Below is a list of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and other U.S. government resources that may be useful for rights holders doing business in or with China. Visit China's government resources webpage to find more information on China’s IP agencies and relevant legislative and judicial bodies, along with links to China’s IP legislation.
USPTO resources
- A reference guide of selected intellectual property and related measures of China: This reference guide lists laws, legal decisions, official interpretations, and statutory amendments that affect every aspect of intellectual property in China. The listings are organized into broad subject categories—including patents, trademarks, trade secrets, copyright, etc.—with individual entries including titles in both English and Chinese, followed by a brief description of the measures as they relate to IP and a link to the corresponding website. All of the links go to Chinese-language webpages. Read the "Navigating the IP legal landscape in China - A reference guide to selected intellectual property and related measures of the People's Republic of China."
- China IPR Toolkit: Learn the details about protecting your intellectual property rights (IPR) in China with this concise and comprehensive guidebook prepared by the USPTO IP specialists with on-the-ground experience in China. Read the November 2023 report.
- Administrative enforcement of IP rights in China: This guide, published in December 2024, provides an introduction to a major feature of China’s legal system that may be unfamiliar to U.S. practitioners: administrative enforcement. This enforcement mechanism merits consideration as a complement to traditional civil, border, and criminal enforcement options. Read the 2024 report.
- Trademarks and patents in China: The impact of non-market factors on filing trends and IP systems: This USPTO report discusses how the explosive growth in Chinese patent and trademark filings may be influenced by non-market factors, such as subsidies, government mandates, bad-faith trademark applications, and defensive countermeasures. It also explores the impacts of the increased filings, such as cluttering domestic and foreign registries, stretching the capacity of China’s patent and trademark examiners and review authorities, and narrowing the scope of available protection for legitimate rights holders. Read the January 2021 report.
- USPTO’s IP attachés: The USPTO has IP attachés posted in three cities in China: Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. They work to improve the IP climate in China for the benefit of U.S. stakeholders and provide information to U.S. companies doing business there.
- USPTO IP Identifier: Customers can use the six-question Basic IP Identifier to help identify what type of IP they have, and then learn basic information about their selected answers.
Other U.S. government resources
- STOPfakes.gov is the federal government's one-stop shop for tools and resources on intellectual property rights (IPR). The federal agencies behind STOPfakes.gov have developed a number of resources to educate and assist businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as consumers, government officials, and the general public.
- U.S. Commercial Service: a part of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, the U.S. Commercial Service offers U.S. companies a full range of expertise in international trade. Companies can find assistance locally in more than 100 U.S. Commercial Service offices nationwide and in more than 70 international offices.
- U.S. Commercial Service: China Country Commercial Guide
- U.S. Commercial Service in China
- U.S. Commercial Service: Export Assistance Centers
- International Trade Administration: Access Asia
- International Trade Administration: Export Solutions
- U.S. Department of Justice: Intellectual Property Section
- U.S. Department of Justice: Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS)
- U.S. Department of Justice: Global Law Enforcement Network of International Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (ICHIP)
- U.S. Department of State: Office of Intellectual Property Enforcement
- U.S. Department of State: U.S. embassy and consulates in China
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection: e-Recordation Program
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection: IPR points of contact