Report: China Design Patent Practice

London, December, 2025:  Insight IP publishes China Design Patent Practice, a comprehensive report developed in collaboration with Stephen Yang (Managing Partner, IP March). The report distils the latest developments in China’s design patent system, offering practical strategies for protecting and commercialising design assets in the world’s most active intellectual property market.

China’s design patent framework has undergone significant evolution in recent years, driven by legislative changes, procedural reforms, and rising global demand for intellectual property protection. Against this backdrop, the China Design Patent Practice report provides a timely and practical resource for in-house counsel, IP practitioners, and international rights holders seeking to better understand and manage design rights in China.

Key report insights include:

• Partial design protection: An expanded regime that enables rights holders to seek protection for distinct design elements, enhancing strategic flexibility in filings.
• Filing and priority strategies: Tactical guidance on how to leverage China’s updated Patent Law and priority systems to align with global IP portfolios and minimise risk.
• GUI and divisional filings: Practical approaches for design filings involving graphical user interfaces and divisional strategies under current examination practices.
• Enforcement and invalidation trends: Analysis of procedural nuances in both administrative and judicial processes impacting design patent disputes in China.
• National vs Hague filings: Comparative insights for international applicants considering design protection via China’s domestic system or through the Hague International Design System.

The report draws on two decades of Chinese design filing data and frontline practitioner experience, equipping readers with actionable knowledge to make informed decisions on prosecution, portfolio management, and enforcement strategy.

The full report is available for download here

About Insight IP Ltd:

 Insight IP is a London-based litigation support consultancy specialising in IP-focused translations, document review, and trial bundling, leveraging human,  and human+AI workflows. Insight IP support complex patent, design, and litigation matters across multiple jurisdictions. In addition, Insight IP provides Standard Essential Patent (SEP) analysis, licensing support, and in-depth market and technology reports, enabling clients to make informed strategic and commercial decisions.

Insight IP works with some of the world’s largest companies, law firms, and innovators, delivering high-quality, technically rigorous services across the full lifecycle of intellectual property protection, enforcement, and commercialisation.