New year, new patent law

Premier Wen Jiabao signed a State Council Order on January 9, 2010 to publish the new Implementing Regulations, which came into force on February 1, 2010. The new regulations improve the examination system for regulating patent applications in foreign countries for inventions made in China. They also refine the patent application process and conditions for granting patents, define the information disclosure requirements for genetic resources and improve administrative penalties for patent infringement.