Draft revision to patent law submitted to NPC Standing Committee

The draft revision to the Chinese Patent Law was submitted to an ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, for a second review on Sunday. It was first read in December 2018.

"After the first reading, some government departments and experts suggested we add patent protection for partial design of a product. We decided to adopt the idea after studies, as it's also an internationally-accepted practice and will inspire innovation in the design industry," the NPC Constitution and Law Committee said in a statement.

In addition to safeguarding the patent of a product's overall appearance design, a draft revision also gives protection to a product's partial design as a move to encourage design innovation.

Under the current law, appearance design refers to shape, pattern, color, or their combination, and the design must be full of aesthetic feeling and suitable for industrial applications.