Since March 2024, Jiangsu has taken the pilot program for standardizing administrative adjudication of patent infringement disputes at the municipal and county levels as an opportunity to strengthen organizational leadership and institutional innovation. The province has actively guided 6 prefecture-level cities and 15 counties (cities, districts) in advancing pilot tasks, resulting in a number of replicable and scalable best practices.
Strengthening Institutional Foundations and Improving the Regulatory Framework
Jiangsu has continued to improve the administrative adjudication policy and regulatory framework, further consolidating institutional assurance. Nanjing, Suzhou, and Nantong have expanded the scope of adjudicating authorities through participation and entrusted adjudication mechanisms; Changzhou National Hi-Tech District established the province’s first dedicated Administrative Adjudication Office for Intellectual Property, achieving the institutionalization of specialized adjudication bodies; Suzhou, Changzhou’s Xinbei District, Zhangjiagang, and Sheyang County introduced case-handling guidelines that refine adjudication procedures; Jiangdu District of Yangzhou and Danyang signed a Memorandum of Administrative–Judicial Coordination for Intellectual Property Protection; Jiangyin led 181 counties (cities, districts) nationwide in formulating the Working Procedures for Cross-Regional Cooperation in County-Level Intellectual Property Protection, fostering stronger collaborative protection.
Diversifying Unblocked Channels for Dispute Resolution
Pilot regions have widely established administrative adjudication service counters across IP protection centers, grassroots branches, and mediation committees. Qinhuai District and Jiangning District in Nanjing implemented “litigation–adjudication coordination” by deploying liaisons at the judicial case-filing front end to identify potential cases and guide parties involved to prioritize administrative adjudication; Zhenjiang and Shuyang County integrated administrative adjudication into their “One-Stop Government Services” platforms, enabling unified online–offline case acceptance. Zhangjiagang developed a “receive-and-handle” fast-track mechanism, while Yixing and Danyang actively conducted targeted investigations in sectors prone to infringement, forming a multi-dimensional case referral network. In 2024, pilot regions handled a total of 358 patent administrative adjudication cases, accounting for 48.7% of the provincial total.
Enhancing Technical Support and Strengthening Case-Handling Capabilities
Localities have improved staffing for administrative adjudication and established pools of technical investigators to enhance adjudication capacity. Nanjing and Jiangyin created dynamically managed case-handler databases. Suzhou incorporated adjudication talent into its special talent development programs. Zhenjiang formed an elite adjudication team, while Xuzhou established a municipal-level technical support task force to systematically strengthen technical assessment and legal application capabilities. By integrating technical resources from the Patent Examination Cooperation (Jiangsu) Center and the Jiangsu Intellectual Property Protection Center, the province has built a cross-regional technical investigator pool, strengthening the support for administrative adjudication cases handling. Nantong established Jiangsu’s first Notary Service Center for Intellectual Property Protection to reinforce infringement evidence preservation and notarization services. Suzhou developed a collaborative analysis mechanism involving “technical investigators + legal advisers + professional appraisers”. Xuzhou and Changzhou’s Xinbei District applied blockchain and timestamp technologies for evidence preservation.
Optimizing Procedural Workflows and Significantly Improving Adjudication Efficiency
Based on levels of case complexity, pilot regions explored a tiered adjudication mechanism consisting of “rapid mediation and expedited adjudication for simple cases, fast-track processing for ordinary cases, and specialized review for complex cases”. For straightforward cases, procedures were simplified and single-person adjudication was adopted. For complex cases, technical investigators, appraisal agencies, and legal experts were engaged to conduct joint assessments. Haian established a “simple–ordinary–special” classification model; Ganyu District in Lianyungang set up an online oral hearing system, significantly improving efficiency. In 2024, the average case-handling time across the province was reduced by over 30%.
Jiangsu continues to actively explore and innovate, positioning administrative adjudication as a “fast lane” for resolving patent infringement disputes. These efforts inject strong momentum into improving the business environment and stimulating innovation. Going forward, Jiangsu will continue to extend pilot experience and strive to build a comprehensive IP protection pattern, contributing more Jiangsu’s practical insights to the construction of a strong intellectual property nation.