China Inbound Legal Guides · Intellectual Property
China legal decision desk
Intellectual Property
China IP is create → own → register → commercialise → enforce. First-to-file and trade-secret hygiene are different jobs from a brand story.
gates mapped before the next move
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
OWNERSHIP & FIRST-TO-FILE · TRADEMARKS · PATENTS & DESIGNS · NNN & TRADE SECRETS · TRADE SECRETS & EMPLOYEE IP
A three-month opposition window or a non-use clock can close the brand file. This is an IP calendar, not a customs duty window and not a family-safety route.
Open opposition clocksDecision desk / 01
Where is the
pressure point?
Matter statusCLASSIFY FIRSTConfirm the current route
Ownership & first-to-file
Name the asset and who must own the China filing before launching or briefing a factory.
Open routeTrademarks
Get a China trademark plan on the calendar before marketing or OEM starts.
Open routePatents & designs
Separate patentable subject-matter from trademarks and from what must stay a secret.
Open routeNNN & trade secrets
Put a China-shaped NNN and secrecy measures in place before drawings leave the building.
Open routeTrade secrets & employee IP
Identify the protected information, ownership chain, access population and exit or incident stage.
Open routeSituation-based routes
Start where
the matter is.
10 bounded routes turn a broad concern into the next useful question.
Ownership & first-to-file
Who owns the right in China, and why filing order often beats overseas use.
Open route 02BrandTrademarks
Registration, classes, opposition and the brand file that first-to-file actually protects.
Open route 03PatentPatents & designs
Invention, utility model and design patents as a separate file from brands and secrets.
Open route 04SecretNNN & trade secrets
NNN packs, NDAs that fail in China, and the secrecy measures that make a secret enforceable.
Open route 05PeopleTrade secrets & employee IP
Control China employee access, ownership, confidentiality, exits and incident evidence around trade secrets, software and other employee-created IP.
Open route 06LicenseLicensing & portfolio monitoring
Structure China trademark, patent, know-how and software licences, then align recordal, quality control, portfolio monitoring and enforcement rights.
Open route 07ClockOpposition & cancellation clocks
The three-month opposition window, invalidation and non-use cancellation — calendar first.
Open route 08EnforceEnforcement & customs recordal
Admin, civil, criminal and customs recordal routes — not HS classification of the goods.
Open route 09Copyright registration & enforcementCopyright registration & enforcement
Copyright ownership, registration/record evidence, licensing, online infringement and enforcement.
Open route 10Unfair competition & trade secretsUnfair competition & trade secrets
Anti-unfair-competition claims, trade-secret protection and enforcement beyond registered IP rights.
Open routeDecision shortcuts
Already know
the issue?
Jump to the narrow question changing your next move.
Quick answers
Orient first.
Then go deeper.
Short explainers for recurring questions beneath this practice route.
Editorial & legal review
Research with
professional boundaries.
Route logic and substantive content require review when current rules change.
No lawyer is presented as the legal reviewer until an appropriately qualified specialist is assigned.
This hub routes research; it does not provide legal advice or promise regulatory clearance.
Editorial policyCounsel hand-off
Need IP counsel?
This hub organises filing, secrets and enforcement routes. It does not register rights, stop a squatter or bind CNIPA on your facts.