On November 1, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) released the Draft Revision of the Guidelines for Patent Examination (Second Draft for Comment) (the “Draft for Comment”) to solicit public opinions. Said solicitation has come to a close by now.

The Draft for Comment presents the revisions in a comparison table. The revisions involve the part regarding preliminary examination, the part regarding the substantive examination, examination of the international application entering the national phase, reexamination and examination of invalidation request, the patent application and handling, and other aspects. Around 50 specific revisions are made, covering the handling of the request related to the publication preparation, the revisions regarding the contact person and representative, revisions regarding the supplement of the application documents by citing the prior application documents, revisions regarding addition or correction of priority claim. Among others, the Draft for Comment adds Article 6.7.5 on the principle of honesty and integrity, detailing the constraints on the violation of such principle in the course of handling legal procedures.

(Source: China National Intellectual Property Administration)