On May 20, the Supreme People's Court ("SPC") issued the Circular on Issues concerning Appellate Jurisdiction in Cases of Disputes over Intellectual Property Contracts Involving Invention Patents and Others (the "Circular").

The Circular stipulates that, local people's courts at all levels (including all intellectual property courts) shall, from May 1, 2022, in the first-instance judgments they render regarding disputes over intellectual property contracts involving patents for inventions, utility models, new plant varieties, integrated circuit layout designs, technical secrets, and computer software, notify the parties concerned that they shall appeal to the people's courts at the next higher level if they are not satisfied with the judgements.

(Source: Supreme People's Court)