consent of the patent owner," leading to violations of the WTO's TRIPS

As the end of President Biden's term in office nears, over the past week his administration has taken actions in several areas related to trade with China: de minimis trade, non-market practices/state-owned enterprises/standards, counterfeiting and piracy, and forced labor.

At a hearing yesterday, members of Congress spoke with several expert witnesses about the problems of dealing with a number of specific Chinese practices related to intellectual property, including SEP-litigation practice.

China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) has recently issued new guidelines on standard-essential patents (SEP) as they relate to antitrust, signaling a more stringent regulatory approach to this critical area of intellectual property.

In a recent court ruling, the Supreme People's Court sustained a lower court's decision in finding a Zhejiang firm in violation of Schneider's trademark.

A recent case at the Beijing Internet Court tested the boundaries of intellectual property rights and the right to voice in the age of AI. The case involves Microsoft.

China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) recently contacted Avanci, which owns patent pools, in relation to antitrust concerns. Even though there is no clear sign of antitrust violations, the company's practices have been controversial.