To the intellectual property offices of all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, the Guangdong Branch of the General Administration of Customs, and all directly affiliated customs:

To thoroughly implement the decisions and deployments of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on comprehensively strengthening IP protection, optimise collaboration mechanisms, strengthen coordinated protection, deepen cooperation between IP authorities and Customs in IP protection, and jointly advance building a work pattern of “strict, extensive, rapid and equal protection” of IP, the following opinions are put forward.

I. Overall Requirements

Adhere to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as guidance, thoroughly implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions and expositions on IP work, earnestly implement the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress and successive plenary sessions of the 20th Central Committee, implement relevant requirements of the Outline for Building an Intellectual Property Power (2021–2035) and the 15th Five-Year Plan for IP Protection and Utilization, give play to the advantages of IP authorities and Customs, form joint working force, coordinately advance full-chain IP protection, foster a sound business and innovation environment, and provide strong support for building China into an IP power.

II. Key Tasks

(1) Strengthen information sharing. On the basis of ensuring data security, CNIPA and the General Administration of Customs shall establish a long-term working mechanism for data sharing and application cooperation. CNIPA shall regularly provide Customs with basic data on trade marks, patents and the like to facilitate right holders’ Customs recordation; share information on recognition of well-known trade marks, trade marks revoked or invalidated, and administrative adjudication decisions in major patent infringement disputes, to assist Customs enforcement. Customs shall regularly provide CNIPA with data on trade marks and patents recorded for Customs protection and information on confiscated trade mark and patent cases for CNIPA’s reference. The two sides shall mutually notify each other of their respective administrative enforcement replies on trade marks and patents to promote unified infringement judgment standards, and jointly advance IP informatisation and improve data-sharing functions.

(2) Strengthen investigation assistance. Where IP authorities handling trade mark or patent infringement cases involving import/export goods request Customs assistance, Customs shall assist. Where Customs investigating detained goods suspected of trade mark or patent infringement requests assistance from IP authorities, IP authorities shall assist; for patent infringement cases involving specialised technical matters, recommend technical investigators or other experts as needed by Customs; where registered trade mark information and status need verification, Customs may verify through CNIPA’s public system for trade mark registration certificates.

(3) Strengthen business support. When investigating goods suspected of infringing trade mark or patent rights, Customs shall fully refer to CNIPA’s infringement judgment standards and relevant administrative replies and adjudication decisions of IP authorities. When encountering relatively specialised and complex determinations of identical/similar goods, identical/similar trade marks or patent infringement, Customs may seek opinions from IP authorities at the same level, which shall reply promptly with professional opinions.

(4) Strengthen protection in key fields. IP authorities shall encourage right holders with well-known trade mark recognition records, collective/certification marks registered as geographical indications, and enterprises in key industries such as photovoltaics to actively apply to Customs for IP recordation. Customs shall examine such applications in accordance with law. After recordation, Customs shall strengthen protection based on national industrial policy and risk analysis results.

(5) Strengthen consultation and research. IP authorities and Customs shall, in light of local conditions, timely hold discussions on difficult trade mark and patent cases and joint research on major difficult issues, promote unified enforcement standards, and raise cross-department enforcement and protection levels. Regularly conduct business exchanges, jointly strengthen frontier theoretical research and practical exploration of IP protection in new fields and new business forms, and advance application of AI, big data and other new technologies in IP protection.

(6) Strengthen talent cultivation and publicity. IP authorities and Customs shall exchange teaching faculty, support specialised training on foreign-related IP protection, and strengthen talent teams. Authorities at all levels shall strengthen IP protection publicity and may conduct joint publicity activities to raise protection awareness.

(7) Conduct assessment and rewards/discipline. CNIPA and Customs shall regularly assess IP protection effectiveness, summarise and promote typical practices, commend outstanding collectives and individuals, and urge and remind those whose work is inadequate.

III. Safeguard Measures

Collaboration on IP protection work shall be organised and implemented under the lead of CNIPA’s IP Protection Department and Customs’ Comprehensive Business Department; both sides shall establish a regular liaison mechanism and designate liaison officers for daily communication. IP authorities below the provincial level and directly affiliated customs shall, according to actual work needs, establish corresponding liaison mechanisms and designate dedicated persons.

China National Intellectual Property Administration  General Administration of Customs

8 October 2026

Source：China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA)；2026-10-14；https://www.cnipa.gov.cn/art/2026/10/14/art_75_208567.html