At the end of 2020, China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) published the latest version of revision of the Guidelines for Patent Examination, all of which were aimed at Chapter X of Part II (“Some Provisions on Examination of Invention Applications in the Field of Chemistry”). The revision came into force on January 15, 2021. The revision involves many aspects, mainly including supplementary experimental data, as well as judgement of novelty and inventiveness of patent applications for inventions for compounds and inventions in biological field. The revision of supplementary experimental data may mainly be intended to meet China’s commitments in the Sino-US trade agreement；therevision of compound inventions is intended to eliminate the discord between Chapter IV (Inventive Step) and Chapter X (Chemical Inventions) of the Guidelines for Patent Examination；and the revision of inventions in biological field clarifies examination practices in the past several years on the grounds that the old Guidelines for Patent Examination could not keep pace with development of science and technology. There is no doubt that the revision will have a great impact on future prosecution of patent applications. The revision will be described in detail below.
Continue Reading Interpretation of Main Points of Revision of the Guidelines for Patent Examination (2020)