White Paper on the State of Intellectual Property Protection in China 2025

On May 7, the White Paper on the State of Intellectual Property Protection in China 2025 was officially released. This highly anticipated “report card” comprehensively reviews the latest progress China has made in the field of intellectual property (IP) protection in 2025. Covering everything from institutional development to examination and registration, and from cultural cultivation to international cooperation, it presents to the world a vivid and tangible picture of China’s IP endeavors reaching a new level.

Turning the pages of the white paper, one finds a wealth of data that outlines a compelling narrative of China’s significantly enhanced IP governance capacity and performance.

I. Protection Effectiveness: Weaving a Denser “Safety Net” with Record-High Satisfaction

In 2025, China further consolidated its framework of “strict, extensive, fast, and equal protection” for IP. Data shows that the social satisfaction score for IP protection reached 82.81 (out of 100, excluding Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan regions), a new high that fully reflects public recognition of the improved IP protection environment.

Judicial Protection “Shows Its Teeth”: Courts nationwide accepted 473,000 new first-instance civil IP cases; procuratorial authorities reviewed and approved the arrest of 6,220 cases involving criminal IP infringement; public security authorities intensified special campaigns such as “Kunlun,” investigating and handling 26,000 criminal cases, delivering a powerful deterrent against infringement and counterfeiting.

Administrative Protection “Provides Safeguards”: Market regulatory authorities investigated and handled 37,000 IP law violation cases; IP administrative authorities concluded 9,341 administrative adjudication cases on patent infringement disputes; Customs strictly guarded borders, seizing 86.42 million pieces of infringing imports/exports, effectively severing cross-border infringement chains.

System Building “Consolidates the Foundation”: The protection network grew denser, with seven new national-level IP protection centers and rapid rights protection centers established, bringing the total to 129. Meanwhile, overseas rights protection capabilities improved significantly; the overseas IP dispute response guidance platform helped enterprises recover RMB 2.75 billion in losses throughout the year, giving Chinese companies greater confidence as they go global.

II. Institution Building and Examination & Registration: Reinforcing the “Bedrock” with Progress on Rule of Law and Efficiency

Good laws are the prerequisite of good governance. In 2025, China’s legal framework for IP protection continued to strengthen. Over the year, 18 IP-related laws, regulations, and rules were formulated or revised, and 2 judicial interpretations were issued.

New Rules Implemented: The newly revised Anti-Unfair Competition Law and Regulations on the Protection of New Plant Varieties came into force; the State Council Regulation on Handling Foreign-Related IP Disputes was promulgated and took effect.

Legislative Acceleration: The draft revision of the Trademark Law passed its first reading by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress. A cluster of regulations and standards on credit supervision in the IP field, trade secret protection, and IP arbitration were intensively rolled out, making institutional supply more targeted and effective.

Under strict source protection and efficient examination mechanisms, IP creation achieved both quantitative and qualitative growth. As of the end of 2025:

The number of valid invention patents in China reached 6.318 million, up 11.1% year-on-year;
The number of valid registered trademarks reached 53.032 million, up 6.5% year-on-year;
The total annual number of copyright registrations reached 10.677 million;
A total of 5,066 geographical indication products had been recognized;
The annual number of applications for new agricultural plant variety rights reached 17,104, up 15.26% year-on-year.

III. Cultural Cultivation and International Cooperation: Spreading a “Positive Message” Through Two-Way Engagement at Home and Abroad

In terms of cultural cultivation, IP is no longer an esoteric professional term. Through the successful holding of major events such as the National Intellectual Property Publicity Week, the authoritative release of typical cases and series of reports, and the continuous improvement of multi-level education and training systems, the cultural concept of “respecting knowledge, advocating innovation, acting with integrity and in compliance with the law, and fair competition” has taken deeper root in society.

On the international stage, China is deeply engaging in global IP governance. In 2025, China successfully hosted the 18th Five IP Office (IP5) Commissioners’ Meeting (China, the U.S., Europe, Japan, and Korea), facilitating the inclusion of multiple cooperation outcomes in the lists of diplomatic achievements of head-of-state visits. Practical cooperation on IP under the Belt and Road Initiative steadily expanded, and pragmatic progress was made in foreign-related judicial cooperation and joint law enforcement, effectively supporting high-level opening-up.

White Paper on the State of Intellectual Property Protection in China 2025